November 30, 2007
Two men remanded over separate murders of wife and friend
Mark Samuels
Two men yesterday appeared in the Providence Magistrate's Court on two separate murder charges and Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry remanded them to prison.
Mark Samuels, 30, who allegedly battered his reputed wife to death and then slept beside the body, appeared first. The unemployed man of 99 Grove Squatting area, East Bank Demerara, was not required to plead to the indictable charge.
The particulars of the charge are that some time between Friday and Sunday last, Samuels murdered Chandrawattie Lalla, known as Anjanie Singh.
According to reports reaching Stabroek News, on Sunday morning residents of the squatting area noted that a foul smell was emanating from the house where the couple lived, and called the police.
When the police arrived, they reportedly found Samuels lying on a bed next to the woman's decomposing body, which was wrapped in a white sheet. There were marks of violence on her head.
A post-mortem examination performed on the body early Monday morning by government pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh revealed that Lalla died from haemorrhage of the brain due to blunt trauma to the head. Shortly after the post-mortem the woman's remains were buried. Samuels will return to court on January 15.
Myles Fernandes
The second case was that of Myles Fernandes, 21, who is accused of stabbing his friend to death during a drinking spree at his Timehri house. The Hyde Park Timehri resident allegedly murdered Stephen Gilbert on Friday night last.
Reports are that Gilbert was among several persons who were at Fernandes' home drinking. The two had an argument that led to a scuffle during which Fernandes reportedly picked up a knife that was nearby and stabbed Gilbert in the chest.
Gilbert was rushed to the hospital but died while receiving treatment. Fernandes will return to court on January 8. (Stabroek News)
Italian woman held at airport with some 10 pounds of cocaine
Officers from the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) yesterday made their second cocaine bust in five days, nabbing an Italian woman who was attempting to leave the country with some ten pounds of the drug concealed among the clothing in her suitcase.
Sources told Stabroek News last evening that the woman was booked to travel to New York via Martinique. She checked in at the airport some time early yesterday afternoon and when her suitcase was searched several parcels containing cocaine were found wrapped up in pieces of her clothing. She was arrested and investigations into the discovery are continuing.
This bust follows one on Sunday, in which 3.5 kg of cocaine was discovered. The Caribbean Airlines clerk, who allegedly checked in a cocaine-filled suitcase in the name of an outgoing passenger, will be charged shortly and placed before the court.
According to reports, the passenger, a Guyanese resident in the US was here on official business and was about to board the flight when he was stopped by CANU ranks who informed him about the discovery. This was about half an hour after he had checked in. However, investigations revealed that the man had only checked in one piece of luggage, which was not the bag with the cocaine. The CANU officers then investigated further and on Monday, the check-in clerk was taken into custody.
For the year a number of outgoing passengers have been nabbed at the airport with cocaine. In January, Artlaine Mentor, a 35-year-old businessman of 229 Long Creek, Linden/Soesdyke Highway and Shellon Benjamin, a 26-year-old hairdresser of Critchlow Street, Tucville were caught with cocaine stuffed in the soles of several pairs of footwear in their suitcases.
The two Jamaica-bound passengers both admitted to the trafficking in narcotics charge without hesitation when they appeared in the Georgetown Magistrate's Court before Acting Chief Magistrate Cecil Sullivan who sentenced them both to three years in prison together with a $10,000 fine.
Jamaican Herman Johnson was nabbed at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri in June with 1222 kg of cocaine in his suitcase. He later appeared in court and was sentenced to four years imprisonment together with a fine of $10,000 after he admitted committing the offence. The cocaine was found concealed in bottles of deodorant, condoms, hair spray and in the handle of the suitcase.
In June, CANU ranks at the airport intercepted a suitcase bound for Canada with 6,583 grammes of cocaine inside. Officials had said that from all appearances, persons unknown were attempting to smuggle the drug out of the country by labelling the suitcase with the name of a passenger who was scheduled to leave for Canada. That passenger was not arrested.
A CANU officer had told the media that on that day a woman in a wheelchair scheduled to leave on a Zoom Airlines flight bound for Canada checked in one black suitcase. The officer said an airline official later noticed a brown suitcase next to the woman's and on checking discovered that the woman's name was written on it but in a different handwriting. Officials at the airport were alerted and on checking found six huge parcels of cocaine underneath two bath towels. No one was ever charged in relation to that incident. (Stabroek News)
November 29, 2007
Police investigating death of unidentified man
The police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of an unidentified man of East Indian descent, whose body was found at about 08:30 h yesterday, in the cane fields aback of South Ruimveldt.
The deceased, about his mid-sixties, thin built and dark complexion, was clad in a black pants and purple jersey, according to a police release. The body was taken to the Lyken Funeral Parlour where it is awaiting a post mortem examination.
Anyone with information that may lead to the identification of the body is asked to contact the police on telephone numbers 225-2661, 226-6026, 225-6940, 225-6941, 226-7065, 227-2128, 226-7476, 226-1326, 225-7625, 225-8196, 226-6978, 225-6411 or 911, the release added. (Guyana Cronicle)
November 26, 2007
Cocaine mule nabbed at CJIA
A United States-based Guyanese man is in custody following the discovery of 3.5 kilogrammes of cocaine in a piece of luggage with a tag bearing his name, around 09:00h yesterday morning at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), yesterday.
The drug was found concealed in the covers of three photo albums. According to reports, the man who came to Guyana about a week ago, was an out-going passenger on a Caribbean airlines flight BW424 bound for New York. He reportedly checked in a lone suitcase but airline officials subsequently observed that there was another bearing his name.
On being summoned by the airline, the passenger denied any knowledge of the other piece of luggage and this led to CANU officers being summoned. On checking the suitcase, the officers found the three photo albums, minus photographs and a closer check unearthed the drug in the covers.
The passenger was arrested and reports are that the airline official who booked him at the counter is being questioned. (Guyana Cronicle)
November 25, 2007
Boy, 11, granted $25,000 bail on charge of committing indecent act
A Grade Six primary school pupil accused of committing an act of gross indecency with a six-year-old boy was granted bail when he appeared at the Vreed-en-Hoop Magistrate's Court yesterday. The boy, aged 11, was not required to plead to the charge of committing an act of gross indecency with a male person and Magistrate Fazil Azeez granted him bail in the sum of $25,000.
It is alleged that on Monday at a primary school on the West Coast Demerara, the accused, a male person, committed an act of gross indecency with the virtual complainant, a male person. When the matter was called, the juvenile stood in the dock staring in front of him. Both of his parents were present.
Attorney-at-law Stephen Lewis entered an appearance for the minor. In a bail application, he stated that his client is 11 years old and has a fixed place of abode with his parents. The defence counsel submitted that his client is a Grade Six primary school pupil and has never been previously charged. He declared that the boy had been in custody since Monday and there were certain improprieties in the way investigations were carried out. He asked for reasonable bail to be granted.
Police Prosecutor Ramsahoye Rambajue said there had been other complaints against the boy, but not of a similar nature. The defence counsel responded that the police have information in relation to at least two other boys. "I don't know why they are not going after the other boys," he said.
The magistrate in noting that it was not his policy to lock up children, granted bail but sternly warned the parents to ensure that their son attended court when required or the bail would be forfeited and an arrest warrant issued for him. The minor will return to court on January 17 next year. (Stabroek News)
November 24, 2007
Cocaine in fish glue
'Haffa' fined a whopping $254M, jailed for ten years
Two others freed
Vishnu Bridgelall
Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs yesterday jailed a city businessman for ten years and imposed a whopping $254 million in fines, after she found him guilty of two counts of possession of over $84 million worth of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.
Vishnu Bridgelall called `Haffa', 45, of 90 Second Street, Alberttown was one of four men who were arrested and charged after members of the Customs Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU) raided a house at Enterprise, East Coast Demerara in May, and discovered over 100 kilogrammes of cocaine in fish glue, which was being prepared for export.
Bridgelall's conviction and sentence effectively ends the prosecution of the case, which was being heard at the Vigilance Magistrate's Court. On May 17, when the quartet first appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate's Court, Chandrika Chattergoon, called 'Percy', 27, of 185 Charlotte Street, Enterprise had pleaded guilty.
Principal Magistrate Melissa Robertson-Ogle, before whom they had appeared, had sentenced Chattergoon to four years in prison on each count and remanded the other three, after turning down bail applications by their lawyers. The case was then transferred to Vigilance.
Bridgelall's two co-accused, Thakoor Persaud, called 'Thaks', 32, of Lot 'K' Soesdyke and Azad Khan, called 'Waqar', 32, of 6 Madewini, both on the East Bank Demerara, had been granted $700,000 bail several months ago, when the prosecution closed its case. Originally, last Friday was the date set for the conclusion of the case, but the magistrate had told Bridgelall, Persaud, and Khan that day that the court was not yet ready with the decision.
Magistrate Isaacs exonerated Persaud and Khan at the beginning of yesterday's proceedings, at the same time as she pronounced Bridgelall guilty. Persaud and Khan immediately left the court, not waiting around to hear their co-accused's sentence.
For some two hours after, there were lengthy arguments from both sides, prior to the magistrate handing down sentence, about the amount of fines Bridgelall should be made to pay.
During this time, Bridgelall, who had been exporting fish glue and shark fins for the last ten years, appeared animated. However, when the magistrate read his sentence, his face crumpled in shock and by the time he got to the bottom of the court stairs he was in tears.
Bridgelall was sentenced to five years on each of two counts of possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking, in addition to fines of $48 million and $206 million respectively. The two prison terms will run consecutively.
The Narcotics Act states that fines could be either $10,000 or three times the market value of the substance, whichever is greater. The magistrate, in the light of the quantity of cocaine involved, had requested information about its value. Two certificates of evaluation, prepared by Assistant Commissioner of Police and Officer-in-Charge of 'C' Division Leroy Brummel, were brought to the court's attention.
Attorney-at-law Anil Nandlall, who appeared for Bridgelall and Khan, submitted that the information the court was seeking from the prosecution about the value of the cocaine, had nothing to do with the defence. He said he was particularly interested in the length of sentence the magistrate would impose and the memorandum of reason.
Brummel testified that during 1988, while he was based at the Narcotics Section, CID Headquarters, Georgetown, he was gazetted to help with determining the street value of drugs. He said that he still had that authority today and had valued drugs in two other cases.
He said he had issued two certificates to CANU on November 20, with about three names listed on them, one of which was the "call name" `Haffa'. Brummel then read the information on the two certificates of evaluation to the court. He said that the street value of one kilogramme (kg) of cocaine is around $800,000 so that the 20 kg listed in the first certificate would cost $16 million.
He said he certified the second amount - 86.5 kg - as valued at $68.8 million. Under cross-examination by Nandlall, the Commander testified that the last case he valued was approximately six to seven years ago. He said he would arrive at his value based on information he receives from his contacts and would usually follow the market value as it relates to drugs in the US.
The two certificates were tendered into evidence and after Brummel had concluded giving his evidence, the magistrate stood down to decide on whether she would use the information on the certificates to arrive at a figure for the fines. She emerged from her chambers about 15 minutes later and handed down her decision, which left many in the courtroom in shock.
While the magistrate was in chambers, Bridgelall was seen conversing with his lawyers, relatives and friends. He appeared cheerful and even managed a few laughs. He was handed some money, food and some medicine shortly before the case resumed.
