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April 29, 2009

Polar beer scam… Fourteen charged with fraud, forgery

   Fidelity untouched

From left are Michelle Matthias, Samantha Sam, Ausya Greenidge and Simone Herod.

After a year of investigation, 14 persons, including current and former Customs and Trade Administration employees and two brokers, were yesterday charged over a multi-million dollar ‘Polar Beer’ fraud at customs.

In a four-hour hearing before acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court, a total of 72 individual and joint charges, ranging from fraud and forgery and conspiracy to commit a felony, were read to fourteen of fifteen defendants, while lawyers for the accused questioned why the head of Fidelity Investments Limited was not among them.

The charges were laid almost four months since a special task force, headed by the Auditor General Deodat Sharma, recommended criminal charges. Director of Public Prosecutions Shalimar Ali-Hack had been reviewing the task force report, which urged charges against a top Fidelity Investment official, a broker and fourteen CTA employees said to be complicit in the fraud.

They were not required to plead to the indictable charges and were granted bail according to their charges. Another woman, Ann Noel, was also charged but did not appear and the court was told she was not aware of the date required of her to attend.

Rajcoomar was slapped with 13 fraud charges for allegedly forging invoices and customs declarations in favour of Kong Inc, between September 2006 and October 2007, purporting that they were for assorted drinks and aerated beverages. The man was additionally slapped with eight counts of forgery, in a joint charge with Sam, with whom he is accused of forging documents of customs declaration, purporting that they were for assorted drinks, between June and December 2007. Additionally, the duo was jointly charged with 13 counts of forgery, for forged customs declaration forms in favour of Kong Inc on October 29, 2007.

Sam had four additional counts of forgery, shared jointly with Matthias. It is alleged that between October and November 2007, she and Matthias forged customs forms in favour of Kong Inc. Matthias also faces 17 counts of forgery for allegedly forging assessment notices between October 29 and November 5, 2007, to a customs declaration form purporting to show that that valuation was done by an officer of the section of customs.

Rajcoomar, Sam, Matthias, Glad, Bobb-Semple, Herod and Ramkishan were further charged with conspiracy to commit a felony for allegedly conspiring together and with person or persons unknown to be knowingly concerned in fraudulent duties of customs in relation to polar beers. Rajcoomar, Sam, Matthias, Glad and Ramkishan, Greenidge and Mohamed were also charged with conspiracy to commit a felony for allegedly conspiring with each other and with a person or persons unknown to defraud customs of import duties in relation to polar beer, from September 27 to October 1, 2007. Rajcoomar, Sam, Matthias, Glad, Ramkishan, Greenidge and Mohamed were charged along with Gildharie, Petamber, Noel, Sooknandan, Ramsaran and Basdeo for conspiracy to commit a felony. It is alleged that from July 19 to September 18, 2007, they conspired with each other and with person or persons unknown to commit fraud on import duties of customs in relation to polar beer.

Exclusion

Attorneys Vic Puran, Nigel Hughes, Glenn Hanoman, Leslie Sobers, Chandrawattie Persaud and Tanya Warren were among the lawyers for the accused. Puran told the court that the claims and charges brought against the defendants are bad in law. Like the other defence lawyers, he questioned the reason for the defendants being charged alone with the exclusion of the head of Fidelity Investments.

According to Hughes, to ensure a fair and impartial dispersal of justice, the head of Fidelity should have been charged also. In forceful arguments, Hughes added that it was Fidelity Investment who would have benefitted and not the “small man” [referring to those charged]. Puran and Hughes explained that it is the “big cats” that would have options as well as ways and means of punching loopholes in the system and not the ordinary staff who sit at the bottom of the administrative chart of the GRA.

Prosecutor Bernard De Santos SC, however, rebutted the arguments put forward by the defence as the heated debate continued. He explained that according to painstaking and thorough investigations, it is not the “big cats” that were seen to be on the errant side, but rather the “lambs.” “Madam,” he explained, “it is these same little lambs, to which my learned friends of the defence refer, who are involved in the skulduggery.

They have been given brains, but instead of using their brains to execute their duties with honesty they have decided to put them to the use of conducting scams.” They have options too, he said, adding that as the case progresses, it would show that their signatures are on documents, clearly incriminating them.

