AFC doubts executive’s phone was tapped; Granger to issue statement today

Alliance For Change Leader and former Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan says he is unaware of any surveillance order. “It is merely fake news,” was the retort given by two executive members of the Alliance For Change (AFC), in response to allegations that the executive of the Coalition government under then President David Granger had ordered the surveillance of a senior minister from the party, weeks after the March 2, 2020 elections.

Reliable sources who saw the correspondence on the matter told Kaieteur News that the executive had received “credible” reports that the minister was alleged to have been involved in a number of illegal practices linked to ammunition and gun licences, among other activities.
With the allegations in the public domain, Kaieteur News reached out to General Secretary of the AFC, David Patterson, for a comment.

“From what I understand, it is actually fake news,” Patterson told this paper, adding that “it is a fictitious paper…that is my information, whatever it is that they are quoting from.”
Executive member Raphael Trotman when contacted sang a similar tune stating, “We are treating it as fake news until somebody can show what they are talking about.”
Trotman added “I can tell you that such a thing was never discussed at parliament so we are treating it as fake news until there is proof of otherwise.”

With the order reportedly coming from the top of the Coalition, Kaieteur News also attempted to source comments from leader, David Granger. This paper was informed by People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) executive and Opposition Chief Whip Christopher Jones that the former President will issue a statement today.

Official sources told Kaieteur News on Friday that the Guyana Police Force Special Branch/Intelligence had written a few weeks after the March 2 elections, on the authority of the Granger executive, for “intercepts” on the phone of the official, also a senior executive in the AFC.
The surveillance, our sources said, took place within the period of April to May 2020, when Guyana was locked in a heated elections’ results battle, weeks after Granger had already lost the elections to the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) candidate, now President Dr. Irfaan Ali.

The then minister under surveillance had long been dogged by rumours of bypassing the Firearm Licensing Board and directly issuing licences, in contravention to established procedure, with claims that at least $1M was charged for each gun licence that was issued.
Our sources claim, also, that one aspect of the surveillance order included surveillance related to narcotics. Sources told Kaieteur News that the matter raised eyebrows at the Cabinet, considering the Minister’s proximity to the security portfolio.

Kaieteur News contacted AFC Leader and former Minister of National Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, who said that he believes no such order was ever made. In relation to whether he was bypassed in the surveillance order being issued, Ramjattan said that Granger knew he was always a phone call away. The former minister and current parliamentarian said the story was part of the “wickedness” of the ruling PPP/C.