The prosecution's case was that around 12.30 pm on May 16, CANU ranks went to a home at Charlotte Street, Enterprise. During searches of the property, 86.5 kg of cocaine and an additional 20 kg of cocaine were found concealed in fish glue. The CANU ranks also seized a quantity of scissors, rolling pins, knives, a gas cylinder and stove and the mesh on which the fish glue was placed to dry.
The four men who were in the house when the officers arrived were arrested and made a court appearance the following day. Attorneys-at-Law Mark Waldron, Vic Puran, Euclin Gomes and Sanjeev Datadin also appeared for the defence.
Five witnesses, including the landlord of the house where the drugs were found and CANU officers gave evidence. (Zoisa Fraser/Guyana Cronicle)
November 22, 2007
'Most wanted' man captured after five-year run
After being on the run for the past five years wanted man Roger Bunbury was yesterday captured by police ranks. Bunbury, also known as 'Don Dick', was among a list of 42 most wanted men for whom the Guyana Police Force had issued wanted bulletins.
According to reports, around 5 am yesterday, police acting on information received swooped down on a house in Sophia where they found the fugitive. A police source said they had received information in the past that Bunbury was living in the area but he always managed to evade the police. Bunbury was wanted for questioning in connection with a series of robberies under arms. Law enforcers had also fingered him in the kidnap and subsequent murder of taxi-driver Vivekanand Nandalall in October 2003.
Stabroek News understands that a while ago Bunbury was picked up by the police for break and enter but at that time the ranks were unaware that he was among the country's most wanted. Bunbury was among those on the list of notorious criminals which was issued by the Guyana Police Force back in 2002. Among others on the list were the five from the February 23, 2002 jail break, Dale Moore, Troy Dick, Shawn Brown, Andrew Douglas and Mark Fraser.
The most wanted list also included Premkumar Sukraj also known as 'Inspector Gadget', Christopher Belle, Romel Reman and Dillon Ackra among others. According to information from the police, 25 of the 42 men have since died. Their deaths have occurred mainly during confrontations with the police and in joint operations with the Guyana Defence Force. Of those remaining, seven have been arrested while ten are still at large.
Among those still at large is the notorious Rondell Rawllins also known as 'Fine Man'. Rawllins is said to be the leader of an Agricola/Buxton gang, which is responsible for dozens of murders. According to police information, other members of the gang - Jermain Charles, Dwight Da Silva, Dellon Henry called 'Nasty man' and Quincy Evans - have since been captured and are currently before the court.
The four have been charged with the slaying of the five Kaieteur News pressmen, Eon Wegman, Shazim Mohamed, Richard Stuart, Mark Maikoo and Chaitram Persaud and Bagotstown businessman Wordsworth Grey.
On October 30, during a joint operation police captured David Zammett, also known as David Leander, who was wanted for a series of robberies and murders, including the murder of former Agriculture Minister Satyadeow Sawh, his two siblings and his security guard. On the same day two other wanted men Orlando Andrews, called 'Bullet', and Noel James, called 'Baby', both of friendship, ECD were killed.
According to police information, James was recently released from prison after serving a sentence for larceny. Andrews had been charged with the 2005 murder of Troy Phillips at Church of God road, Buxton. He was also charged with inflicting grievous bodily harm committed on Dennis Daniels at Annandale, ECD, also in 2005. In both matters, arrest warrants were issued by the courts.
Further the police said Andrews was wanted for questioning in relation to the 2004 murder of Anson Melville at Friendship; the 2004 murder of Davechan Appanna at Section 'B', Non Pariel, ECD; and the 2004 murder of Christine Sukhra at Coldingen, ECD. (Stabroek News)
November 20, 2007
Watch repairman found dead on road
Cops suspect murder, man being questioned
Mohamed Shaheed Khan
A 47-year-old watch repairman was on Sunday morning discovered lying dead on the roadway not far from his Best Village, West Coast Demerara (WCD) home and it is suspected that he was murdered.
Dead is Mohamed Shaheed Khan of 73 Best Village, WCD. A post-mortem examination conducted yesterday, has revealed that he died as a result of haemorrhaging of the brain owing to a fractured skull. Police were yesterday evening questioning one man as investigations into the suspected murder continue.
Khan lived alone and reports are that early Sunday morning someone saw him lying face-up on the road, not far from his home and alerted a neighbour. The neighbour, Ramnarine Doodnauth, then went to ascertain that it was indeed Khan and then relayed the news to the dead man's relatives in Canada. Doodnauth told Stabroek News that Khan's body bore what appeared to be marks of violence and a lighter, cigarette packet and $20 were left on top of his body.
He stated that he had last seen his former neighbour on Saturday morning. At the time, Khan and another man were at Khan's home working. According to reports reaching this newspaper, Khan was later seen, on Saturday night, drinking alone at a neighbourhood bar. It is unclear at what time he left. When neighbours were alerted about the body lying in the road it was raining and the body was said to be "stiff, stiff".
Yesterday some of the dead man's relatives arrived in the country and his brother Rahaman Khan told Stabroek News that his older brother had only moved into the house at Best Village in May this year. He had previously lived in Parika. He said he last spoke to him about two months ago.
Khan's mother, Halima Ali, said she got the devastating news at her Goed Fortuin, West Bank Demerara home when her nephew received a call and relayed the information to her. "He told me that he have a sad news for me. He just got a message that Shaheed is dead and I just couldn't believe it," the woman stated. She said she called her daughter Shameena and together they journeyed to Khan's home, where they confirmed that he was dead.
Shameena said that early last month, someone had called to say that Khan was dead but this turned out to be false. They had hoped that this time the report would not have been true either. Khan, who was described as a "jovial person who would make anybody laugh" is survived by three daughters. He also leaves to mourn his ex-wife, seven siblings and other relatives. (Stabroek News)
November 19, 2007
Woman kills 23-year-old boyfriend
Keon Adolphus
Dead is Keon Adolphus of 31 Bent Street who was pronounced dead at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) at around 5 am yesterday morning. He was taken there by the woman suffering from a single stab wound in the region of his heart.
Yesterday the man's grieving mother, Monica Calvan, was still in shock over her son's sudden death and could not understand why he had been killed by a woman with whom she had a "good relationship."
"Why she couldn't stab in he hand or somewhere else; the doctor woulda look he after, but she go stab he in he heart, that mean she really want kill he then," the mother lamented yesterday with tears rolling down her cheeks.
Even as she spoke to this newspaper her son's only child, a four-year-old boy by another woman, was brought to the home and she held onto him and wept bitterly. "Is a good thing he lef something of he self suh I could remember he," she said with reference to her grandson.
According to the woman the last time she saw her son was about 7 pm on Saturday night when he left her house saying he was going to the Inferno Concert at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) ground. She said her son had moved back into her home about a month ago after he and the young woman had been experiencing problems.
"But he would still go by she and sleep sometimes and when she [the woman] don't see he for some days she would come right here - sometimes midnight and walk into he room and sleep and lef the next morning," the woman said. She said her son had a bath but left with his clothes telling her he was going to dress at the girl's home in Alexander Village.
Calvan said she understands that both her son and the woman had attended the concert, however, they had gone separately, she with her friends and he with his. After the show her son reportedly went to a popular night club and continued his partying before going home. It is from that point no one really seems to know what transpired. "Only he and she really know wah happen, and now he dead and she ent go tell me," the mother said.
She said she understood he arrived home before the young woman and maybe an argument started when she got home. The mother claimed that the young woman, who she said was very quiet and seemed as if she could not harm a fly, would drink a lot sometimes, and she felt that she may have gone home drunk and her son may have asked her why she got home at that hour, resulting in an argument. "He always use to tell me that sometimes she use to go out and come home any time and he didn't able with that," the woman said.
She said she received a call early yesterday morning from a nurse at the hospital who informed her that her son was in a serious condition at the hospital after being injured by his girlfriend. "At first I didn't think about [name given] at all. I just say maybe he and some other girl he must be meet at the show had a problem. And then again, I say he must be just get heself in some problem and want money or something, but I still decide to go down to the hospital," the mother said.
When she arrived at the hospital and asked if someone with her son's name was there she was told that he was dead. "I couldn't believe it, I went inside and I see me son lying down dead in the hospital and I just see the small wound by he heart, no blood nothing. I run and hug he up and kiss he and tell he to wake up because he look like he sleeping," the grieving woman said.
She said she later went to the station where she saw the young woman who told her that she was sorry for what had happened. However, she was prevented from speaking to her by police officers. Calvan said at the station the relatives of the woman were alleging that her son was in the habit of abusing her. "But I ent know nothing bout that, but I ent swearing for my son but he dead now he can't say nothing."
She said that she and the young woman, who has a young son with someone else, shared a very good relationship. "When I see he come home is she I does call and ask what is the problem, because he don't tell me nothing and I does listening to she and if she wrong I does tell she and if he wrong I does tell she he wrong. So is not as if she and any of his family had a problem fo she to do this to me son, I don't know why she do it," Calvan said.
She said her son was the last of her three children and it was hard for her because the two older ones had since migrated. "He was me baby, even do he did bad sometimes I still love me son and woulda do anything for he." The woman lamented that she does not even know how she would get the money to bury her son. The police are continuing their investigations. (Stabroek News)
November 17, 2007
Venezuela invades Guyana's territory
Military blows up two dredges
Venezuelan Ambassador Dario Morandy
Thirty-six members of the Venezuelan military led by a general on Thursday morning invaded Guyana's land and airspace, blowing up two Guyanese mining dredges in the Cuyuni River and making overflights in two helicopters.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has since issued a protest about the incursions and summoned Venezuelan Ambassador Dario Morandy at which the Government of Guyana's grave concerns were communicated.
Ambassador Morandy told the media yesterday that he had met Guyana Foreign Minister Rudy Insanally in the morning when the matter was discussed.
However, he said that the Venezuelan military had not violated Guyana's borders, and that the area from which the dredges had been evicted belonged to his country. "Venezuela was protecting its natural resources and we need to remove all illegal miners from the area," the Ambassador said. He also said that the military had not used explosives.
Senior army sources have discounted Morandy's statements, noting that the dredges owned by Anthony Ramlall and Dereck Cabose had been anchored in the Cuyuni River at 'Iguana Island', an area which belongs to Guyana.
A team of police and military personnel was expected to fly into the area yesterday afternoon to conduct an investigation. The army source said that soldiers stationed at Eteringbang had been put on high alert and had been carrying out patrols in the area. The source said the GDF base at Eteringbang is some 40 miles from where the dredges were blown up, and about two hours away by boat.
The source said that when ranks received news of the incident they responded immediately, but by the time they arrived, the Venezuelan military had already pulled out. "We believe this attack was centrally directed… no one knows the motive," the army source who asked not to be named said.
Under the 1899 Paris Award, which fixed the boundary between Guyana and Venezuela, the whole of the Cuyuni River and part of the Wenamu River belong to Guyana. The median line demarcating the boundary is in the Wenamu River.
Morandy said yesterday that the military in Venezuela had launched an operation called 'Tepuy' on Thursday in the San Juan de Wenamu to San Jose de Anacoco area. He said a number of illegal miners from Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia and Guyana had moved in and in order to protect the basin of the Cuyuni River the Venezuelan military had decided to remove them.
"We don't know about any attack; there was no incident, no problem with Venezuela and Guyana," Morandy said, denying not only the GDF's report of explosives being used to destroy the pontoons but also the fly-overs by Venezuelan helicopters. He said Guyana and Venezuela were good border countries and friendly states.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement yesterday said, "A Note Verbale registering Guyana's grave concern about and protesting the incursion into Guyana's territory and air space was submitted to the Venezuelan Embassy in Georgetown."
