Arrest of Jordan condemned

—Harmon says PPP must know that this will not be accepted
Former Finance Minister, Winston Jordan has been release from police custody after he was arrested by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) in relation to a series of alleged fraudulent transactions in which he is implicated, involving public funds and state properties, estimated to value billions of Guyana dollars.

In a statement police said Jordan was contacted on Wednesday and invited to attend the office of the unit at Camp Road, Georgetown for questioning in relation to he allegations. According to the police on Thursday at about 10:30 hrs, Jordan, in the company of two Attorneys-at-Law, attended the SOCU office at Camp Road and was interviewed. The first transaction that he was interviewed about, relates to the sale and vesting of the state’s largest wharf facilities located at Kingston, Georgetown, valued approximately GUY $8 billion (US$40,000,000) which was sold for GUY $110 million (US $500,000.), the police release stated.

According to the police the purchaser BK Marines Limited, paid only 10% of this purchase price, that is GUY $20 million(US$100,000) and Minister Jordan issued a vesting order passing Title to the purchaser, without the payment of any further sum of monies. “The vesting order stated that the property is being sold free from encumbrance and liabilities and no further sum of money is owed by the purchaser. Transport was subsequently issued for this property and the value strangely stated on the Transport was GUY $400,000,000 million (US 2,000,000.) Further, the agreement of sale stated that Title must only pass upon full payment of purchase price,” the release stated.

The police said too that at about 13:00 hrs, as Jordan was being escorted to Sparendaam Police Station for further questioning, he complained about feeling unwell and was rushed to the Sparendaam Health Centre where he was attended to by health workers at that institution. He was subsequently placed on his own recognisance and sent away with instructions to return tomorrow.

Meanwhile, n condemning the arrest of Jordan Opposition Leader, Joseph Harmon said all of Guyana witnessed yet another vile, malicious and vindictive act of political witch hunting by the PPP regime. “The arrest of former Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, is not evidence based, but is rooted in depravity. The PPP is bent on harassing and tormenting the lives of coalition members and supporters. There is absolutely no justification for Mr. Jordan’s arrest other than the fact that he continues to expose the PPP’s mismanagement and misuse of the treasury since they were installed into office. His recent remarks that the PPP has already borrowed more money than what we have received thus far from oil has clearly upset the PPP. What we see here today is a clear case of excess use by the state in an attempt to silence those who seek to expose them,” Harmon stated.
Attorneys at law Roysdale Force SC and Darren Wade were at the side of
Winston Jordan throughout this process. Mr. Jordan has been released
from custody after needing medical attention due to the psychological and
mental stress brought on by agents of the state. I can assure you that we
will not allow this to go unanswered. The PPP must know that this will not
be accepted.
Adding its voice the People’s National Congress Reform also vehemently condemned the arrest of Jordan on what can only be described as trumped-up charges aimed at intimidating the former Minister, his family and the Guyanese population at large.
“The PNCR stands by Cde Jordan who distinguished himself as the Minister of Finance during the Coalition’s administration providing countless realistic increases to public servants and impeccable stewardship of the nations’ wealth and finances. The Party wishes to assure Cde Jordan and his family that they have its full support against the tyranny of this PPP administration,” the statement read.
“The PPP’s misuse of SOCU and its resort to Gestapo tactics and inhumane treatment against members of the Coalition administration is no more than political witch hunting aimed at distracting the citizens from its mismanagement of the nations’ finances, the Covid-19 Pandemic, economic and financial discrimination, rising costs of living, increased poverty, rising crime and a fast return of Guyana as a narcotic state.
The PPP is therefore, and ought to be, scared of the statements already made by Cde Jordan, and more to come, pointing out the true facts surrounding the nation’s finances and its oil revenues. Consequently, it resorts to body violence, health threats and psychological intimidation against the former Minister. The People’s National Congress Reform reassures its members, supporters and the nation at large of its commitment to using all its resources, national and international, to remove the PPP from office in the shortest possible time.”