As the financial misconduct trial against former Assistant Commissioner of Police Calvin Brutus commenced on Monday, prosecutors sought to establish a link between companies owned by his wife, Adonika Aulder and the Guyana Police Force’s (GPF) procurement system. The matter is being heard before acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty. During the opening day of the trial, Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) prosecutor and attorney Darin Chan led evidence showing that two companies, South Quata Contracting and General Supplies Inc and Triple A Depot, conducted business with the GPF. The transactions occurred while Brutus, 46, served as acting Deputy Commissioner of Police (Administration).

Senior Superintendent of Police Bharat Persaud, the Force’s Finance Officer, testified that millions of dollars in payments to the companies passed through the procurement and payment approval system during Brutus’ tenure. According to Persaud, procurement requests and payment vouchers were subject to a structured approval process before public funds were released. Persaud explained that shortly after assuming duties as Finance Officer in October 2021, he received a written directive from Brutus establishing the procedures governing procurement within the Force. The directive required that procurement of goods and services receive the approval of the Deputy Commissioner (Administration), while payment submissions were to be examined by the Finance Office to ensure they carried that approval before processing. The witness also told the court that any payment submission lacking the Deputy Commissioner (Administration)’s approval was to be reported and that he was required to submit weekly reports detailing vouchers processed by the Finance Office. Persaud then outlined the procurement chain, explaining that requests originated from the Quartermaster Stores before being forwarded for approval. Persaud testified that procurements valued between $250,000 and $1.5 million required approval from the Ministerial Tender Board before contracts could be awarded. He added that contracts valued at more than $1.5 million and up to $15 million had to be approved by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) before the procurement process could proceed.

According to the witness, procurement submissions also included quotations, business registration documents and Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and National Insurance Scheme (NIS) compliance certificates before approval was granted. Persaud said that after the documents reached his office, he checked that they bore Brutus’ approval, usually indicated by the initials “CB.”