The statement added that the incident occurred at approximately 9.30 am on Thursday when a contingent of 36 Venezuelan armed military personnel, led by a General entered Guyana's territory and proceeded to use military-type explosive devices to destroy the dredges. "It is currently the understanding of the Government of Guyana that at the time of the incident the pontoons were not in operation and that there was therefore no one onboard either of the vessels."
According to the statement, reports received indicated that the incident had been followed by unauthorized over-flights by two Venezuelan helicopters, the first of which took place at approximately 10.45 am and the second at approximately 1 pm.
The foreign ministry noted that it had been continuing the engagement with the Venezuelan Ambassador in Georgetown with a view to obtaining greater clarity with respect to the ongoing military operations on the Venezuelan side of the border and to ensure that there was no recurrence of the incidents, which took place on Thursday.
The ministry further stated that Guyana's embassy in Caracas had also been requested to monitor the situation and to continue to seek clarification from the Venezuelan authorities on the incident. Morandy told reporters that by today a final report on the incident was expected to reach him and this would indicate clearly whether the Venezuelan military had indeed invaded Guyana's territory. The ambassador however maintained that relations between Caracas and Georgetown had not been affected by the incident.
Guyanese dredge owners are usually licensed by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and are given maps outlining exactly where Guyana's boundaries are in order to avoid any violation of neighbouring territories. Asked about the two dredge owners - Ramlall and Cabose - Commissioner (ag) of GGMC William Woolford said that he was familiar with the latter name. He said checks would be made on Monday to determine where exactly the men had been licensed to dredge.
On October 6 last year Guyanese Parasram Persaud, 29, who had been living in the village of El Dorado in Venezuela for a number of years, was fatally shot while transporting fuel in a boat with others. His relatives had denied claims by the Venezuelan authorities that Persaud was smuggling fuel, telling Stabroek News that he had been in possession of the relevant licence from the Venezuelan authorities.
He had been working with his uncle who owned a gold mining operation. It had been reported at the time of the shooting that he and another man had been transporting fuel to the dredge, and Persaud's boat had already moored at Eteringbang, Cuyuni River when members of the Venezuelan army ordered that it return to Venezuela. When the men demurred they were shot.
Over one year later, there has been no formal response from Venezuela about that incident, despite the fact that at the Rio Summit held in Georgetown earlier this year Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolás Maduro gave the assurance that the matter would be addressed. When asked about it yesterday, Morandy said it had been discussed with Guyana's Foreign Minister. However, Stabroek News was told by sources at the ministry that Venezuela was yet to provide a proper explanation of the incident. (Nigel Williams/Stabroek News)
November 16, 2007
Bandits kill, rob father of six as he delivered gas
Ivor Cordis
A Bagotstown man was shot dead and then robbed of cash shortly after eight o'clock last night by at least two bandits, while he was delivering cooking gas at Stevedore Housing Scheme in south Georgetown.
Dead is Ivor Cordis, 47, of 44 Norton Street, Bagots-town, East Bank Demerara, an employee of the Demerara Oxygen Company, who delivered cooking gas in his free time.
Stabroek News was told that Cordis had his niece and two nephews, the oldest of who is about 13 years old, with him when he was attacked. The children were in the cab of the Canter truck with their uncle and the truck was stationary at the time.
Reports said a man with a gun approached the vehicle and accosted Cordis. Then, either this same man, or his accomplice, hauled the children out of the cab, before shooting Cordis to the right side of his face. After shooting him, the bandits reportedly rifled through his pockets and took whatever money he had.
Persons in the area told this newspaper that they heard a "pop", not unlike a firecracker. But when they went out, they found Cordis slumped in the cab of the vehicle. The police were called and the man was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival around 8.23 pm.
His brother Clarence Cordis told Stabroek News that it was not unusual for Ivor to have large sums of cash on him, given the nature of his business. The Canter was still the same position when this newspaper went to the scene last night. The seats, steering wheel and headrest were covered in the dead man's blood.
Meanwhile, shortly after the police took Cordis to the hospital, scores of his relatives converged at the institution. As the news that he had died was related to them, screams broke out and some collapsed. "Why dey had to kill he? Dey coulda just tek the money and go," several relatives screamed.
As more relatives arrived, a group of them converged on the room at the Accident and Emergency Department, where the man's body was, forcing the hospital authorities to close the door. However, this was not enough to stop the relatives, who demanded to see the body and battered the door until it gave away. They then entered the room. Immediately after, the body was wheeled away to the mortuary with the relatives in hot pursuit.
After milling around for a while they left.
At Cordis's home last night relatives and neighbours converged. The father of six was said to be the breadwinner of the home. His wife Yvette was unable to speak and relatives said that the two had been together for 15 years and only got married in 2001. Cordis also leaves to mourn six children, the youngest being a one-year-old girl. (Gaulbert Sutherland and Johann Earle/Stabroek News)
Gunman snatches Kissoon sales
A gun-toting bandit yesterday snatched a bag containing the day's sales from a Kissoon Furniture Store employee, as he was about to do a safety deposit at a city bank. In his escape bid, the bandit dropped the magazine for his weapon after snatching the bag containing some $945,000. Stabroek News was told by an eyewitness that the magazine was retrieved by police soon after.
According to reports, just around 16:00 hrs yesterday, two employees of the furniture store, which is located at the corner of Camp and Robb streets, were taking the day's sales across the road to Republic Bank when the man accosted them. Eyewitnesses said that from what transpired it seemed as if the bandit was aware of the daily transaction.
"Is everyday dem boys does bring money over at de bank without escorts and like de bandit de watching at dem movements all the time," an eyewitness said. The eyewitness, who preferred not to be named, said he saw the two Kissoon employees crossing the road and just as they reached the pavement outside the bank, the bandit stopped the one carrying the bag.
"When the man with the bag reach close to the bank de bandit run in front ah he and pull out a gun and scramble de bag and he magazine fuh de gun fall out … he just lef it and run away towards Robb Street," the eyewitness said. However, a police source said the bandit did not act alone since he had an accomplice waiting on a motorcycle on Robb Street, which they used to flee the scene.
Meanwhile a senior official from the furniture store declined to talk about the incident saying that she was unaware of what really transpired and her employees were traumatized. Other employees were seen consoling the visibly shaken employees.
Back in 2005, the company had suffered a similar attack. In August 2005, a $1.5M payroll was snatched as employees were going to make a deposit at the same bank, which was then called the National Bank of Industry and Commerce. (Stabroek News)
November 15, 2007
New crime fighting tactics working
Police announces 17 percent decrease in crime
The administration’s continued support to the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has seen the force employing a new crime fighting strategy which has resulted in a reduction in criminal activities.
Assistant Police Commissioner and Commander of “A” Division Paul Slowe recently announced that the Police have been able to reduce the different categories of crimes in the country from the corresponding period last year.
Police statistics show that there has been a total of 1,971 crimes committed this year compared to a total of 2,368 last year, representing a 17 percent reduction. There were 99 murders this year compared to 135 last year and 1,094 reported robberies compared to 1,454 last year. In relation to illegal firearms, 126 seized for this year compared to 119 for the same period last year.
The top brass of the Force have cited training, information gathering, and intelligence, anti-crime, ongoing joint operations and motivation of ranks as major contributors to the satisfactory results.
In May, Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee expressed concern over the crime situation and had instructed the Force’s senior staff to review their crime fighting tactics. As part of their renewed efforts the Police intensified its foot and vehicular patrols and conducted searches at several road blocks. There are also ongoing joint operations in the communities on the lower East Coast and East Bank of Demerara.
The Force has been receiving tremendous support from government through several initiatives in the areas of training, building modern Police stations, improving the Force’s forensic capability and intelligence gathering unit.
Government, along with international donor agencies, is working on several major security programmes which includes: the National Drug Strategy Master Plan (NDSMP), Citizens’ Security Programme, the Crime Stoppers Programme and the recently signed four-year Security Action Plan between the United Kingdom and Guyana.
These initiatives will help in the area of more community/police relations, building operational capacity, forensics, crime intelligence and traffic policing. (GINA) (Guyana Cronicle)
November 14, 2007
Pirates attack again
22 fishing boats stripped in one fell swoop
The captains and crew of 22 fishing vessels of the Number 66 Fish Complex were left stranded in the Corentyne River on Sunday, after armed pirates relieved them of their gasoline, engine coils and a quantity of fish glue. None of the crew seem to have been hurt or terrorized, as has happened in the past.
Stabroek News learnt that after 5 am yesterday three of the boats - belonging to Clent Nathoo, Michael Gibson and Krishendat Gopaul - returned to the fish complex to tell the sad tale, after the crew improvised sails, which allowed them to steer the boats home.
Gibson told this newspaper that he visited the complex after 5 am and saw one boat towing another to the shore. Shortly afterwards, he said, his crew arrived with his boat. Some of the crew of the other boats swam to the Coroni shore in Suriname and telephoned the owners around 3 pm on Monday.
Rescue teams have since gone out to search for the other boats, taking with them components to fix the engines so that the boats could be piloted back here. Nathoo, the owner of one of the boats, who was also a victim of piracy in the past, said it was fortunate that the pirates had not terrorized the crew. He said he did not find out too much from them as to what transpired as he was "fed up wid this thing…"
According to Nathoo, another of his boats is still out at sea, but he could not say if that had been raided by the pirates as well. Chairman of the complex Pravinchandra Deodat said that over one week ago the pirates stripped the boats of the engines, fish and glue after terrorizing the crewmembers and badly beating one of the boat owners with a gun butt and pieces of wood.
Two nights before that, residents of Bush Lot, Corentyne saw a car stop close to the sea dam and watched as the occupants removed an engine from the car. The persons reportedly attached the engine to a fishing boat that was moored along the shore and escaped in it and later used the boat to carry out the attacks. According to reports, persons gave "information to the police but the police did not make an effort to pursue the owner of the car".
The day after the first incident, Deodat, two members of the co-op and the coast guard from New Amsterdam went out in search of the boats. "One boat patrolled the Guyana zone and the other boat went to the Suriname end, but we did not see anything so afterwards we sent another boat to search," he said. Meanwhile Deodat said, "Piracy continues to affect the fish industry and it seems like the Number 66 Complex is the target.
This morning [Tuesday] many persons went home back instead of going out to work at sea, when they come to the complex and learn about the pirate attack." He repeated the call for the fishermen to be given firearms "because we need protection and with all the piracy the industry would fall flat. Right now the efforts of the government and the police have failed to protect the fishermen." (Shabna Ullah/Stabroek News)
November 13, 2007
Anti-money laundering laws will determine links.....
between US, Caribbean banks
Delegates told at pre-conference session
Caribbean indigenous banks seeking to establish relationships with counterparts in the United States will come under heavy scrutiny and a lot will ride on the country of origin's anti-money laundering performance.
Delegates to the Caribbean Association of Indigenous Banks (CAIB) 34th Annual Meeting and Conference were told at a pre-conference training event yesterday that Section 311 of the Patriot Act measures against a jurisdiction and its banks and this would have serious implications for future relationships between US financial institutions serving as correspondent and their foreign bank respondents. Correspondent banking occurs when one banker provides services to another bank to move funds, exchange currencies, or carry out other financial transactions.
