The Guyana Defence  Force Headquarters has issued a statement clarifying that the late Sergeant Robert Pyle, a member of the Intelligence Unit of the Guyana Defence Force, was deployed on a legitimate operation in support of the Special Organized Crime Unit, (SOCU) on December 30 when he was killed in a vehicular accident.

The statement comes one day after the opposition People’s Progressive Party demanded that the President David Granger led administration issue a public statement on the reported use of the GDF Sergeant to carry out surveillance.

The Defence Headquarters said it is normal for the Guyana Defence Force to support the Law Enforcement and Regulatory Agencies of Guyana in such operational activities.

According to the statement, such support is normal “especially at this time, as part of Operation Dragnet.”

No other detail on the operation was provided by the Defence Headquaters and the government is yet to issue a formal statement.

Defence Headquarters offered condolences to the Families of Sergeant Robert Pyle, Stacy Pyle and Linden Eastman who all lost their lives in the vehicular accident last Wednesday.

Pyle was reportedly trailing a vehicle at the time.

He was part of a team that was carrying out surveillance of the residence of Head of the National Industrial and Commercial Investment Limited (NICIL), Winston Brassington.

Brassington was sent on leave following an audit of NICIL and the launching of an investigation. The surveillance of his residence may have started after the investigators found several pieces of documents missing from the NICIL office and received information that persons were moving documents from his house.

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