Missing Ak-47…
Colonel to be interdicted -FBI lie detector results could be retrieved
Kaieteur News
January 29, 2007
A Colonel of the Guyana Defence Force will be interdicted for his alleged interference in the investigations of the missing army weapons.
A senior Government source told this newspaper that the Colonel will be sent home, pending investigations that he tried to influence the investigations.
President Jagdeo had announced, last Friday, that the Defence Board was in receipt of a report on the matter, and will be studying it over the next few weeks to come up with recommendations.
The source said that one of the recommendations is to interdict the Colonel until a final determination is made.
Kaieteur News had reported that the Colonel's cellular phone was linked to the recovery of at least one of the missing AK-47s.
According to a source, on September 26 last, information was received from an anonymous caller who stated that there are some AK-47s hidden at a location on the West Coast of Berbice.
An operation was ordered, and three AK-47s were recovered in a bag that was buried in an abandoned plot of land. Two of the weapons were identified as the missing GDF weapons.
Then, on December 10 last year, information was received from another anonymous caller, who stated about the location of a bag.
Another operation was ordered, and a bag containing a pistol suspected to be one of the missing GDF pistols, among other items, was discovered.
According to the source, on both occasions a private number was used, and it was discovered that, in the first incident, the cellular phone of the Colonel was used to make the anonymous call.
The nature of the discovery warranted an intervention at the highest possible level, because of the involvement of such a senior officer.
Additionally, it was unsure who else is involved in the conspiracy of the theft of the weapons and the attempt to recover them in a piecemeal fashion after a seemingly failed plot.
Kaieteur News understands that a series of high level meetings were called by the political directorate, and a decision is pending.
According to the source, as investigations continue, more evidence is being unearthed, and the possible involvement of another high level GDF officer has not been ruled out.
In fact, the source said, there is presently unfolding evidence to suggest the direct involvement of the other high ranking officers.
Kaieteur News understands that possible criminal charges are likely should the Colonel be found culpable.
The Guyana Defence Force has remained silent, despite the reports published in this newspaper, and efforts to contact the Chief-of-Staff, Brigadier Edward Collins, have been futile.
Meanwhile, a diplomatic source told this newspaper that the missing polygraph tests conducted by the US Federal Bureau of Investigations could be retrieved.
The records were missing from the file that was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The DPP, in response to queries from this newspaper, had stated that she had returned the file since October 10 last year. However, it is unclear what recommendations were made.
The FBI had conducted lie detector tests on all the ranks who were connected to the bond during the time the weapons disappeared.
According to the diplomatic source, the FBI will have copies of the results, and all that is required is a request from the Guyana Government for copies.
Thirty AK-47 assault rifles, along with five pistols, were discovered missing in late February last year; and so far, the army has recovered 13 of the high-powered weapons.
Some of the weapons were found in the possession of criminal elements, including a gang of bank robbers who were all shot dead in a massive Joint Service operation aback of Rose Hall Town, Corentyne.
Two other weapons were recovered: from wanted men Cyon ‘Picture Boy' Collier, who is currently on remand for murder charges, and Anthony ‘Kussum' Charles, who was killed last year during a confrontation with the Joint Services.