FORTY-six-year-old Compton Joseph, a former constabulary officer with the Mayor and City Council who allegedly committed suicide in June last year, has been blamed for missing bail monies at the City Constabulary. Joseph allegedly committed suicide during investigations by the police into the missing monies.
According to a Kaieteur News article dated June 22, 2014, “The Lance Corporal who was attached to the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) ended up in hot water last week when he could not account for money for which he was responsible.”
The article continued that, “City Hall’s Public Relations Officer (PRO) Royston King told the newspaper that the Council is yet to receive a report on the alleged missing money, but it is understood that Joseph was responsible for bail money being kept in the City Constabulary’s Department.”
However, in a twist to the matter, a recently dated Kaieteur news article on February 17, 2015, reported that, “several vendors were making calls to the constabulary to return their bail money which was lodged last year.”
The article went on to say that several vendors have accused acting Town Clerk, Carol Sooba, as being responsible for the missing monies. “One vendor, Rudolph Thorne, recounted: “The other day I go there and Sooba tell me if I want my money I must go in the office and tek it out,” the recently dated article read.
However, yesterday in an exclusive interview with this newspaper, Sooba sought to “clear the air” by reiterating that the monies which were now being requested, are the same monies which had gone missing from the constabulary’s office last year.
She further explained that several persons who had returned for their bail monies were indeed refused and could not be refunded their monies because they did not have in their possession, their receipts.
“Reports are that these persons had lodged their receipts at the constabulary, and the constabulary officer who had committed suicide last year had these receipts in his possession,” Sooba related.
As such, the decision was taken not to issue the monies at this time until those receipts have been retrieved, so as to reduce the likelihood of any fraud being perpetrated.
Furthermore, the town clerk (ag.) explained that the matter is currently being investigated by the Guyana Police Force and they (the police) have been written to several times by her, to ensure that the matter is one which is treated with high priority.