BRITISH High Commissioner to Guyana, Greg Quinn, has made it clear that UK expert, Dr Sam Sittlington, who is based at the headquarters of the Guyana Police Force’s Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), is not involved in its daily operations.
In a statement issued to the media on Friday, Quinn responded directly to reports that Dr Sittlington was seen “celebrating” at a popular Café on Wednesday evening with a government minister and other SOCU officials following the arrest of several former People’s Progressive Party (PPP) government ministers and affiliates. The British High Commissioner said this is not true.
“Let me clarify the situation. Dr Sittlington is at SOCU in an advisory and training capacity and not in an operational role. I also understand that former Attorney General, Hon. Anil Nandlall, believes that High Commission staff were at the Oasis Cafe on Wednesday, however that was not the case,” the statement read.
Dr Sittlington recently engaged members of the media at SOCU headquarters, where he provided clarification on the arrest and detention of those involved in the Pradoville 2 investigations but according to Quinn, the UK expert was trying to be helpful in explaining the legal basis and rights of the actions taken by SOCU.
“It would be wrong to interpret this as Dr Sittlington being involved in the investigations themselves. He was not,” the British High Commissioner clarified.
The British official also made it clear that Dr Sittlington’s current contract is funded by the British High Commission and was designed as a follow up to his work with SOCU last year.
Dr Sittlington does not decide who to investigate

Earlier in the week, Dr Sittlington refused to comment on whether charges are likely to be instituted against the PPP officials, who had initially refused to be questioned at SOCU’s headquarters. They had preferred to be interrogated at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition on Church Street. But according to the advisor, the police are the ones who dictate where they interview suspects, and not the other way round.
“This is a police investigation, this is not a PPP investigation,” Dr Sittlington had said, adding that all the exhibits and equipment are at SOCU’s headquarters, which would render it implausible for the agency to conduct interviews at other locations.
However, Nandlall took umbrage to comments of the UK expert and questioned whether he was operating under the auspices of the British High Commission in Guyana. But at a press conference on February 21, 2017, the British High Commissioner had explained the role Dr Sittlington plays at SOCU, noting that he was in Guyana for five weeks in 2016 and returned this year at the request of the government.
Quinn had made it clear at the press conference that the UK expert is not the investigator at SOCU and is not responsible for the cases given to the entity.
“Sam is not the one who decides what investigation should be undertaken. That’s the role of the Head of SOCU and the others of legal authority who refer the cases to SOCU. I think Sam would say to you that SOCU should investigate anybody…regardless of where it comes from, but those cases have to be solid, have to be realistic; there have to be evidence,” the British High Commissioner had told reporters.
Quinn was also not too optimistic when he was asked whether Dr Sittlington was open to the idea of meeting with the Leader of the Opposition, to listen to whatever concerns he may have. “It’s not Sam who decides whether a case is valid. Sam is not here as a Prosecutor or as the Investigator so we have to be a little careful about expecting him to be the one who should be that interface with the Leader of the Opposition.”
Even though Dr Sittlington is observed at SOCU operations, it was made clear by the British official that he does not participate.
“He has been at operations but he has not been involved in operations, so he has no role to do what the Head of SOCU would actually do. He can be there but he’s not actually taking part in the process itself or the evidence gathering process itself,” Quinn had said.
The British High Commissioner had noted that Dr Sittlington is in Guyana to review the implementation of recommendations he made last year, aimed at improving the operations of SOCU.
“There has been an expansion in the staffing of SOCU, which was one of his suggestions, because there has been an awful lot asked of SOCU…there has been extra training provided to them so I think he has been able to build on the recommendations he made,” Quinn had said.
He opined that there is still more work left to be done at SOCU.
“Fundamental of course for SOCU is for them to be in a position where they can investigate the cases that are given to them properly and in depth and that they’re able to prepare the cases so that there are strong as possibly can be whenever they go to either the DPP or the court because SOCU, by having that well investigated detailed case, will improve the chances of successful prosecutions of what they’re investigating,” the High Commissioner had explained.
Dr Sittlington is expected to depart Guyana sometime this month.