The other issue raised by the defence was posed by Puran who suggested to the court that De Santos not make an appearance as prosecutor in the case, since he has too many affiliations with Fidelity Investments, with potential for a miscarriage of justice. Puran added that many political overtones are involved in the matter which would make it very difficult for justice to prevail, given De Santos’ political and governmental attachments to the case.

De Santos, however, explained to the court that the proposal by the defence is baseless and without any legal merit. According to him, “I have nothing to do with Fidelity. I am a lawyer and was asked to do a lawyer’s job and will do just that in fairness and it will soon be brought to clear view that the defendants in this matter are all involved in one way or the other.” He explained further that “I come to this case with no political baggage.”

Re-emphasising that the case is a highly political one, Puran made an application for the preservation of evidences in the case; making particular reference to the camera used at Customs House at the time of the alleged commission of the crime as well as the preservation of the facility in preparation for the defence.  He asked also that all documents at John Fernandes Limited related to the case, be preserved as well. Bernard responded by explaining to the court he can give an undertaking for the evidence not to be destroyed but added that he cannot honour an application for the preservation of evidence at John Fernandes, since it is a private company.

At the end of the hearing, with much sighs of relief from exhaustion around the court room, the defence lawyers then made bail applications on the grounds that their clients pose no risk of flight and have been cooperating with police investigations. They asked also that their clients be placed on bail in reasonable amounts, since most of them had been dismissed from the GRA and were unemployed.

Senior Council De Santos, though he had no objection to bail, told the court that the defendants should be placed on bail in substantial amounts.

Rajcoomar and Matthias were both subsequently placed on bail to the tune of $600,000 while Sam was granted bail in the sum of $400,000 and $95,000 bail was granted to Basdeo since he had only one charge against his name. All the other defendants were placed on $200,000 bail. They are to return to court on June 24. (Stabroek News)
 

April 26, 2009

   Colleague held in RK guard shooting death

Julian Edmond Embrack

The RK security guard who was discovered dead on a roadway in the Diamond New Housing Scheme on Friday night with a gunshot wound to the head has been identified as Visiting Inspector Julian Edmond Embrack.

Police said yesterday that a man has been arrested and is assisting with the investigations while a post-mortem examination is expected to be conducted tomorrow.

Sources said that the man in custody is also attached to the security service. Embrack, who was clad in his uniform, was discovered by a taxi driver some time after 10:30 pm on Friday on Second Street, Diamond.

While still unclear on the circumstances surrounding his death, Embrack’s relatives expressed concern regarding how he met his demise. They said too, that his employers failed to contact them following the shooting, and that they learnt of his death through a newspaper report. “Someone called us yesterday morning and said that Julian’s name was in the papers and that he was dead…that was how we knew and ended up at RK Security,” a relative said.

Speaking with Stabroek News yesterday, Embrack’s brother, Leonard said attempts to contact RK Security owner Roshan Khan were unsuccessful and staff at the office had asked them to return tomorrow. The brother said also, that officials at the security service were tightlipped and declined to answer many of his questions.

While a police release said yesterday that a .38 service revolver belonging to Embrack, along with four spent shells and one live round was found near the body, his relative said that he was an unarmed guard. “An RK official told me that my brother was in training to carry a weapon, but that he was unarmed,” the brother said.

He said there were many unanswered questions, and that the family is interested in answers as soon as the information is available. “Julian was a good man. He was easy-going and was never in any trouble… this death has hit our family really hard. We are shaken up,” the brother added.

On Friday night, a Diamond resident reported hearing four shots some time before 10:30 pm as he sat chatting on his upper balcony with a friend. The man had told this newspaper that he looked in the direction the sounds came from but saw nothing. Approximately 45 minutes later, he saw a number of police vehicles drive through the street and stop at the first cross street. It was only then, he said, that he realized that something was wrong.

In a statement yesterday, owner of the security firm, Roshan Khan described Embrack as “very reliable and dynamic with his work”. Embrack was employed as a Site Security Officer on September 24 last and was subsequently promoted to Visiting Inspector on his request and after training.

Khan said in the statement that Embrack was an officer who could be counted on to work beyond the call of duty and who was always respectful to his seniors, management and the company’s clients. “He always displayed professionalism, decency and courtesy,” the statement said. Khan said the entire staff was shocked, depressed and disappointed over the loss of life of a competent officer.

