POLICE have completed preliminary work and are now having face-to-face interactions with the officers deemed culpable of being involved in major financial irregularities at Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC). This was reported by Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Mr. Ganga Persaud yesterday. He told the Guyana Chronicle, by telephone, that the police have commenced their investigations after having developed their strategy.
According to him, they are currently engaging the relevant municipal officials who are said to have links to the irregularities that were mentioned in the ‘Ramon Gaskin Report.’
Asked to respond to the lament that Town Clerk Yonnette Pluck, City Treasurer Andrew Meredith and City Engineer Gregory Erskine are allowed to remain on the job despite a recommendation, by the Council, for them to be sent on leave, the Minister said the police would have to make that call, because they are conducting the probe.
Persaud assured, though, that once the police find someone to be an impediment to their enquiries, the Ministry will definitely accede to the Council’s request.
Unless the police say so, the officers will not be removed, because the Ministry cannot merely assume that the officers will interfere.

FAILED
The M&CC, again, on Monday, complained that the Local Government Ministry failed to act upon the recommended action to have three top functionaries at City Hall sent on leave to facilitate a proper inquiry into major financial wrongdoings.
At a press conference, Mayor Hamilton Green offered that the “normal procedure” in such cases would be to allow the officers in question to proceed on leave.
Councillor Oscar Clarke remarked that the Ministry has chosen a “very abnormal procedure” in allowing the officers to remain on the job.
In his opinion, there is something “sinister” involved in this matter, as no one in their senses would keep the officers in place whilst suggesting that they are culpable of the offences.
“This has become a very political issue,” he charged, adding that the officers’ retaining their positions is only making way for them to create more mischief at the municipality.
Meanwhile, when the statutory meeting was called to order, on Monday, Deputy Town Clerk Sharon Harry-Munroe announced that Pluck, Meredith and Erskine reported that they were “not feeling well” and could not be present.
Clarke then stood up to say that the continuous absence of the trio only serves to “stymie” the work of the Council and Councillor Ranwell Jordan commented that Pluck seemed to be on a mission to ensure the Council does not function as it should.

FRUSTRATING
“We will not allow the Town Clerk to defeat the work of the Council,” Jordan said, stating that Pluck seems to be “deliberately” frustrating Council’s work.
He suggested that the three officers be sent on annual leave, beginning with their deferred vacation.
Pluck absented herself from another extraordinary statutory meeting of the Mayor and City Council last Friday, when it was intended to discuss the Gaskin compilation.
Her absence prompted councillors to accuse her of further frustrating the work of the Council, as Thursday morning had been scheduled for the purpose of discussing issues that arose in the computation and  had to be postponed to Friday.
Harry-Munroe substituted for Pluck when the Friday meeting was called and Deputy Mayor Patricia Chase-Green said the Town Clerk offered no explanation why she was not present, although she was in her office.