In a presentation titled 'The Changing US Landscape - Its Impact on Caribbean Financial Services Sector', President of the Florida-based Bascom Consulting Incorporated Dr Wilbert O Bascom explained: "An obvious implication is that once this relationship is closed, the probability of re-establishing a similar relationship down the road is negligible or zero."
Another implication, he said, was that individual foreign banks might be unable or ineffective in correcting the problems that caused a jurisdiction to be classified as a primary money laundering concern jurisdiction.
He said that a minimum requirement would be for the foreign country's government to take steps to improve anti-money laundering laws and prosecute the individuals or institutions for their money laundering activities.
In addition, Section 312 of the Patriot Act also introduced a substantive change in correspondent banking relationships between US banks and foreign financial institutions, including Caribbean commercial banks.
On August 9, Bascom said, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) published a final rule that requires each US financial institution that establishes, maintains, or manages a correspondent account or a private banking account in the US for a non-US person to subject such an account to certain due diligence measures.
Under the rule, enhanced due diligence measures apply to correspondent accounts maintained for a foreign bank operating under: An offshore banking licence; a licence issued by a country that has been designated as being non-cooperative with international anti-money laundering principles or procedures; or a licence issued by a country designated by the Secretary of the Treasury as warranting special measures owing to money laundering concerns.
Bascom was once in charge of the Guyana's first indigenous bank Guyana National Cooperative Bank (GNCB). Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Directing Examiner Rudolph F. Zepeda, Jr, said law enforcement's concern was stopping money laundering by increasing fines and sanctions, forfeiture of assets which revert to the state and the utilization of cash transaction reports (CTR's) to follow the money.
He described the major changes affecting the Caribbean as the heightened scrutiny in correspondent banking accounts owing to the issuance of an updated Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering Examination Manual, in addition, to other changes like the outlawing of internet gambling - the shift by money launderers to trade-based money laundering and the need to look at Anti-Money Laundering (AML).
Zepeda said that almost six years after the US Patriot Act toughened banks' anti-laundering requirements, large banking companies continue to face massive fines for failures in their programmes. Consideration is also being placed on the newest technological advances such as stored value cards as a vehicle to move funds.
He noted that since 2001, 11 banks operating in the US, have had anti-money laundering fines over US$5M levied against them. The Bank of China, US Trust, Banco Popular, Riggs Bank, AmSouth, Arab Bank, ABN/AMRO Bank, Bank Atlantic, Israel Discount Bank, American Express Bank and Union Bank of California had total fines of US$350M against them.
He said that ABN Amro's New York Branch which on December 19, 2005 was fined US$80M, might face a second penalty of nearly US$500M, since "every time you think you have it covered, you constantly have to update what you do." According to Zepeda, the Treasury Department is considering sweeping structural changes in US financial services system, such as, consolidating regulatory agencies and combining charters of federal and savings institutions.
This could mean that the primary responsibility on blocking those transactions would lie with financial institutions and other payment processors that have banking relationships with internet gambling companies. The concerns of the banks are that the costs to establish an efficient AML programme are increasing.
These include trained personnel, information technology and enterprise-wide programmes and direct competition from non-regulated entities. The 50 members and three honorary members of the CAIB have a combined asset base of US$17.5B. (Stabroek News)
November 12, 2007
Narcotics, fuel smuggling corrupting Guyana
David Granger
Guyana Defence Force Brigadier (ret) David A Granger believes that narcotics and fuel smuggling are corrupting Guyana on a large scale and he is calling on the security forces to spend time suppressing these rather than pursuing street criminals who are mere products of the more lucrative illegal trades.
Granger's approach, however, contrasts with that of President Bharrat Jagdeo who has been calling on the security forces to root out the small-scale drug pushers and criminals. A security expert who asked not be named told this newspaper that it was evident that the authorities seemed to be regarding crime as only the street robberies and the periodic incursions by gunmen, and this was reflected in the aggressive approach of the security forces in weeding out the criminals in Buxton and Agricola and also beefing up security in the commercial zones.
The security expert observed, however, that the same posture was not being seen in the law enforcement agencies' fight against narcotics trafficking, money laundering and fuel smuggling, and that this was reflected in the amount of resources being allocated to agencies such as the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit to fight the drugs' scourge. The US has over the years criticized the country's fight against the narco-trade, noting that cocaine shipments continue to pass through the country's porous borders, while large drug dealers remain here untouched.
Political will
During an interview with Stabroek News on Wednesday, Granger posited that Guyana could experience a better level of public safety and security, but this would remain elusive once there was no political will by the administration to implement the recommendations of several studies conducted to improve the security forces. He said lack of proper crime intelligence and integrity among some of the security officers were also stumbling blocks, which if not removed would continue to negatively affect the performance of the police force.
Close to 100 persons have been murdered so far for the year and armed robberies continue to soar. The head of the force has also been accused by the United States of profiting from the drugs trade and his visas to that country have been revoked.
Asked for his assessment on the work of the security forces in combating crime, Granger said to the extent that persons continued to be murdered regularly and cocaine and other illegal substances were getting through local ports, the security forces were yet to arrest the situation. He observed, however, that it was difficult for the security forces to be successful unless they established sound intelligence systems which would help them to anticipate when crimes were likely to be committed, and also to identify the perpetrators of crime.
The former army officer said that at present the security forces' crime intelligence was not sufficiently strong to perform those tasks. "The whole idea of intelligence is that you should not only be able to know about a crime, but also to anticipate and forestall the actions of criminals," Granger declared.
He added that the police force had suffered in this area over the years because of the behaviour of certain elements in the organization whose conduct had been dishonourable. "They have lost the confidence of some sections of the population, who could provide information which could be used as intelligence... their behaviour has been damaging and as a result of that, people who are aware of crimes and the behaviour of criminals are reluctant to tell the police," Granger said.
Britain through a ?3M Security Reform Action Plan has promised, among other things, to boost the police force's intelligence capacity.
In addition, Granger said that the training of policemen had to be tackled seriously if the security forces were to make any inroads into the criminal underworld. He said that efforts must be placed on ensuring that well-trained officers were in key positions in the force, noting that it was clear that the level of training being given to police officers needed be revised and made more relevant and up-to-date to deal with the present level and types of criminality. "I don't know to what extent police training has kept abreast with the changes, but I think the training that recruits get at the Felix Austin College must be critically re-examined to determine its usefulness," Granger stressed.
The British plan also caters for training in an effort to strengthen leadership. The plan promises to develop a leadership training programme for the senior management of the police force and also to implement and sustain leadership training. The police over the years have been receiving assistance in the area of training from Britain. "If you have a large well-trained cadre of policemen then we will have stronger enforcement and criminals would be afraid to commit crimes," Granger said.
Alleged connections
He further stated that what was needed in Guyana was a strong, professional police service that would apply the full force of the law to everyone regardless of their social and economic status. It is the view of many that the police have been reluctant to seek out drug dealers and fuel smugglers, some of whom are alleged to have connections with government officials. Several known drug dealers were allowed to live here comfortably until they were arrested by law enforcement officials in other jurisdictions.
Arms smuggling
Granger said that the drug traffickers and those involved in contraband who were the real culprits, engaged in arms smuggling to protect their business and their activities, and this was responsible for the spiralling crime situation. He said the criminal who robbed a gas station or a cambio using a hand gun, did not have the capacity to import the weapon he used, but often acquired it by way of rental and other means from the drug traffickers and gun-runners. The issue of the movement of illegal weapons across the nation's borders has been a problem over the years and despite many promising statements from the authorities underscoring their commitment to combat this crime, not much has been done to stem the tide.
Earlier this year the Home Affairs Ministry set up an inter-agency task force to look at arms smuggling and Minister Clement Rohee said that the body would report to him on their findings. It is not clear what work has been done by the body so far, as the streets are still awash with illegal weapons, and save for intercepting a few citizens here and there with small arms the police have had little success in reining in these illicit weapons.
Commissioner of Police (ag) Henry Greene back in September told a press conference that the illegal weapons trade was a major problem in battling crime. He said that the trade was flourishing at present, adding that the police did not have the intelligence to stop it because the weapons were coming from various countries, Brazil being the major source. "We are working on stemming the tide of illegal weapons entering the country, but they are getting here in various ways and from several countries," Greene said then.
Granger agreed with the Acting Commis-sioner that many of the weapons on the streets today were coming from Brazil, but he asserted that it was a shame that although the source of the weapons had been identified authorities had not done anything to seal it off. The Brigadier (ret) said that Guyana's longest border was with Brazil, one of the world's largest exporters of small arms.
He said the frequency with which .38 and .32 Taurus pistols and revolvers - which are manufactured there - had been showing up in street crimes suggested that Brazil was indeed the source. "The fact that there is such a large influx of illegal Brazilian manufactured weapons coming here you would assume that there would have been attempts to seal that border or conduct surveillance to determine to what extent guns are being smuggled across the border," Granger said.
During a visit to Lethem in September residents told this newspaper of the prevalence of arms trafficking. One speedboat operator who ferries passengers across one of the many illegal border crossings recalled how he transported men with suitcases containing both small arms and rifles. Residents also said that the smuggling of goods was also prevalent.
Granger added that some criminal activity such as drug trafficking depended on weapons to protect the illegal business and so there was a high demand for weapons and henchmen/gunmen to protect those activities. "So not only the frontiers are open for smuggling of weapons, but the mode of criminal activities and their nature provide a ready market for illegal weapons and criminal gunmen to conduct those rackets," Brigadier Granger commented. He said unless there was a move to suppress the activities "you will never suppress the demand for the illegal weapons."
The trade in arms for drugs by criminals in Brazil and Guyana is said to be a flourishing business. In this year's US drug report it was mentioned that the trade in drugs for weapons by Guyanese was thriving. Security experts believe that criminals in Guyana, including drug cartels and bandits, have links to other foreign jurisdictions, especially border countries.
Meanwhile, there have not been many interceptions of guns coming through Guyana's main entry port, the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, but the number of illegal guns on the streets indicates that the weapons are entering through the porous borders. Further, illegal weapons are not only widely used in criminal activities in Guyana, but also circulate at all levels of society, and as public security continues to deteriorate, demand for these weapons seems to be on the rise.
Border control
Granger acknowledged that with the current strength of the police force it is hardly likely that it would be able to monitor the borders effectively. He noted that in addition to boosting its human resource capacity, the police force would need to conduct aerial as well as maritime surveillance of its borders to detect people-trafficking, contraband and drugs smuggling. The former army officer said that the country had a vast number of unpatrolled crossings with Brazil and other countries and several unmonitored airfields.
Guyana and Brazil had signed an agreement a few years ago to cooperate in the area of security and public safety, but Granger said that while the Brazil Federal Police had been helpful to Georgetown he was not sure whether this country had the capacity to fulfil the agreement. "We have to monitor our side of the borders if people are crossing illegally; we must set up immigration posts, conduct patrols. Security is a big thing [and] once you are slack you will have problems," Granger said.
Asked about the access to AK-47 and M-70 rifles, he said that of all combat weapons the AK-47 was manufactured in the greatest quantity. He said it was the most popular assault weapon in the world and was also cheap. "They are coming from all over the socialist world and even Venezuela," Granger said. On whether he would support a gun amnesty programme,
Granger said it would not work in Guyana, arguing that there had to be two approaches to tackling gun smuggling and these were: strong intelligence - identifying the source of the weapons, who were the traffickers (gun-runners), the various networks, and how the weapons were being trafficked and distributed.