“In regards to his death, how or why, we cannot answer this for we were not there, nor were we in his head, especially as he reported as normal and went ahead with his work as usual,” Khan said in the statement. “It is best to await the autopsy and necessary forensic tests which will tell us exactly how it happened.

If it was self-inflicted that will be known as there are certain traits and evidence which will determine this. If it was by assassination/murder that will also be established. We have faith in the system.” Embrack’s body is currently at the Lyken’s Funeral Home. (Stabroek News)
 

April 25, 2009

   RK’s guard shot dead

A security guard attached to Roshan Khan’s Security Service (RK’s) was discovered dead along Second Street, Diamond New Housing Scheme late last night. Reports are that the body of a man clad in RK’s uniform was discovered by a taxi driver sometime after 10.30pm. Sources reported that the body bore a single gunshot wound to the head. Up to press time this morning this newspaper was unable learn the man’s identity.

When Stabroek News arrived at the scene sometime after 11.30pm several police ranks and officials from RK’s were present. Police refused to comment and up to press time this morning had not issued a press statement. The body had already been removed.

Officials from the security company declined to speak. One employee told Stabroek News that they were going to the police station and were not “at liberty to discuss anything with the media”. A resident reported hearing four gunshots some time before 10.30 pm. The man explained that he was sitting on his upper flat balcony with a friend when he heard the “four loud bangs one after the other”.

“After I hear these bangs I tell he [his friend] that it sound like gunshots,” the man recalled. “So I look in the general direction it come from but saw nothing…I saw no movement or anything so I went on with my own business.” Approximately 45 minutes after he’d heard the gunshots, the man said, he saw a number of police vehicles drive through the street and stop at the first cross street. It was only then, the resident stated, that he realized that something was wrong.

Guards, stationed at the Diamond Secondary School in the same street, told this newspaper that they were going about their duties when they heard of the incident. However, they denied hearing gunshots.

The guard’s body was taken to the Lyken’s Funeral Parlour, but up to 1.05 this morning relatives had not yet reported there to identify the body. Stabroek News learnt from sources there that the only apparent wound to the body was a single gunshot to the head. Residents reported that the man was not from the housing scheme. (Stabroek News)
 

April 23, 2009

Omali Rogers, Courtney James wanted by police
  
   In connection with separate criminal acts

James                                            Rogers

The police have issued a wanted bulletin for Omali Rogers and Courtney James who are being sought in connection several criminal acts.

The former is wanted in connection the habouring of wanted persons and being accessory to murder, while the latter is wanted in relation to a recent spate of armed robberies and rapes committed on the East Coast of Demerara.

The police are requesting James to turn himself in. The particulars of the two wanted are as follows:

Name:Omali Rogers
Date of Birth:1978-01-28
Occupation:Construction Worker
Height:5’ 6”
Complexion:Dark
Built:Medium
Last known address:Lot 83 Woodpecker Lane , Amelia’s Ward, Linden

Name:
Courtney James
Date of Birth:1985-12-17
Height:5’ 9”
Complexion:Dark
Built:Slim
Last known address:No fixed place of abode

Anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of Omali Rogers and Courtney James is asked, to contact the police on telephone numbers 225-6411, 225-2700, 225-2227, 226-2917, 225-8196, 911 or the nearest police station. The police are assuring, that all information will be treated, with strictest confidence. (Guyana Cronicle)
 

April 21, 2009

AK-47 gunman robs Magistrate Hawke and wife

Magistrates’ Association seeks urgent meeting with Rohee,...

   ..... Greene on security concerns

Vows to take matter to another level should its concerns remain unaddressed

Magistrate Nigel Hawke

Magistrate Nigel Hawke and his lawyer wife, Donnelle, were robbed in their Section ‘B’ Non Pariel, East Coast Demerara home, by a lone gunman, early yesterday morning.

He told the Guyana Chronicle yesterday that they were in the upper flat of the building when, about 12:30 h, he went to the washroom and, minutes after, he saw the frightened woman escorted by a masked man with an AK-47 assault rifle.

Mr. Hawke said he was made to lie face down on the floor of the washroom and bound by the bandit who demanded that they hand over all their valuables while relieving him of his wedding band.

