President Irfaan Ali this afternoon said he believes that there is no controversy surrounding the seizure of the phone of the Permanent Secretary of the Home Affairs Ministry by US Authorities at the Miami International Airport, and her interrogation by US agents.

While admitting that he has not been fully briefed on the issue, the President in responding to questions posed by News Source said the Government “has no issue” with what took place, since he believes it was all procedural.

“I have been reading many cases and the different rules that many countries apply to people that travel to those countries, so we have no difficulties, and I don’t know what controversy there is…thousands of people everyday go to secondary (inspections) going through the United States and many countries…so for us, as a government, we don’t have any controversy”, President Ali said.

Reminded that the Permanent Secretary is the highest ranking public service official in the Ministry responsible for national and public security, said “any Guyanese who is mistreated in anyway by anyone, and reports such mistreatment, there is a procedure by which we deal with it, and in this case, the public office holder has given a statement to the Minister about what transpired and all of that would be handled through a procedure”.

News Source understands that Permanent Secretary Mae Touisaant Jr Thomas, is still to submit a full report to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the incident.

Although the incident took place over the easter weekend, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs only learned of it when Stabroek News broke the story more than a week later. The Foreign Ministry sought information from the US Embassy on the incident, but the Embassy shied away from offering any information.

There are reports that the Permanent Secretary’s US visa was revoked during her in-transit stop in Miami.

She was on her way to China for a political conference. She continued on to China with the trip after her phone and other items were confiscated.

The senior Government official was forced to travel to the United Kingdom and Barbados to make her way back home to Guyana.

Related posts:

Home Affairs PS confirms visa revocation, but offers confusing account of phone seizure by US agents Home Affairs Minister offers full support to PS Thomas after phone seizure by US authorities Home Affairs PS was handcuffed and interrogated at US airport; -US Embassy refuses to offer information on phone confiscation Government seeks information from US over confiscation of Permanent Secretary’s phone in Miami