Granger administration ordered police to tap senior AFC Minister’s phone

Weeks after the March 2 General and Regional Elections, the executive of the Coalition government under then President David Granger had ordered the surveillance of a senior minister from the Alliance For Change (AFC) arm of the administration.
According to reliable sources who saw correspondence on the matter, 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.

Official sources told Kaieteur News that the Guyana Police Force Special Branch/Intelligence wrote, on the authority of the Granger executive, for “intercepts” on the phone of the official, also a senior executive in the AFC. The AFC is the smaller faction that comprised the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition that won power in 2015 and now comprises the major opposition bloc in Parliament.

The surveillance, our sources say, 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.

Last evening, 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.