| No proof of Govt. request for import – Dr LuncheonThe US State Department has no record of a request by Guyana to import any of the surveillance equipment that was held with Shaheed Roger Khan, according to Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon.A previous statement attributed to the defence lawyers representing the drug accused Khan was that he purchased computer telephonic surveillance equipment from a Spy Shop in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with permission from the Guyana Government.According to Dr Luncheon, a request for the export of the equipment through the relevant law enforcement agency would have to be proffered for its procurement and there was no evidence that this was ever done.When asked if the serial numbers on the equipment could not be traced,Jerseys NFL Wholesale, Dr Luncheon said that that was not a part of the official request.The Ministry of Home Affairs had previously denied claims that the Government authorised Khan’s importation of a sensitive piece of electronic equipment and its seizure by the Joint Services.In December 2002, Khan, Haroon Yahyah and Sean Belfield were arrested while they where traversing the East Coast of Demerara in a bulletproof vehicle.At the time of the detention, an arms cache, a laptop computer, and an electronic device to track cellular phone calls were found.The laptop computer also boasted a map of Guyana and the various cell sites operated at the time by the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company.When they were arrested, one of the men had told Police that they were hunting the infamous 2002 Mash Day escapees.In a release to the media yesterday, the Home Affairs Ministry highlighted the fact that the U.S.A., like most developed countries, has strict export controls on the sale/export of such items.“In Guyana, such sensitive electronic items could only be procured and imported for the exclusive use of law enforcement agencies…Such a request by the law enforcement agencies of Guyana would have to be approved by the relevant authorities before an application is made by the Government of Guyana to the relevant American authorities for approval for the item to be exported to Guyana.”The release emphasised that the Home Affairs Ministry did not authorise the importation of the electronic equipment under question, nor did it seek any approval of the US Authorities for an export licence for the item.This was the second request by the Government for information relating to Khan.The first request was made public on May 21, when the Guyana Police Force informed the nation that media reports regarding the murders allegedly committed by or ordered by Shaheed Roger Khan in Guyana, prior to his incarceration in the United States, had prompted the body to formally seek from the US Embassy in Guyana any information in the possession of the US authorities in relation to the murders.The Guyana Police Force previously announced its cognizance of the revelations coming out of the US court in the case involving Khan, and announced that they were moving in a direction that could lead to the questioning of several persons.A senior Police officer, who asked for anonymity, said that the Police have been following with interest the developments of the case with regards to possible links to criminal activities that were committed in Guyana.At the time the source had said that, while there was no official communication between the law enforcement officials of Guyana and the United States, he could not say what information was passed on to Crime Chief Seelall Persaud or any other senior local Police official.“These cases remain open, and we are looking at every possible angle,” the local Police source told this newspaper.Head of State, President Bharrat Jagdeo, at a previous press briefing, had said that the Government of the United States had not presented the Government of Guyana with any evidence regarding the allegations that Khan may have ordered any murders, or were involved in any murders.“From what I gathered, the US attorneys are presenting their case. We do not have any information from the US Government, that I know of, supporting any of these utterances in the court,” Jagdeo had said at a press briefing held at the Office of the President.He noted that as long as the Guyana Government is formally presented with the evidence linking Roger Khan to any murders in Guyana, then the Police will launch an investigation into the validity of the information.Following the request, leaders of the Parliamentary opposition parties issued a call for the immediate re-opening of the investigations into the killings of several persons allegedly at the hands of a ‘Phantom Killing Squad.’The call was made in light of the revelations coming out of the US court case involving Shaheed Roger Khan.Khan has long been speculated to be the driving force behind the Phantom Squad, along with former Minister of Home Affairs Ronald Gajraj, who has since resigned from that post and is currently Guyana’s High Commissioner to India.Leader of the main Opposition Party, Robert Corbin, recalled the times when the Government vehemently opposed any investigation. |