The second was enforcement, which included patrols. Tougher laws on gun crimes, he observed, would not suffice. "People are not afraid of laws, they are afraid of the enforcement of [them]. If you have a large cadre of officers who are well trained, efficient and doing their work that is what will beat back the criminals, not whether an offence is bailable or non-bailable," the retired brigadier stated. Granger said that the administration must also be prepared to give the force more resources.
He said some people thought that crime could be fought by shooting criminals and carrying out mass arrests, but this would not work. Granger said what was needed was for the security forces through strong intelligence to know who was funding the criminals, how they disposed of their loot and how they acquired their weapons. "You have to unravel their network and then you will get to them," Granger said. (Stabroek News)
Donna Herod killing
Police complaints chairman hands over report to DPP
Chairman of the Police Complaints Authority (PCA), former Chancellor of the Judiciary, Cecil Kennard last week Thursday handed over the report into the killing of Buxtonian Donna Herod to Director of Public Prosecu-tion and recommended that a coroner's inquest be speedily held into the matter.
Stabroek News was told by a source close to the DPP's Chambers that Kennard in his recommendation urged DPP Shalimar Ali-Hack that in view of the public interest in the matter Chief Justice Carl Singh should be approached to take urgent steps to appoint a magistrate to hear the case as early as possible. Kennard in his submission to the DPP said that there was no clear-cut case to show that the police were responsible for the death of Herod as their ballistics findings showed that the bullet that struck her had not been fired from their weapons.
The final decision whether to hold an inquest rests with the DPP. Stabroek News was told that the police had provided a ballistic report of their weapons used in the operation in which Herod was killed. It is expected that the DPP will make her final comments before any further action is taken in the case. Legal sources believe that a lot could come out of the inquest during cross examinations and those looking into the interest of Herod should pursue this vigorously.
Kennard had argued a few weeks ago that the police report into Herod's killing should have been sent to his office first before it went to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The report from the police was sent to the DPP first. Justice Kennard who was out of the jurisdiction when Herod was killed told Stabroek News last week that the file was subsequently sent to him. In the aftermath of Herod's killing Commissioner of Police (ag) Henry Greene told this newspaper that ballistics tests conducted on all the police weapons used in the Buxton operation concluded that the police had not fired the fatal bullet. Relatives of the dead mother of nine are adamant that the police were responsible for the woman's death, but the force has vehemently denied this, saying that their weapons did not kill her.
The police said in an earlier statement that ballistics tests done so far had not matched the warhead recovered from Herod's body to shells retrieved at previous scenes involving Buxton gunmen. Greene had told this newspaper previously that the police on the operation were heading in a different direction from where Herod was shot. He said the police were heading south in pursuit of the wanted men when they heard that someone had been shot in the other direction.
He said that on hearing this, the policemen retreated, picked the woman up off the road and took her to the hospital. He also told this newspaper previously that the most he could say was that Herod was probably shot in the crossfire. Sources have said the bullet that killed Herod could have been fired from a weapon that was not previously used by the gunmen or it could have been the police.
Speaking at a police function on Thursday Greene declared that the force had received a lot of criticism over the death of Herod, but no one had taken the time out to consider the possibility that the bullet could have come from the bandits. He said the force's policy had always been to use minimum force where necessary. In a statement the police had said that ranks had crossed over the embankment going south when they had come under fire and they had returned fire.
The statement said ranks had continued moving towards the identified targets and had come under fire again while giving chase behind 11 men who had run into the bushes in the backlands area. The police said the bullet that struck Herod could have been fired either from an AK-47 or an M-70 rifle. Both of these high-powered weapons are used by the police as well as by gunmen.
Stabroek News understands that residents who witnessed the shooting gave statements to a lawyer representing the family. The death of Herod had sparked outrage in the Buxton community and several organizations and political parties had issued statements condemning the operation and calling for an independent investigation to be conducted. The Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) in condemning the killing of the 47-year-old mother said that the police operation in the village was ill-conceived, badly executed and poorly led.
The association said the Guyana Police Force and the government needed to move decisively to erase any impression that they were dissembling or evading responsibility for what it termed a bungled operation. "Nothing which has emerged thus far is encouraging," the GHRA said. On the morning of September 4 Herod had just collected her children from a nearby school after learning about a joint services operation in the village. It was while she was on her way home when she was fatally struck with the bullet. Her children were not injured. (Stabroek News)
November 11, 2007
Man burns former wife with acid
Joy Bartholomew
A relationship that soured several months ago turned ugly yesterday when a Charlestown man doused his former reputed wife with acid.
Joy Bartholomew, 22, of Lot 35 Charlestown is nursing severe burns about her body at the Georgetown Public Hospital. She was rushed to the hospital minutes after the acid bath which occurred some time after 9 am yesterday.
Police are hunting the man who shared a home with Bartholomew just over a week ago. He fled after the incident and was last seen in the Albouystown area.
Bartholomew who was badly burnt in the face and has since lost the sight in one of her eyes put on a brave smile yesterday for relatives and friends who flocked the hospital to see her. She was able to mumble a few words but wept every few minutes.
Relatives who struggled to remain calm told Stabroek News that Bartholomew had quit the relationship with the man a short while ago. She had told him it was over and that she would be moving on with her life. He reportedly brushed this aside and kept pursuing her.
Cheryl Bartholomew, the young woman's mother, recounted yesterday that Joy and the man had lived downstairs at her home. She said they had been together for three years but lately things had soured and her daughter opted to move out.
The young woman went to live with an aunt in Albouystown but the suspect still visited her. According to information she had received, the mother said, her daughter was at home when the man turned up with a knife to see her. She said someone had seen him with the weapon and had asked him to leave.
An aunt who was home with the injured woman at the time recounted that the man showed up a second time to see Bartholomew unknown to her. But other people at the home who had seen him said he had appeared to be empty-handed. It was a few minutes after meeting with the woman that screams rang out and the man was seen fleeing the home.
"He did not only hurt Joy, he hurt me. I does treat him like my son and would have regular conversations with him about her. What he did was really unexpected and so painful," the mother said.
The woman said she had seen the young man earlier yesterday and had spoken with him. As usual, he mentioned her daughter. She said he was in love with her daughter but Joy was making other plans. As a mother, she said, intervening in any problems the two had seemed wrong but she had always made the effort to speak to them individually.
Other relatives commented that the man had trouble letting go and that he had reportedly said if he could not have Bartholomew then no one could. (Stabroek News)
Proof that 4000 carats of diamonds were smuggled wanting
The Guyana and Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) is finding it difficult to come up with evidence to prove that the 4000 carats of diamonds worth over $131.665, 793 that were seized from a Belgian firm three weeks ago were smuggled into the country, a source at the agency has said but the Commissioner (ag), Williams Woolford is insisting there is evidence and they will prosecute.
Woolford told reporters on Tuesday that essential to the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) was accurate paperwork and from all appearances, the Belgian firm - Exporter Trade and Company Limited - has been found wanting in this area.
This has been Woolford's position since it was made known that the diamonds were seized and he has said that charges would be laid. However, acting Crime Chief Seelall Persaud told this newspaper on Thursday that they had received no report on the matter from GGMC. Wool-ford has argued that in addition to the firm's paperwork not being accurate, the diamonds submitted are not mined here in such large quantities.
Stabroek News was told that the company had submitted documents for the export of the diamonds to GGMC and on checking, the agency was not satisfied with the paperwork. This led to the inspection of the precious stones. When the diamonds were inspected it was found that several pieces that were uncut might not have originated from Guyana. It is suspected that some of the diamonds were smuggled into the country from Africa, Venezuela or Brazil.
Speaking to Stabroek News recently on conditions of anonymity an official of GGMC said that authorities at the agency have not been able to conclude any charge against the principals of the firm. The official said that from what he was told the firm had all of its paperwork in order, but the inspector of the diamonds thought that they were not being mined in such large quantities here and as such the gems were seized.
The official further stated that the firm did not do mining here and the diamonds it was trying to export were purchased from local dredge owners. Stabroek News understands that in order to operate a dredge, one has to obtain a permit from GGMC and from all appearances some of these persons who sold the Belgian firm the diamonds did not have their documents.
This, according, to the official seems to be the real issue with regard to the diamonds and not that they were smuggled into the country. Stabroek News was told that the principals of the firm have been trying to get an audience with Prime Minister Samuels Hinds, but they have not made any headway. "I believe something else is playing out and there might be negotiations going on too," the GGMC official said.
Prime Minister Hinds had told this newspaper that over a year ago GGMC had seized a quantity of diamonds thought to have been smuggled here. Sources at GGMC said that two months ago the mining body seized diamonds from a diamond exporting firm located on East Street some US$1.3M worth of diamonds suspected to have been smuggled from Africa. Sources say that after holding the gems for a few weeks GGMC released them after the company paid a fine of $2.5M and the firm was allowed to export the diamonds.
Executive Secretary of the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association, Edward Shields told this newspaper last week that the issue of smuggling was a matter for Customs and based upon the reports it was not that agency that intercepted the diamonds. Shields said his association was concerned about allegations of diamond smuggling here, but no one has ever been charged and taken before the court.
On the issue of the 4,000 carats of diamonds Shields said it was not an abnormal amount for the company to be exporting. He said that based upon information that amount has been the size the firm would export on a regular basis. Guyana is a signatory to the KPCS.
The KPCS originated from a meeting of Southern Africa diamond producing states in Kimberley, Northern Cape in May 2000. In order for a country to be a participant, it must ensure that diamonds originating from the country do not finance a rebel group or other entity seeking to overthrow a UN-recognized government.
KPCS also mandates that every diamond export be accompanied by a Kimberley Process certificate proving that no diamond is imported from, or exported to, a non-member of the scheme.
A report from diamond industry watchdog, Partnership Africa Canada (PAC), last year said that although Guyana has good internal controls through the GGMC, as much as 20 per cent of the US$43M diamond production is smuggled to the Brazilian border town of Boa Vista, where the diamonds are mixed with Venezuelan diamonds which are then 'cleansed' through Kimberley Certification documentation in Guyana before they are exported. In 2004 diamond production reached an all-time high of 425,000 carats while diamond declaration in 2002 and the years prior was at least 50 per cent less.
Production has since dropped to around 300,000 carats. Authorities do not believe that 'blood diamonds' are coming to Guyana. (Stabroek News)
November 10, 2007
Three Berbice bodies identified
Rameshwar Gangadin
The three decomposed bodies found in Berbice were positively identified yesterday by relatives as those of fishermen missing from Annandale North since last month. Rameshwar Gangadin, 24, Patrick Parboo, 20, and Mark Sylvester Parshram, were among six fisherman who had gone to sea in mid-October, and had never returned.
Rameshwar Gangadin, his brother Navendra Gangadin, Patrick Parboo, his cousin Davendra Persaud, Christopher Rooplall and Mark Sylvester Parshram left on a fishing trip on October 12 and were never seen or heard from again. This began to worry relatives who said that the fishermen would normally not stay longer than 18 days at sea.
Fearing their loved ones had been the victims of pirates the families met with Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud last Wednesday and requested surveillance assistance. On Thursday the relatives of the missing men in the company of two Coast Guard ranks conducted an aerial search some 25 miles up the Corentyne River and along some sections of the Demerara River. However, after being informed that there were two bodies waiting to be identified at a mortuary in Berbice, relatives eventually decided to check yesterday.