“I asked the robber to loosen my hands because the tie was too tight and I felt like if my blood was not flowing and the sheet covering my face was stifling me, so I requested he remove it also,” the victim said. He said the robber heeded his request and even lifted him off the floor but he was still unsure of his fate.

The gunman asked Mrs. Hawke what work they do and began ransacking the place, taking a laptop computer, wrist watches, cellular phones, cash, jewels and a digital camera. The magistrate said the intruder spent about 45 minutes in the house during the robbery and security is now their main concern, having endured such an ordeal. Hawke, who sits in Georgetown and Providence Courts, said he believes the thief gained entry through an unlocked verandah door because there was no sign of a break-in, with the lower flat of the house being heavily grilled.

The gunman tied up his wife in a bedroom and made good his escape after taking the keys to downstairs, Hawke said, pointing out that it was she who managed to untie herself and him, before they summoned Police ranks who took fingerprints at the crime scene. “I am truly tramautised by the robbery and my wife is feeling the same way. Magistrates get bashed all the time with no protection, which is a serious issue,” Hawke remarked.

He said Police Commissioner Henry Greene has since telephoned him and promised an armed guard from yesterday afternoon. Hawke said he has been residing at Non Pariel for the past three and a half years and would not forget that first robbery. A Police press release confirmed that it occurred about 00:30 h yesterday and investigations are continuing.

Meanwhile, following the shocking attack, an urgent meeting was called yesterday morning by the Magistrates’ Association of Guyana in Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson’s Chamber at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court. A number of Magistrates attended the meeting along with a representative of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) ‘A’ Division, Ms. Maxine Graham.

After calling reporters inside her Chamber, Magistrate Robertson said no court on the West Bank Demerara and on the East Coast were being held yesterday because of the attacks that were carried out on their fellow Magistrate Mr. Nigel Hawke. According to Magistrate Robertson, the meeting commenced at 10:00 h and dealt mainly with security issues at their individual homes.

The Chief Magistrate also mentioned that strong action will be taken by the Association if no word is received from the relevant authorities by 9:00 h today. She lamented that the Association is “weary” of making complaints but nothing has so far been done for them as it relates to their security. Magistrate Robertson said the Association was going to circulate a press release stating their position on the issue.

She conducted court (Court One) as usual and the press statement was released yesterday afternoon. It states as follows: “There is grave concern among all Magistrates at this time especially in light of repeated attempts for the authorities to address the burning issue of security for Magistrates vis-à-vis other judicial officers.

A detailed security memorandum was prepared by the Association since October 11, 2006 and sent to the Honourable Chancellor of the Judiciary and a copy was later forwarded to the Commissioner of Police. To date, no action has been taken with regards to any of the recommendations therein.

Magistrates at first instance deal with 90 per cent of the criminal proceedings and as a consequence, we are a constant target of criminal aggression. Magistrates, and in some instances members of their family have been threatened, abused and attacked in and out of the Court Room by criminal litigants and their associates. This must not be allowed to continue.

In the instant matter, magistrates have requested an urgent meeting with the Honourable Minister of Home Affairs and Commissioner of Police. We hope they would recognise the urgency of meeting with Magistrates to avert any hiccups in the administration of justice. Magistrates in all jurisdictions are resolved to take this matter to another level should our concerns remain unaddressed”. (Michel Outridge/Guyana Cronicle/Additional reporting by Telesha Persaud)
 

   Ex-cop gets four years for manslaughter

Clement Bailey

Clement Bailey, ex-police officer and former driver of Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, was sentenced to four years for killing Clifton Garraway.

Bailey had pleaded to the lesser charge of manslaughter when he appeared before Justice William Ramlal earlier. He was later sentenced to four years last Thursday after a probation report was presented to the court. The two years Bailey spent in prison while awaiting trial was taken into consideration by Justice Ramlal before sentencing.

Clifton Garraway

Reports were Garraway, 26, formerly of East Ruimveldt Housing Scheme, was shot some six times about his body and died on his way to the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Police said in a statement at the time that they were investigating the circumstances which led to the fatal shooting of Garraway by the policeman. According to that statement, Bailey was not on duty and the shooting followed an alleged altercation and scuffle between him and the deceased.

The statement further said that Bailey had been issued with a handgun by the force, and also had a license for a personal weapon. Police at that time could not say why Bailey had not lodged his weapon on completion of duty that day.

