More than a decade after the Thomas Carroll visa scandal was exposed, the Department of State of the United States of America is once again probing alleged improprieties involving one of its Consular Officers.The investigations are reportedly centered on the sale of US visas at the US Embassy in Georgetown, Guyana by Consular Officer Ed Durante.The embassy yesterday confirmed reports that a probe was underway, stating that “the Department of State is aware of allegations of improprieties relating to a Consular Officer formerly assigned to Georgetown, Guyana.”“The Department takes all allegations of misconduct by employees seriously.? We are reviewing the matter thoroughly. If the allegations are substantiated, we will work with the relevant authorities to hold anyone involved accountable,” the Embassy’s press release stated.Kaieteur News understands that Durante is back in the United States of America, having ended his tour of duty at the Georgetown Embassy where he was reportedly dealing mainly dealing with marriage-related visas.Reliable sources have informed that while he is not under arrest at present, his services have been terminated.He arrived in Guyana in July 2011 and his tour of duty should have ended in September 2013. He is now in the US having left here just under three weeks ago. He is not at his native Mission,Pat Tillman Cardinals Throwback Jersey, Texas but in Virginia.A source told this reporter that the fact that Durante is in Virginia would suggest that he is in a lot of trouble.An Embassy source said that he attended a job fair last week which suggested that he is seeking employment.Shortly after his arrival in Guyana he began a scam to issue US visa to persons for a fee of about US$15,000 and to women for sexual favours.The source informed that Durante was a frequent patron of a popular Middle Street restaurant where he would meet with brokers, some of whom were prominent local businessmen.There,Deion Jones Falcons Jersey UK, they would reportedly organize rendezvous with local females who wanted visas to the United States of America.The scale of the alleged new visa racket scheme is not yet known, but this newspaper understands that it involved the sale of visas for as much as US$40,000.According to a source, Durante demanded as much as US$10,000 for each new visa that he issued, while others managed to obtain visas in exchange for sexual favours.It is reported that like Thomas Carroll, the jailed consular officer,NFL Shop Gear, Durante sold as many as five visas per day, in the scheme which began soon after he commenced his tour of duty in Guyana.There are also reports that the persons whose visas were either revoked or cancelled were able to get them back for a fee.The source said that the Consular Officer re-issued cancelled visas for a fee of US$30,000 and US$40,000 for those that were revoked.“He makes the Thomas Carroll scheme look like a big joke,http://www.soccerpro.us.com/Arsenal-FC/,” the source said.This newspaper was informed that US Federal Agents had travelled to Guyana to carry out the initial probe.“The Feds are pressing him for names at the mission of who helped him and other businessmen,” the source said.There are reports that Durante was a close associate of the late Georgetown businessman Intaz Roopnarine called ‘Bobby’, who was gunned down in the Cool Square hotel in West Ruimveldt in January of this year.However, there is the view that Roopnarine was just a bit player in the scheme that could lead to senior local officials and prominent businessmen.This new visa scandal comes on the heels of the official launching of a book that details the circumstances surrounding the Thomas Carroll visa racket that occurred way back in 2002.In that scheme,Aaron Ramsey Arsenal Jersey UK, Carroll, through a number of brokers, sold five visas per day at US$8,Brett Favre Falcons Jersey UK,000 each.

…as state-of-the-art landfill is slated for opening?Minister of Local Government Kellawan Lall has again issued a promise to the nation that the over-inflated Mandela Avenue dumpsite will close this year as some $651M was approved in the national Budget for the completion of a state-of-the-art dumpsite at Haags Bosch aback of the Eccles Industrial Site.Lall,http://www.soccerpro.us.com/AS-Roma-FC/, who was responding to queries in the House by the Opposition on the various allocations to that Ministry,Brian Poole Falcons Jersey UK, promised that the Mandela Avenue dumpsite will be closed forever in 2010.The Haag Bosch site is expected to be equipped with all basic infrastructure,http://www.theworldsoccersshop.com/Argentina-Lionel-Messi-Jersey.html, including an all-weather access road,Brett Favre Falcons Jersey UK, buildings for weighbridge, reception and administration,Authentic Buffalo Bills Jersey, workshop, energy and water supply and wheel-washing facilities.In the interim, a temporary holding site has been established at Lusignan,Boston Celtics Jerseys, East Coast Demerara.Some $12.7M was allocated in this year’s budget for the maintenance of this dumpsite, and the contract for that dumpsite has been allocated to Puran Brothers.The Mandela Avenue dumpsite for many years has been slated for closure, and has also been a constant source of inconvenience as fires often break out, smothering the nearby locality in plumes of smoke.

