SOCU manipulated evidence, intimated/ threatened witnesses- Brutus tells Court 

October 17, 2024

On October 16, 2024, the Supreme Court of Guyana was told that the Fizal Karimbaksh-led Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU) committed several unlawful acts and maneuvers during its criminal investigation against Assistant Commissioner of Police Calvin Brutus.

In a constitutional matter filed against the Government of Guyana, several state agencies and organizations including SOCU, Brutus through his lawyers accused the state of victimization, harassment, and breaching his constitutional rights.
The court documents also raised the serious issue of witness tampering, evidence tampering and intimidating witnesses.

This publication did receive information, and published articles on witness tampering, harassment, and evidence manipulation leveled against SOCU.

There is evidence to prove that witnesses were threatened into changing their statements, detained beyond the constitutional 72-hour detention period, and evidence was deliberately manipulated where key statements were omitted from files sent to the Director of Public Prosecution for advice.

Political interference in the SOCU investigation also came from elements within the Government of Guyana, Brutus in his court documents noted.

When BIG Smith News Watch published information about witness tampering and leaks in the investigation a few weeks ago, SOCU and its head Karimbaksh remained silent and ignored the potential for those things to weaken the organization’s case, as is now the reality.

Notwithstanding, over the last few days SOCU has been very vocal in issuing statements against media reports that fail to carry SOCU operatives’ slanted agenda

The Special Organized Crime Unit is at an all-time low and has never been accused of such grave, unconstitutional, unlawful, and unethical behavior in its years of existence.