By Anthony Stewart, PhD
All are eligible to participate in this search and we can reasonably expect success because that amount of money is very difficult to conceal. Use whatever tools you have available, capitalising on the skills you have. Because of the urgency of the matter you may have to search night and day and leave no stone unturned in your effort.
It is best to begin with the prayer warriors. They would pray for location and safe return of the money. God knows everything, including the whereabouts of the money. This is a good thing for the Christian Council and all religious organisations to pray for in light of the fact that the money belongs to poor taxpayers who would have sacrificed their means in these times when many are in abject, extreme poverty.
To begin the search, we must gather the search instruments:
- The massantoe or flambeau made from a bottle, fuel, and a cloth wick
- The candle made from wax and a twine wick
- The lantern with a shade and wick
- Home Sweet Home kerosene lamp
- The tilley lamp, with a kerosene receptacle with pump, wick and shade
- The Coleman Lamp, with a gas receptacle with pump, wick and shade
- Flashlight of various sizes and shapes using dry cells, some rechargeable
- Electric light – incandescent, fluorescent, or led
- Sunlight, moonlight, starlight
- Binoculars, goggles, night vision goggles, prescription glasses, magnifying glasses
- Brooms, mops, dustpans, bucket, rakes, vacuum cleaners,
- Lawn mower, excavator, fork, cutlass, swiper, fan rake,
- Fine teeth comb, brush, scissors, hair dryer
In your search begin with your immediate surroundings, then move out from there. Try to determine who has lost the money? Then it would be useful to find out where the money was lost? Search the potential suspects’ homes, relatives, supporters, bank accounts, properties, shares in Bunpan, Building and Loan, credit union, cars, stores where they shop, supermarket, restaurant, blocks where they hang out, church, cell phone records for the period, correspondences, concubines, party offices, servants, chauffeur, taxi driver, van driver, children, and friends of children.
Does the suspect acknowledge that the money is lost? Does the suspect show any interest in searching for, finding the money, and restoring it? Do the suspects have assets to the value of the lost money — $95 million? Did the suspect report the matter to the police? If not why not?
The last time I remember when my NIS monies were not paid in, no effort was made to call in the police. The next thing I heard was that a loan was taken from the NIS, without my authorisation, to pay my NIS.
I heard about white collar crimes. But how are they constituted? Missing monies from post office, schools, banks, friendly society, and even the office of the Registrar may not have found their way back where they belong. Disappearing monies are becoming too commonplace.
The last time I remember some monies attempted to disappear from a tuck shop on their way to the office, they reappeared when I threatened to call in the police.
CLICO went bankrupt but perhaps monies went to places where they ought not to have gone. It is my understanding that a certain percentage of funds were to be kept in this country for eventualities such as these. Whoever was responsible must be held accountable. Tired, old executives should not have been allowed to retire with all their benefits and bonuses. They should have been required to share some of the burdens. Persons and organisations receiving charity funds from CLICO should be asked to return them. It is unfair for policyholders alone to bear the burden. The paid civil servant who failed to ensure that the requisite percentage of CLICO funds remained in the country must also be held accountable. Accountability here means a reasonable financial penalty.
With a whole country’s workforce deploying every tool available, and searching everywhere, with computer specialists using all search engines, and accountants with their forensic accounting science skills, together with the police, we must locate the $95 million and return it to where it belongs. The finance department is well able to perform their duty if they have the will to do so. Our people cannot be robbed in this broad daylight.
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