De other day a man arrest a horse because de animal damage he car. He driving good and de horse run cross de road without looking. Well dem boys seh that de man stupid. From de time he see de horse at de side of the road he shoulda expect anything. De horse had a right to resist arrest and sit right in de middle of de road.De man try all kind of things but de horse refuse because de horse also know that he wasn’t a policeman because he ain’t get no kick.What really happen was that dem policemen was busy. Dem wasn’t even at de station because a man get rob and he and de neighbours call fuh help. Dem call till dem finger sore and dem can’t get anybody fuh answer de phone.When he get through one station tell he that dem didn’t have transportation and if he can send some transportation dem would come. De only car dem had around was de one that de gunmen arrive with and that driver wasn’t going to bring no police.Wha mek dem boys jump was when de man call, this time he crying and de police tell he fuh call for de patrol from Timehri. De man live near Mahaica. Dem have police station at Clonbrook wheh he live,Authentic Carolina Panthers Jersey, at Cove and John,http://www.soccerpro.us.com/AS-Roma-FC/, at Vigilance,Deion Sanders Falcons Jersey, at BV,Cheap Hockey Jerseys, at Sparendaam,Wholesale Soccer Jerseys 2020, at Kitty. Dem have a whole heap of stations in town.Then pun de East Bank dem have Providence,Nike Brooklyn Nets Authentic Jerseys, Diamond, Grove, Madewini ??? and then Timehri. People now believe that something wrang. One of de gunmen had military boots and people want suspect something but dem boys can’t say what.Henry did talk how all dem police station gun have a quick reaction squad. That was two years ago. Dem boys seh that something wrang because there was no squad and certainly no reaction.Now there will be an investigation and some reports about disciplinary action and then?Talk half. Lef half.

A 33-year-old woman was killed at around 19.00 hrs yesterday at Stewartville, West Coast Demerara, by a speeding driver who ignored pleas by the victim’s brother to take her to a hospital.Dead: Vanessa FordeForde, who worked at an internet caf?, was hurled into a trench and was pronounced dead on arrival at the West Demerara Regional Hospital.Eyewitnesses said that the driver fled the scene but was later arrested at a relative’s home and detained at the Leonora Police Station. The victim was reportedly standing on the West Coast Demerara public road,Brent Seabrook Jersey, near Stewartville, with her mother, six-year-old son and other relatives when the tragedy occurred.Her mother, Olnie Forde, said that Vanessa was waiting on her brother, before heading to her home,David Njoku Jersey, when a car, which was heading west, “came at one speed” and struck her daughter,Pat Tillman Cardinals Jersey, who was holding a bicycle at the time.Mrs. Forde said that after the car had passed, she looked around, but did not see her daughter. “I say where my daughter deh?”She said that Vanessa’s brother, who had just arrived at the scene, saw his sister lying in a nearby trench.The brother, Sheldon Forde, said the driver who had struck his sister stopped a short distance away. He told Kaieteur News that he ran to the vehicle,Blake Swihart Jersey, and saw that a woman and a child were also inside.“I run up to the car and tell he (the driver) to take my sister to the hospital and he just drive away.” However,Atlanta Falcons Jersey, he managed to see and memorise the licence number.Eventually, a minibus driver took the injured woman to the West Coast Demerara Regional Hospital, but doctors were unable to save her.A distraught Sheldon Forde noted that his sister and relatives were standing near a street-lamp,Teemu Selanne Ducks Throwback Jersey, and should have been clearly visible to the driver.“Just like that this man kill my sister? He didn’t see her?”