The decomposed bodies of two men with their hands and feet bound were found two weeks ago in the Corentyne area. Relatives said they paid no attention at first to reports in the media about the bodies since the speculation was that the men might have been foreigners.
On Thursday news circulated in the area that the police had made yet another gruesome discovery at the Whim foreshore where a third badly decomposed body had been found. Hoping that their worst fears would not be confirmed, relatives of the missing men then decided to visit the area to view the remains.
According to a relative of one of the men, Adydia Chatterpaul, all three were identified by their clothing. However one of the men, Mark Parshram, was identified by his clothing and a burn he had on his left side.
Chatterpaul told Stabroek News that Parshram's body had been identified at the Whim foreshore where it had washed up on Thursday, and after identification the body had to be buried at the same location. However relatives were not able to view the bodies of the other two men, Rameshwar Gangadin and Patrick Parboo since they had been buried at a cemetery in Stanleytown on Thursday.
The men were nevertheless identified after the police showed relatives the clothes that had been taken from the men's remains. A police source told this newspaper that if relatives still wanted to confirm that the remains were those of their loved ones, hair samples had been taken and as such DNA testing could be done at a later stage.
Meanwhile relatives said that they would like to have the remains of their relatives so they could be given decent burials. Arrangements for this will be made shortly, the relatives said.
When Stabroek News visited the area yesterday dozens of residents had gathered at the grieving relatives' home offering support. One resident was heard to say that none of the fishermen deserved the deaths they had received and all were young men working to support their siblings and families. Residents said the community which mainly depended on fishing for a livelihood had suffered from attacks by pirates in the past, but not to this extent.
On Wednesday last Minister Persaud met with relatives of the missing crew members and informed them that a meeting with the Ministry of Home Affairs would be arranged to discuss assistance. The Minister yesterday afternoon went back to the community to meet with the relatives. (Stabroek News)
Aircraft disappearance
Two charged with forgery of documents
Acting Commissioner of Police Henry Greene says two persons have been charged with forgery of documents as investigations into the disappearance of a small aircraft from the Anna Regina runway more than three weeks ago continue.
Greene told reporters on Thursday that police were still searching for the aircraft while investigations were ongoing. According to initial reports the aircraft went missing some time between October 14 and 15. Since the disappearance of the aircraft, three officials of Fenix Airways, the company which leased the aircraft, were detained.
They were subsequently released after habeas corpus writs were filed in the High Court on their behalf. The blue and white Piper Seneca aircraft with red stripes and the marking 8R-GAA on the tail was sold by Air Services to Fenix Airways Inc about a month ago, but the company did not pay in full and so the registration of the aircraft has remained with it pending full payment.
Residents had told this newspaper that they had seen the aircraft circling before touching down. Vladimir Vanzo, the major shareholder of Fenix Airways, had said that the pilot of the plane had requested to use the aircraft to transport his family to Essequibo. He said the pilot landed the plane and escorted his family to a relative's home but when he returned the aircraft was missing.
The Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) head Zulficar Mohamed said in a statement that while the whereabouts of the aircraft was still unknown, neighbouring states such as Venezuela, Suriname and Brazil had been alerted. The GCAA Director noted that several of its regulations had been breached and consideration was being given to imposing the charges where necessary. (Stabroek News)
Greene vows Police will fight fire with fire
Acting Police Commissioner Henry Greene Thursday vowed that his officers will “fight fire with fire” if theirs and the lives of others are threatened by bandits. He made the declaration yesterday while outlining plans to ensure citizens enjoy safe and merry 2007 Christmas holidays.
Speaking at the Police Officers Mess, Eve Leary, Georgetown, he explained that their intention is not to use force or brutality when making arrests but stressed that it will be used if the person being arrested is excessively aggressive.
If the task requires force, then that is what we will resort to…if we do not do this, we will not be doing our job,” Greene asserted. He lamented the practice, by certain sections of the media, to wrongfully criticise the diligent work of his officers.
When the Police fail to take effective action, they face criticism…when they arrest the criminals or they escape or are killed during exchanges with the Police, we are still criticised. It seems as though we are between the devil and the deep blue sea. The Police must be given credit when it is due …the media is searching for cracks to criticise,” he commented.
However, Greene assured that the Police will not be daunted by that or any other action. There will be no let-up, protest or no protest, we will do what we have to do to save lives and properties,” he added. Referring to protesting traffic offenders, Greene said their complaints on the recent increase in fines are ridiculous.
If you don’t want to be fined, don’t break the law,” he advised them. Greene observed that, since the raising of the monetary penalties, about 80 cases have been made daily and he said Chief Justice Carl Singh will be approached to establish a night court to dispose of them so they do not pile up. (Guyana Cronicle)
November 09, 2007
Missing fishermen relatives to check bound bodies
Relatives of six missing East Coast Demerara fishermen were assisted yesterday with an aerial search for their loved ones and two of the families were preparing to check bodies that washed up last week on the Corentyne even as a third corpse was found in the same area during the day.
Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud had promised the aerial surveillance assistance.
Christopher Rooplall, 19, Rameshwar Gagadin, 23, his brother Navendra Gagadin, the boat captain Patrick Parboo, 20, his cousin Davendra Persaud and another man who has since been identified as 'Buddy' left for a fishing trip since October 12th and have not returned since.
Five of the six men hail from Marshon, Annandale North. Yesterday family members in the company of two army coast guard ranks conducted an aerial search in the Corentyne area for the missing crewmembers. The search also covered some areas in the Demerara River.
While some relatives of the missing men are still clinging on to hope that their loved ones are still alive some share different views. The families of Patrick Parboo and Davendra Persaud said they are making preparations to travel to Berbice to see if the bodies that washed up there two weeks ago are those of their relatives.
As news filtered down that the police had found another body in the Berbice area yesterday the relatives got even more anxious. The mother of Davendra Persaud, Anuradha Persaud said they never opted to view the remains that washed up two weeks ago after hearing the report that the bodies might be those of foreigners.
Residents had said that the bodies appeared to be those of Caucasians. It was however pointed out that immersion in the salt water could have led to discolouration of the bodies. The fact that they were bound led some to believe that they may have been victims of piracy.
When Stabroek News visited their homes yesterday, Parboo's and Persaud's relatives were making arrangements with the Berbice funeral parlour to visit sometime later today. Anuradha said her son and the other crewmembers would normally make fishing trips to the Corentyne but would only stay at sea for 18 days maximum.
"De food and water dem walk with can only last for 20 days the most dem can't survive past that," the mother said. Anuradha said Parboo, the captain of the 55-ft vessel, has been traversing the seas since the tender age of 11.
However despite this she is optimistic that he can survive 26 days at sea. She said she believes that the men were attacked by pirates and if so it is not likely they are alive.
On Wednesday, Agriculture Minister Persaud met with relatives of the missing crew members. During the meeting Persaud informed the relatives that a meeting with the Ministry of Home Affairs would be arranged to discuss possible search and rescue as well as networking with neighbouring Coast Guard services.
Additionally, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the security forces have said they will continue their anti-piracy campaign with help from the Coast Guard and the Guyana Police Force. Also too, an anti-piracy bill will soon be taken to parliament for harsher penalties for those found guilty as well as a special fund for counter anti-piracy operations. Assistance for victims will also be catered for.
In recent months there has been widespread piracy up and down the coast and dozens of fishermen have been attacked and robbed.
Third body
The third body was found yesterday by persons going to cut wood. The body of the male was discovered among some mangrove trees around 1 pm and a report made to the Whim Police Station. Ranks visited the scene shortly after but were unable to remove the remains because of the body's badly decomposed state.
Police sources told this newspaper that they would have to bury the body close to where it was found but "with a view of exhumation in case persons should come forward."
Yesterday's body was found in similar circumstances as the first two except that it was not bound. It was clad only in a pair of blue shorts "with just the skeleton of the head showing" and other parts of the body like the feet apparently bitten off.
According to Jaidharry Narine, also called 'Aboy', who discovered the body, he and his son were out at the "waterside" yesterday morning at about 10 am cutting some mangrove lots to make a shed when they discovered the body. Narine said that he had already cut a few lots and had asked his son to put them in the clearing to be taken away later.
He told Stabroek News that he was cutting another one when he glanced back and saw something strange. A closer look revealed that it was the decomposed body of a man. Narine said that the body was lying face down with arms outstretched with the legs either eaten away or cut off. Somehow, Narine said, the body was not giving off an odour.
There was no hair on the head and he believes that the body might be that of a Guyanese. The discovery was made among the thickest part of the mangrove trees. People do not usually go there unless they are looking for "straight wood". Had he not gone there, he told Stabroek News, the body may not have been found, because it was not visible from the shoreline. Narine and his son immediately dropped the wood and headed home where they told a neighbour who is a policeman.
A report was subsequently made to the Whim Police Station. Ranks from the police force went out to investigate but returned later saying that because of the condition of the body and the difficult terrain that it would have to pass through it would be practically impossible to remove the body from there.
Post-mortem
Meanwhile the post-mortem (PM) examination for the first two bodies was inconclusive because of the advanced state of decomposition. After the PM, the Arokium Funeral Home of New Amsterdam picked up the bodies at the Port Mourant Hospital mortuary to have them buried at the Stanleytown cemetery in NA yesterday afternoon.
The bodies of these two men were found on the Corentyne shore with their hands and feet bound together with pieces of rope. Persons who made the gruesome discovery had told this newspaper the men were without footwear and were clad in shorts/three-quarter pants and t-shirts.
A fisherman stumbled upon the second body at Manchester on October 25 as he was going to check his seine. He said the hands and feet were bound together in front with a red rope; almost in a crouching position and his body was braced face-down on a mangrove tree. Police sources had told this newspaper they had a hard time removing the body which was stuck between the tree and pieces of logs.
A gardener discovered the other body on October 27 around 2 pm on the shore in the vicinity of a fish pond at Whim. The hands and feet were bound with yellow rope from the back. A Trinidadian woman who arrived in Berbice to establish if the two bodies were those of her missing brothers, left Guyana feeling relieved after the dental records did not match.
The brothers, ages 39 and 49 and whose names are Edgar and Vinton Frank had been missing since last July after they left Grenada on their cabin cruiser Reel Lucky. Sources said the woman is still holding on to hopes that her brothers may turn up alive.
Two policemen from Suriname had also visited Guyana on Friday to view the remains of the men at the Port Mourant Hospital mortuary. They had told Stabroek News that they have not received any reports of missing persons.
But they took photographs of the bodies and were hoping to circulate them to all the police stations in their country and neighbouring French Guiana in case someone should come forward. They are working on the theory that the men might have been fishermen. (Jenelle Carter, Shabna Ullah and Adrian Smith/Stabroek News)
Execution-style killings down since Roger Khan held
Police
Police yesterday said that since drug-indicted businessman, Roger Khan had been captured by the United States, execution-style killings in Guyana have dropped considerably from 43 last year to 12 this year.
Speaking at the launch of their Christmas policing plan, Acting Crime Chief Seelall Persaud told reporters that the force has been working to dismantle the many criminal gangs operating in society. He said for the year so far they have crushed six gangs - most of them being involved in armed robberies.
He said however, that the Buxton/Agricola criminal gang has remained and although the joint services have had some successes in attacking this enterprise there was still more work to be done. He mentioned too that there were still gangs of pirates tormenting fishermen at sea.