Shemeka Jones, Garraway’s girlfriend had reported that they had gone to a pool shop in Kitty and later moved to the Garnett Street location. According to Jones, 13 persons accompanied them into the bar and were drinking. Just before 11 pm, Garraway went outside after complaining of feeling unwell and slept for a short while on his motorcycle, until one of his cousins went outside to check on him.

Garraway was awakened by a cousin and as he was proceeding back inside the bar he bumped into a female connected to Bailey. Jones had said Garraway apologized, but the woman went inside and called alerted Bailey who confronted Garraway and chucked him, causing Garraway’s glass of rum to fall on the ground. Bailey, Jones had reported, then advanced to Garraway and shot him in the abdomen and, as he fell to the ground, pumped more bullets into him.

Jones said she tried desperately to get her boyfriend to the hospital but several drivers refused to take him saying that they didn’t want blood in their vehicles. Eventually she got one, but the young man breathed his last before getting to the hospital.

A post-mortem examination revealed that Garraway took four gunshots including one to his head. Bailey had claimed he was being attacked from behind and when he whipped out his service revolver and tried to shoot Garraway he ended up hitting himself. (Stabroek staff/Stabroek News)


   Police hold two for van Beek shooting investigations

Police Crime Chief Seelall Persaud confirmed yesterday that a second suspect has been held and is assisting with investigations into the shooting of Commissioner of Insurance, Mrs. Maria van Beek.

The Assistant Commissioner of Police said the latest and the previously arrested suspects were lined up for possible identification on a parade yesterday.

But detectives are still working on a probable motive for the April 16 attack on the CLICO Guyana Judicial Manager, Persaud said, amidst rife speculation that it had to do with her Court appointment to manage the cash strapped company. He said ranks are have not yet located the motorcycle nor the rider who aided the shooter’s getaway from the Lombard Street, Georgetown crime scene.

Meanwhile, the wounded van Beek remains in a stable condition and is recovering from the gunshot wound to her chest. The injured woman is at home with her husband and children and has her focus right now on getting better, a family member said. The spokesperson said the family is very grateful for the work of and the protection being afforded them by the Police Force and is hoping for a satisfactory end to the recent ordeal.

van Beek was shot about 08:15h Thursday while on her way to work in slow traffic on Lombard Street and, subsequently, underwent surgery to have a bullet and shrapnel removed from her body. She had recently reported to the Court that CLICO Guyana is insolvent as its liabilities exceed its assets by $11.9B.

President Bharrat Jagdeo has instructed Police Commissioner Henry Greene to “leave no stone unturned”  and “get to the bottom” of the execution attempt on the life of  Mrs. van Beek. President Jagdeo told reporters in Trinidad during the just concluded Summit of the Americas that the shooting of van Beek   was “reprehensible” and the Police are looking into the matter.

He noted, too, that Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon, during a post-cabinet briefing last Friday, expressed the administration’s concerns about the shooting incident. (Delana Isles/Guyana Cronicle)
 

April 18, 2009

   Man being grilled over van Beek attempted murder

Maria van Beek

A man is currently being grilled as the police intensify their investigations into Thursday’s attempt on the life of Maria van Beek, while the government has beefed up security for the injured woman, her relatives and the employees of CLICO (Guyana).

Crime Chief Seelall Persaud informed Stabroek News yesterday that a man was picked up at a Georgetown location on Thursday based on information. He was quick to point out though that the man has not been identified as one of the perpetrators in the brazen crime, but rather he was picked up for questioning.

Van Beek, who is the judicial manager of the ailing insurance company, was on her way to work when the incident occurred. According to reports, she was stuck in a long line of traffic at the corner of Lombard and Leopold streets during a heavy downpour around 8:15 am when a gunman walked up to her vehicle and fired a single shot through the driver’s side window before running off along the flooded street. He jumped on a waiting motor cycle parked a short distance away and fled the area.

Police had said in a statement that following the shooting patrols were dispatched to the scene, roadblocks were laid out and several searches were conducted.

Persaud told this newspaper during the telephone interview yesterday that ranks from `A’ (Georgetown), `C’ (East Coast) and `D’ (West Coast Demerara) Divisions were involved in the immediate attempts to apprehend the perpetrators. The crime chief did not have the information at hand as to where the roadblocks were set up.

