Gov’t officers reportedly linked to illegal activities
The Colombian aircraft that was found at Yupukari in September
The Colombian aircraft that was found at Yupukari in September

–relative to discovery of foreign aircraft, CoI report says

Some government officers were allegedly involved in illegal activities relative to the discovery of a foreign aircraft which entered Guyana illegally and landed near the village of Yupukari, Rupununi, Region 9, in 2016, the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) established to investigate same, revealed.
The report which was tabled in the National Assembly last Thursday, was compiled by Brigadier (ret’d) Edward Collins, who highlighted a number of concerns arising from the inquiry.

“The Commission is very concerned about the Special Branch report of a serving member of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and consequently a prominent personality within the Lethem community might have been in collusion with the perpetrators.”
According to the report, it was the same person who passed information to the police on September 13, 2016.

“Without official sanction, he was taken on the operation by the police commander and likely would have compromised the operation,” the report added.
In fact, Head of the Special Branch at the time, Lindon Denny, reported to the Commission that “discrete enquires conducted between 2016-10-07 and 2016-10-08 at Lethem suggested that Rayan Khan, tax officer 11, GRA ,was linked to the activities of the aircraft that was discovered and was also allegedly involved in human smuggling, particularly Cuban nationals across the border from Guyana into Brazil.”
As such, Denny made it clear that such information points to Khan’s character being questionable and recommended that the tax officer be transferred immediately from Region Nine.

“In the circumstances, it is my fervent view that not only in the interest of the public and the state as a whole, but to facilitate a thorough investigation into the discovery of the aircraft, I vehemently wish to recommend that Khan be immediately transferred from his current location pending the outcome of the investigations.”
That aside, the Commission also expressed concern as it relates to a Special Branch report that persons who were connected to the aircraft might have been in the vicinity during the operation.

Denny said, “Recent information stated that on 2016-10-05, persons suspected to be foreigners and attired in camouflage clothing, who were involved with the activities of the aircraft, were hiding in the bushes in the vicinity of where the aircraft was discovered.”
Additionally, the former head of special branch said those persons were supplied with food and other necessities to survive by residents of nearby villages.

FLED
“Further, information indicated that since the discovery of the aircraft, a prominent businessman of Lethem who was suspected to have been involved in the activities of the aircraft fled to neighbouring Brazil.”

Meanwhile, close friend of Khan, Rene Melville, who was granted a one-on-one interview with the Commission, corroborated the findings of Denny. He told the Commission: “The people were there when we been in there, the Columbian people. They were in there. Wednesday night (September 14, 2016) they get away to Brazil. The night about 2 o’clock to 3 o’clock in the morning or midnight, they foot it out the camp to Santa Fe where they have a crossing there. The lady (Clara George) crossed them there. The boss, the Brazo man, same Brazo man and his wife went back to Brazil. They got away…”
In a transcript of the one-on-one interview with Commissioner Collins, Melville committed to telling all of what he knows.

“This thing wuk going on is a big thing an’ it going on long. I know, I know about it long… and people from the PPP government, who was before… the ministers and all of them was involved,” said the man.
He told the Commission that the first aircraft arrived in Marakanata where he lives. The man explained that when the aircraft first arrived there he called a minister whose name he could not remember.

“The minister said don’t tell nobody what you told me, I am going to send in the army… but the army never came. Couple months after I got to people telling me that the man who I did make the report to…I don’t know how they know that I make a report to this man… you see, that man is involved. I mek a report to dis man- yuh see, that man (the minister) is involved in it… but I can’t tell you is which minister,” said Melville.
Asked why he called the minister, Melville said he was advised to do so. He told the Commission that that transpired at the same time they found the illegal aircraft.
Additionally, the Commission expressed concern over the fact that the illegal airstrip remained intact despite the removal of the illegal aircraft from the strip to Timehri.

DEEPLY CONCERNED
“The Commission is deeply concerned that no effort seemed to have been made with respect to rendering the illegal airstrip incapable of further use.”
The aircraft was flown out from the airstrip to Lethem on Friday, September 30, 2016 and then the following day to Timehri.

The Commission visited the airstrip on Sunday, October 2, and again on Sunday, October 23; 21 days apart. The latter visit was specially organised for the toshaos and senior councillors of nearby villages. There was evidence that the airstrip had been recently used.
“All of the village leaders agreed that the tyre marks were freshly made. It was clear to all and sundry that the tyre marks seemed to have been recently made,” the report stated.
It was noted that residents who had initially said they did not hear or see anything volunteered to testify that they heard sounds of aircraft landing nearby.
“It should be noted that all of this voluntary reporting occurred after the Commission visited the airstrip with the toshaos and senior councillors of the nearby villages,” the report said.

On September 13, 2016, a plane, bearing registration number N767Z, was first brought to the attention of officials by residents of the area. A Joint Army and Police team, inclusive of Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), was dispatched to the location to conduct investigations launched into the sightings of the aircraft. The CoI was appointed on September 28, 2016 and the report handed over in October, 2016.

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