On the issue of drug gangs, Persaud said that since the US had arrested Khan in Suriname and extradited him to face drug charges in New York there has been a decrease in execution-style killings. For last year there were 43 execution-style killings, but only 12 for this year so far. Persaud said that Khan had a group of men who worked with him while he was here, but since he had been locked up the men have all gone in different directions.
"We believe that Mr. Khan was involved in narcotics trafficking and since his arrest we have seen a fragmentation of his gang instead of them being one place they are all over the place," Persaud declared. The question was put to the Acting Crime Chief that since the police knew Khan operated a gang and had men - many of whom still roam the streets today working with him, why hadn't the force gone after them? Persaud responded that charges are laid against individuals based on evidence. He said the police were still conducting investigations on the men.
Prior to being arrested one of Khan's associates had told this newspaper that the businessman never got involved in actual operations. The associate who had asked not to be named said the drug accused used his own bodyguards and a network of armed informants (phantom squad) made up of mainly ex-convicts and ex-policemen. When Khan had made the disclosures Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon denied that the security services ever engaged the businessman to help it fight crime.
Khan has been indicted by a US Grand Jury for conspiring to import cocaine into that country between January 2001 and March 2006.
He had fled from this country when the security forces were on his trail and went to neighbouring Suriname where he and three of his bodyguards were later caught. Khan had boasted that when American diplomat, Steve Lesniak was kidnapped and taken to the village of Buxton he met with operatives from the American Embassy on a daily basis and provided them with information and hard evidence that led to the issuance of an arrest warrant for escapee Shawn Browne, who was thought to have masterminded the abduction.
Browne was later cornered in a house a few days after and shot dead by the police. Stabroek News was told that the drug-indicted businessman employed ex-convicts and policemen, paid them and had them gather intelligence on the whereabouts of the five escapees: Browne, Troy Dick, Andrew Douglas, Dale Moore and Mark Fraser.
The quintet had made a bloody escape from the Camp Street Prison on February 23, 2002. Their escape was the catalyst for a wave of crime that the country had never before experienced. During this period some 21 policemen were shot dead and numerous civilians murdered. This period also saw scores of policemen leaving the job and confidence in the force was at an all-time low.
Khan gained notoriety in Guyana when he, Sean Belfield, who was then a serving member of the Police Target Special Squad (TSS) and Haroon Yahya were intercepted at Good Hope by an army patrol in December 2002. The vehicle they were travelling in had a cache of high-powered weapons and electronic equipment capable of intercepting telephone calls.
The trio was charged and went before the courts, but the case was later dismissed. Sources close to the businessman had said that it was following the appointment of Winston Felix as Commissioner of Police that the relationship between Khan and the Target Squad was severed as Felix sought to dismantle the squad. (Stabroek News)
November 08, 2007
Boys charged with Mocha girl murder
Sade Stoby
Two teenaged boys yesterday appeared in the Georgetown Magistrate's Court charged with the murder of Mocha schoolgirl, Sade Stoby and one of them alleged that police forced him to admit to the gruesome crime.
The boys ages 16 and 14 were not required to plead to the capital offence when it was read to them by Principal Magistrate Melissa Robertson-Ogle. They were both remanded into police custody until November 23 when they will make an appearance at the Providence Magistrate's Court.
Following the discovery of the nine-year-old girl's body in a clump of bushes, a stone's throw away from her Barnwell North, Mocha Arcadia home, the village and the rest of the country have been thrown into shock. This was evident yesterday when persons flocked the courtroom just to get a glimpse of the duo.
The 23-year-old man who was arrested along with the lads did not make a court appearance yesterday and Stabroek News understands that he is still in custody. The particulars of the joint charge against the minors read that between November 2 and 4, they murdered the child.
Stoby, a Grade Four (Primary Two) student left the Mocha Primary School on foot last Friday headed for home a few miles away. The area where she lived is very bushy. Several searches were launched for her from Friday night until early Sunday morning when her father, Eric and brother Karlon discovered her bruised and lifeless body.
The brother had told this newspaper shortly after the discovery that Stoby's face was swollen with marks of violence and her neck, which was also swollen, appeared to have been broken. The child was found lying on her side in a small pool of water and her uniform was bunched up around her waist exposing the lower part of her body.
Her private parts were exposed and her underwear was nearby. Relatives had said that evidence of sexual molestation was evident to the naked eye. When she was found her socks were in the water while her shoes were a short distance away from her body on the ground. Her school bag was still around her shoulders and a pair of adult-sized green slippers was also found in the vicinity of the child's body along with a child's orange top.
Soon after the gruesome discovery a 16-year-old boy and a 23-year-old man - who according to reports is presently before the courts on charges of molesting two children, a boy and girl - were arrested. The following day, a 14-year-old who was the last person seen with the child was handed over to the ranks at the Providence Police Station.
A post-mortem examination conducted on the child revealed that she died from asphyxiation due to submersion, compounded by blunt trauma to the head. Following the incident teachers of the school Stoby attended have been encouraging students especially those living a far distance from the school to walk home in groups.
The 16-year-old accused, who is an orphan, was not tidily dressed. He was wearing a soiled t-shirt, short pants and no shoes. The lad who was in dire need of a haircut faced the entire episode alone as none of his relatives turned up yesterday. When he first entered the courtroom his eyes were puffy and red indicating that he had been crying.
The 14-year-old on the other hand, was neatly dressed in a white t shirt with black, red and blue stripes, cream short pants and boots and socks and had his mother standing at his side. After the charge was read, Magistrate Robertson-Ogle asked the two if they had anything to say on their behalf since they were unrepresented. It was at this point that the elder of the two began wiping tears from his eyes.
He told the court that both of his parents are dead and that he has two sisters living in the same village. The lad, who said he works at a factory, when asked if he had any relative who could come for him, told the court that he has an aunt who is living in Mocha but someone would have to take him to her because he doesn't know her telephone number.
He said amidst tears that the police forced him to say that he had killed the girl and he proclaimed his innocence. "Them carry meh at de station and put black bag over me face for me to talk things I didn't do, I didn't do nothing wrang", he said.
He told the court that on Friday night he was at work and said he knew nothing about the murder. The other boy told the court in a whisper that he had nothing to say and following the conclusion of the matter his mother burst into tears and had to be comforted. (Zoisa Fraser/Stabroek News)
November 06, 2007
Guyana <> Russia boosting drug war collaboration
Guyana and Russia are in the process of finalizing several aspects of an agreement as part of a collaborative fight against trafficking in narcotics, the Government Information Agency (GINA reported yesterday. According to GINA Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee said the agreement is now being considered by both sides and once completed it will strengthen the relationship between security ministers of both countries.
Rohee made these comments following an official visit from a Russian delegation which included Igor Ezhov, Deputy Director of Department of Latin America and the Caribbean. "So that text is now being negotiated bilaterally, we have not finished it as yet but we have no doubt that before the end of the year we should have a general agreement and to determine how we will precede with ratification and eventual signing," he said. (Stabroek News)
November 04, 2007
Corentyne bodies
Not Trinidadian brothers
A Trinidadian woman who arrived in Berbice last evening to establish whether the two bodies which washed up on the Corentyne shore one week ago were those of her missing brothers, left Guyana feeling relieved after the dental records did not match.
The brothers, aged 39 and 49 and whose names are Edgar and Vinton Frank had been missing since last July after they left Grenada on their cabin cruiser Reel Lucky. The woman had made a request for a dentist to be on hand. Sources said the woman, who was expected to arrive in the country a few days ago but was having difficulty with flights, is still holding on to hopes that her brothers may turn up alive.
A resident of the West Coast of Demerara who read the article about the bound bodies when it was first published in last week's Sunday Stabroek informed the woman's relatives in Tobago and they contacted local police.
Police sources had told this newspaper that even if the persons had not arrived they were "going ahead with post-mortem on Monday" as the bodies could no longer be kept. The bodies are now in an advanced stage of decomposition as a consequence of the constant blackouts on the Corentyne.
Meantime, two policemen from Suriname visited Guyana on Friday to view the remains of the men at the Port Mourant Hospital mortuary. They told Stabroek News that they had not received any reports of missing persons.
But they took photographs of the bodies and are hoping to circulate them to all the police stations in their country and neighbouring French Guiana in case someone should come forward. They are working on the theory that the men may be fishermen.
The bodies of the men were found on the Corentyne with their hands and feet bound with pieces of rope. Persons who made the gruesome discovery had told this newspaper the men were without footwear and were clad in shorts/three-quarter pants and t-shirts. A fisherman said that he encountered one of the bodies last Saturday morning at Manches-ter as he was going to check his seine.
The man's hands and feet were tied together in front in with a red rope; he was almost in a crouching position and his body was braced face-down on a mangrove tree. Police sources had told this newspaper they had a hard time removing the corpse which was stuck between the tree and pieces of logs.
The other body was discovered last Thursday afternoon by a gardener on the shore in the vicinity of a fish pond at Whim. The hands and feet were bound with yellow rope from the back. The police were informed of the discovery and they later removed the bodies. (Stabroek News)
November 03, 2007
Suriname cops inspect bound bodies
Two policemen from Suriname visited Guyana yesterday to view the two bodies which washed up on the Corentyne shore one week ago while persons from Tobago also arrived in Berbice last evening to determine if the men are their missing relatives.
The bodies which are in an advanced stage of decomposition due to the constant blackouts on the Corentyne are being kept at the Port Mourant Hospital mortuary. The persons from Tobago are hoping to identify the bodies through dental records sometime today and had made a request for a dentist to be at hand.
Police sources told this newspaper that even if the persons had not arrived they are "going ahead with post-mortem on Monday" because they can no longer keep the bodies.
Meantime, the lawmen from Suriname told Stabroek News yesterday that they have not received any reports of missing persons. But they took photographs of the bodies and are hoping to circulate them to all the police stations in their country and neighbouring French Guiana in case someone should come forward. They are working on the theory that the men may be fishermen.
A resident of the West Coast of Demerara who read the article about the bound bodies when it was first published in the last Sunday Stabroek informed the persons in Tobago. A man then contacted local police saying that the bodies may be those of his two brothers who were reportedly missing since July. The man said his brothers, ages 39 and 49 and whose names are Edgar and Vinton Frank left Grenada on their cabin cruiser Reel Lucky, in July and have not been heard from since.
This newspaper understands that the persons from Tobago are of African descent. Police had stated that the men may be Caucasians but had left all options open. The bodies of the men were found on the Corentyne with their hands and feet bound with pieces of rope.
Persons who made the gruesome discovery had told this newspaper the men were without footwear and were clad in shorts/three-quarter pants and t-shirts. A fisherman had said that he bumped into one of the bodies last Saturday morning at Manchester as he was going to check his seine.
The man's hands and feet were tied together in front in with a red rope; almost in a crouching position and his body was braced face-down on a mangrove tree. Police sources told this newspaper they had a hard time removing the body which was stuck between the tree and pieces of logs.
The other body was discovered last Thursday afternoon by a gardener on the shores in the vicinity of a fish pond at Whim. The hands and feet were bound with yellow rope from the back. The police were informed of the discovery and they later removed the bodies. (Shabna Ullah/Stabroek News)
November 01, 2007
Justice of Appeal Claudette Singh resigns
Claudette Singh
Justice of Appeal Claudette Singh resigned from her judicial post at the Court of Appeal and as a High Court judge effective from yesterday after months of speculation surrounding her departure.
Justice Singh will take up a position within the chambers of the Attorney General spearheading an Inter-American Development Bank project aimed at improving the local justice system.