Police sources subsequently said that it was the standard operational procedure whenever a major crime occurs for all divisions to be informed and roadblocks set up; the divisions would lend whatever other form of assistance they can.

This newspaper was told that roadblocks were set up at the Demerara Harbour Bridge and along the lower East Coast and river patrols were conducted. In the city, a number of vehicular patrols were dispatched. One police source said that the police were informed of the shooting at least 15 minutes after it occurred and the response was immediate.

Up to press time last evening there was no information available from the police on the location of the CG motorcycle that the shooter and his accomplice fled on.

Stable condition

In the meantime, van Beek is said to be in a stable condition at a city hospital having had successful surgery to remove the bullet that was lodged in her chest. Her husband, Patrick van Beek told Stabroek News that he could not make a statement on the shooting as he is “still in a state of shock”.

Asked about his wife’s condition, he said that the operation to remove the bullet “went well” and that she is in a stable condition. The shooting came two days after van Beek handed over her findings on the company’s financial standings to the High Court.

Security

Responding to questions yesterday at his post-cabinet briefing.

Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon said that there had been increased and additional security at the hospital, van Beek’s home and at the CLICO office in the light of the incident which was “totally unexpected”.

Asked about the government’s stance on the police progress so far he said, “It is difficult to pronounce on our satisfaction or even to make a comment on what the police investigations have led to because these are operational issues and we are probably as much in the dark as the average Guyanese”. He stressed that there is need for patience so as to allow the investigators to do their work.

“Be patient and allow the police… give them the space and give them the time to pursue the leads they have gotten and to come forward with some news or make some declarations about progress in the investigation of this matter,” Luncheon told reporters.

He said that when police provide the government with an update, it is expected that the criminal would have been identified, might have been arrested and even charged. Luncheon said he believes this would be accomplished within a reasonable period of time.

He said one would recognise that the police “are most disinclined to give a day-by-day, minute-to-minute account of what is going on.” He pointed out that while the public is looking for progress he doubted the police “will come and tell you that we [the police] are in this street and we (the police) have so many people investigating. So I would want to urge the media to be aware, to be conversant with these realities.”

He said the attack on the judicial manager had traumatized the nation and he used yesterday’s press briefing as an opportunity to again convey Cabinet’s outrage at the incident and to wish van Beek a speedy recovery. (Zoisa Fraser/Stabroek News)
 

April 17, 2009

Maria van Beek survives attempt on her life

   Gunman fled on motor bike

Maria van Beek

Judicial Manager of CLICO (Guyana), Maria van Beek, was wounded early yesterday morning on Lombard Street by a lone gunman in what police later described as an attempt on her life.

Van Beek was on her way to work and was stuck in a line of traffic at the corner of Lombard and Leopold streets during a heavy downpour around 8.15 am when the gunman walked up to her car and fired a single shot through the driver’s side window, before running off along the flooded street.

He got on a motorcycle that was parked on Leopold Street, which another man was riding, and they rode off into Leopold Street.

Van Beek, who is also the Commissioner of Insurance, was rushed to a city hospital by an employee of a nearby business place where she sought assistance and is said to be in a stable condition with a gunshot wound to the left side of her chest.

Relatives,  friends, colleagues and government officials, including Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh and former CEO of CLICO (Guyana) Gita Singh-Knight, rushed to the hospital on hearing the news. Hospitals officials told Stabroek News that van Beek was in a stable condition and that she had spoken to the police. The area where she was being housed at the hospital was closed off to visitors.

The shooting of the insurance commissioner, who had presented a report to the court on Tuesday on the state of CLICO (Guyana), has sent shockwaves throughout the country. The police in a release said van Beek was on her way to work driving along Lombard Street and had slowed down owing to traffic.

“An armed man approached the vehicle on foot and discharged a round at her through the right front window, hitting her to the chest, after which he escaped on a waiting CG motorcycle driven by an accomplice,” the release said. “The police were alerted and patrols dispatched to the scene. Roadblocks were also laid out and several searches carried out as the police continue their efforts to locate the two suspects.”

Crime Chief Seelall Persaud yesterday told Stabroek News that the police were treating the shooting as an attempted murder, as no attempt was made to rob van Beek.  He said the man walked up to van Beek’s car and fired the single shot before escaping.

