The Special Organised Unit (SOCU) has taken several members of the opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) into custody along with others following the findings of an audit into the finances of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB).

Those being currently questioned at SOCU’s headquarters include former Head of the GRDB, Ricky Ramraj; former member of the GRDB, Badrie Persaud; former Deputy Permanent Secretary (Finance) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Prema Roopnarine, PPP Parliamentarian, Nigel Dharamlall and head of the Rice Producers Association, Dharamkumar Seeraj.

In January this year, Guyana Chronicle had reported that false and misleading statements by the GRDB from the former General Manager (GM) to the Governments of Guyana and Venezuela in order to obtain monies for the lucrative PetroCaribe Fund were among the glaring financial irregularities highlighted by Nigel Hinds Financial Services in its forensic audit.

Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman had said that the audit report indicated that via to the PetroCaribe Fund, the financial vehicle which saw millions of dollars passing through the accounting unit of the GRDB, there were “glaring” financial irregularities which were uncovered by the auditors with “no traceable signs that these were ever approved”, minus promissory notes in some instances.

The audit was conducted for the period 2011-2015.