The Court of Appeal will continue to function in her absence with Acting Chancellor and Chief Justice Carl Singh, who is a member of the court, filling the vacant position of third sitting Justice of Appeal. No new appointments to the court are expected soon since the life of the Judicial Service Commission, which has the responsibility of appointing judges, expired in February and the body has since been non-existent.
Responding to Justice Singh's resignation yesterday, the Acting Chancellor told Stabroek News that she was undoubtedly an asset to the judiciary and the legal system, adding that Guyana is poorer with her departure. He noted that she was a distinguished judge who was assiduous and dedicated in performing the functions of Appeal and Supreme Court judge.
"Justice Claudette Singh and I were able to hold our head above the political wrangling surrounding the appointment of Chancellor. Our relationship has been cordial and pleasant and I will miss her," Justice Singh added.
The Chief Justice pointed out that the Judicial Service Commission should have been reconstituted and performing its functions but has instead been non-existent given the current political situation in the country.
Responding to a letter written by former Chief Magistrate K. A. Juman-Yassin and published in Stabroek News' edition yesterday, Justice Singh said the former magistrate's statement faulting him over the situation at the Court of Appeal was precipitate and unfortunate since it is not within his power to fill the vacancy that will be created by Justice Claudette Singh's departure.
In the letter, Juman-Yassin pointed out that the complement in the Court of Appeal should be five judges - the Chancellor and four other judges but the local court has only had an acting Chancellor and three judges for some three years now.
Justice Singh said this is correct but noted that three judges can sit in civil and criminal matters. However if a matter of critical importance comes up before the court the full complement is required. (Iana Seales/Stabroek News)
Rubbish crisis averted
Jagdeo grants $184M to City
This was the sight yesterday at the corner of Hope and Queen streets in Tiger Bag. In addition to being unpleasant to the eye the area was smelly and fly- infested.
President Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday averted a garbage disaster in the city when he agreed to allocate $184M to the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) to pay striking workers and garbage contractors who had withdrawn their services.
The crisis started to unfold late last week when the union representing the workers, the Guyana Labour Union (GLU), threatened strike action over the workers not being paid for the month of October.
Then on Monday the $643M- indebted council announced that the garbage contractors had halted their operations and advised city residents not to put out their garbage for collection as it would not be cleared.
Workers had vowed not to start work until their monies were in their hands and the council had promised to pay them today. This newspaper made futile efforts to solicit comments from Public Relations Officer Royston King and Town Clerk Beulah Williams as to whether the sum allocated from government would be enough to pay the workers and the contractors.
Meanwhile the Government Information Agency (GINA) in a press release said that the government has agreed to allocate $140M to the City Council to pay its workers as well as $44M in advance for Central Government taxes for the last quarter of the year.
This was the scene yesterday outside the Mayor and City Council's Project Implementation Unit on Princes Street. The incinerator is also located in that compound.
This decision was made when President Jagdeo along with Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Kellawan Lall met City Council officials and other representatives at State House. Town Clerk Beulah Williams and General Secretary of the Guyana Labour Union Carvil Duncan also attended the meeting.
According to GINA the emergency meeting was held to discuss the current predicament in which the council has found itself with workers downing tools over unpaid salaries and contractors refusing to collect garbage in and around the city in light of outstanding payments totaling some $140M.
Minister Lall commenting after the meeting said that the government has assisted in resolving the council's financial woes several times, since officials of the body are unable to manage their affairs. Referring to comments made by City Mayor Hamilton Green, Lall said that it seems that the mayor has been "out of touch' with what is happening in the city and has instead chosen to "play politics" instead of looking at the real problems facing the council, including overstaffing and finances.
The minister alluded to the recent issue involving what he referred to as the mayor's "political stance" and noted that it seems that his focus has been elsewhere, adding that the council has long been managed ineffectively. In response to Green's accusation that central government was responsible for the council's predicament, Lall said that on the contrary, central government has had to come to the rescue when the council was faced with problems on several occasions.
PNCR's debt
He recalled, GINA said, when calls were being made for the council to be replaced by an Interim Management Committee (IMC) following a number of complaints about the council's ineffective management.
According to Lall, though the mayor has said that many entities owe the council large sums of money and this was contributing to the council's dilemma, he was not revealing its debtors which include the PNCR's Congress Place that owes the council close to $100M. He contended that this money situation with the council keeps recurring and something needs to be done about it.
Meanwhile although the GINA release stated the allocated sum as $184M, City Hall gave the allocated figure as $150M which will be used to pay only the contractors. And City Hall has said nothing about payment to workers.
Mayor of Georgetown Green who has repeatedly laid the blame on the government for the council's cash strapped situation told Stabroek News yesterday that he was informed that Town Clerk Williams and Deputy Mayor Robert Williams were meeting with the President at State House to discuss the money woes.
He said that he was never invited to be a part of this meeting although he is the mayor. While speaking to this newspaper Green received a telephone call from the Town Clerk informing him that the council had received $150M from the government to pay only the contractors. Green told the Stabroek News that this sort of behaviour (government giving the council money) is totally unacceptable and "goes against the grain of good governance and is a clear sign of hierarchic tendencies."
He has always told the media that the government is refusing to allow the council to broaden its revenue base which would alleviate the cash flow difficulties that it is facing at present. Yesterday he said that "the government wants to exercise full control of the city" and that is the reason why they are refusing to let the council do this. He stressed that the government did not have the decency to inform him of the initiative to give council money to pay the contractors. Green yesterday informed this newspaper that the contractors are owed a total of $134.8M.
City dilemma
The size and the number of garbage piles around the city have grown within the last 24 hours and this situation will continue until workers are paid. Stabroek News visited several areas in the city and despite numerous pleas by City Hall not to put out garbage for collection residents were still doing so. Rubbish littered the parapets and was strewn on the roadways after being rummaged through by dogs and vagrants, leaving the place smelly and fly-infested.
This scene was particularly evident in Kitty, Tiger Bay, Kingston, Norton Street, Bourda Market and Stabroek Market and its environs. Hundreds of city workers on the advice of their union began a sit-in exercise on Tuesday and vowed not to let up until their October salaries are in their hands. Workers at various locations were seen idling and in one case were playing dominoes.
At the stone depot on Princes Street workers told Stabroek News they will not give up the fight. One of the affected workers said that at first they got paid on the 15th of every month and then the pay day was pushed backed to the 25th.
He said that in spite of this change they still are not getting their money and they are fed up with that. Visibly upset, the man who says he does road repairs, told this newspaper that people have to send their children to school and to pay bills and after working so hard every month they cannot be paid. He said that this behaviour is totally unacceptable and they will not work unless they get money. He said that a new month will be starting and they have no money.
In June work in the city was halted after workers were not paid but this situation was quickly rectified after the President threw a lifeline to the council instructing the Minister of Finance to release $40M. Last month government spent $800M on roads, which is the responsibility of the council and the government too embarked on a massive enhancement campaign in the city, which included upgrading of roads, cleaning drains, landscaping and clearing pavements prior to the hosting of Cricket World Cup.
Health advisory
Meanwhile the Ministry of Health yesterday issued an advisory in light of the present garbage pile up in the city. According to the advisory, the ministry advised the general public that proper disposal of all household waste is very important since failure could add to the creation of ideal breeding sites for mosquitoes, rats, flies and cockroaches which can adversely affect health and even lead to sickness and death.
Given the alert for the transmission of dengue, this garbage disposal situation is of special importance to the health ministry, the advisory stated. (Zoisa Fraser/Stabroek News/Ken Moore photo)
Joint Services return to Buxton-Friendship
Two arrested, searches conducted
One day after killing two gunmen and capturing another wanted for a number of murders, members of the security forces yesterday returned to the East Coast communities of Buxton and Friendship, arresting at least two other men while conducting searches.
Residents told Stabroek News via telephone yesterday that the villages were still tense after Tuesday morning's shoot-out and although there was no confrontation between gunmen and the joint services, residents moved about with some degree of apprehension.
According to one man around nine jeep-loads of soldiers were seen patrolling the villages late yesterday afternoon. The man said that the ranks drove along Brushe Dam, Friendship where some of them exited the vehicles and searched the homes of a few residents. They spent close to one hour patrolling before leaving with two men in the tray of their vehicles. It is not clear who the arrested men are or why they were taken into custody.
The joint services had intensified their activities in Buxton since September after reportedly receiving information that a number of the gunmen who had fled the village had returned.
On Tuesday members of the joint services shot and killed Orlando Andrews called 'Bullet' and Noel James called 'Baby', both of Friendship, ECD. They also captured another wanted man, David Zammett or David Leander known as `Biscuit'. The police said that wanted bulletins were published for Zammett and Andrews in relation to investigations into the murder of Agriculture Minister Satyadeow Sawh and his siblings.
Zammett is also wanted by the police in relation to investigations into the murder of Anson Melville at Friendship on 2004-01-11; the murder of William Adams called "Grego" at Friendship on 2004-08-02; and attempted murder committed on Randy Joseph at Friendship on 2004-10-04.
In a statement the police said that around 10 am Tuesday joint services ranks came under fire from a group of armed men along Brushe Dam, Buxton. The ranks returned fire, fatally wounding Andrews who was hit in the right side of his chest, while the others managed to escape. The statement continued that around 1.30 pm the ranks cordoned off a house at Brushe Dam and while in the process of searching it came under fire from Noel James.
Again the ranks returned fire, hitting James about his body. An unlicensed .38 Taurus revolver along with five spent shells were recovered by the ranks. James was only recently released from prison after serving a sentence for larceny, the police said. Andrews had been charged by the police for the murder of Troy Phillips on 2004-12-05 at Church of God road, Buxton. He was also charged with inflicting grievous bodily harm on Dennis Daniels at Annandale, ECD, on 2005-07-11.
In both matters arrest warrants for Andrews were issued by the courts, the police said, adding that Andrews was wanted for questioning by the police in relation to the murder of Anson Melville at Friendship on 2004-01-11; the murder of Davechan Appanna at Section 'B', Non Pariel, ECD, on 2004-08-17; and the murder of schoolgirl Christine Sukhra at Coldingen, ECD, on 2004-08-28.
Residents had expressed their disgust over the manner in which the operation was carried out and yesterday's visit by the security forces again unnerved many. A relative of Andrews told Stabroek News yesterday that the police have been hunting her since Tuesday. She reported that she was in the city yesterday morning when joint services ranks visited her Vigilance Squatting Area home after kicking down the door of a house next door to her.
She said a number of children were in the home and the lawmen took them to her house and questioned them about her whereabouts. The woman said that while she is the aunt of Andrews and James she did not communicate with them and as such she finds it strange that the police were coming after her. "I am not involved in any criminal activities.
I don't know why they are after me," said the woman who asked that her name be left out of the story. She indicated to this newspaper that she would visit the Vigilance Police Station to clear her name as she did not want to have any confrontation with the police. The woman observed how desolate some of the streets in the villages were yesterday, noting that the events of Tuesday were still taking their toll.
Stabroek News was told that some parents kept their children at home yesterday fearing that the police operation would continue. Over recent years Buxton has been in a state of unrest and law enforcement agencies have said that the village is a haven for criminal elements and they have been trying to rid the community of the criminals.
On September 4th last Donna Herod, a mother of nine, was killed during another joint services operation. At the time the police had said that the ranks were pursuing wanted men with whom they reportedly exchanged fire. Herod was shot while taking two of her children home from school. The report on the investigation into her death has not yet been released to the public. (Stabroek News)