Dastardly attempt

The Government of Guyana and three political parties have since issued statements condemning the shooting of van Beek. The government in its statement described the shooting as a “dastardly attempt” on the woman’s life adding that it finds it “incomprehensible that any sane mind would stoop to such an act that would seem to have an intention of frustrating the work she is doing as the Commissioner of Insurance.”

The statement said that the police have commenced investigations and Commissioner of Police Henry Greene has since indicated that no stone will be left unturned. “The administration condemns this act in the severest manner possible…,” the statement said while adding that regarding the work van Beek has been doing as Judicial Manager of CLICO (Guyana) the government continues to stand firmly by its commitment to protect the interest of policyholders of the company.

‘Hollering for help’

Maria van Beek

When Stabroek News visited the scene many persons were unaware that a shooting had occurred owing to the heavy rainfall. Several policemen were on the scene talking to witnesses. This newspaper caught up with a truck driver, who wished to remain anonymous, but who said that van Beek’s car had rammed into the back of his truck after she was shot.

The man said the traffic was moving at a snail’s pace when he saw two men cut across in front of his truck and head south on Lombard Street.  Shortly after, he said, he heard what sounded like a gunshot. “I hear the thing and I say it couldn’t be a tyre blowout and when I look in my rearview mirror I see this woman clutching her chest and then I feel an impact and she car run into me truck back,” the man said.

He said the woman was heard “hollering for help”, but she somehow managed to move her car and park it in front of Mohamed’s Enterprises, where she sought assistance. One of the establishment’s drivers assisted her back to the car and drove her to the hospital. Persons at the scene said the incident could not have been a robbery as the man’s only intent, from what they observed, was to shoot the woman.

Speaking to reporters at the hospital yesterday, van Beek’s sister, Dionne Fries, said no one expected this to happen.  “You live in Guyana, you get up go to work as normal. You don’t expect someone to shoot you,” Fries said. She said while no security arrangements were made for her sister following her appointment as Judicial Manager of CLICO, yesterday’s incident would warrant such a move.

Asked whether van Beek’s role in CLICO might have triggered the attack, Fries said while her sister was dealing with the CLICO matter she was not responsible for what happened. She said van Beek is only “acting on behalf of the government trying to sort this out.”  She said her sister is not responsible for the collapse of the insurance company.  “So if anyone took a hit on her it is stupid; it has nothing to do with her she is just trying to do her job on behalf of everyone.”

‘Blatant attempt’

Meanwhile, the PPP/C said in a statement that it is shocked at and condemns the “blatant attempt on the life of Mrs van Beek.” The release said while the party does not know the motive of the attack there is sure to be speculation that it could “be related to her sterling work as Commissioner of Insurance and as the Judicial Manager of CLICO.” The party said it hopes the perpetrators of the crime are brought to justice speedily.

The PNCR also expressed shock at the news of the shooting and also called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. “Whether it was an attempted robbery or for other reasons, the party unreservedly condemns this criminal act and would urge the Commissioner of Police and the Jagdeo administration to act with dispatch to ensure that the perpetrator(s) are caught and placed before the courts.”

The Alliance For Change (AFC) expressed deep regret at the shooting and said it condemns without “reservation this violent attack on an innocent citizen and hopes that the perpetrators are brought to justice.” (Oluatoyin Alleyne/Stabroek News)
 

April 15, 2009

   File on shooting of ‘robber’ for police complaints body

Akeem Andrews

Relatives of the teenager, who was fatally shot on Main Street on Saturday by a policeman, have vowed to pursue the matter and Crime Chief Seelall Persaud says that following investigations the file will be sent to the Police Complaints Authority for recommendations.

Relatives have alleged that 19-year-old Akeem Andrews was deliberately shot by the policeman, with whom he had a feud but according to the police, the young man was involved in a robbery when he was shot.

Oswald Andrews, the father of the teen told Stabroek News that he visited the office of the Commissioner of Police, Henry Greene yesterday but did not get to see the top cop. He said that he was told to return later today.

The grieving man said that since the incident, the police have not taken a statement from him and when he visited police Headquarters at Eve Leary yesterday, he was sent to the  Brickdam Police Station but no statement was taken. He declared that the family plans to pursue the matter up to the highest levels. “This thing is murder”, he asserted while denying that his son was involved in a robbery.

Meantime, Persaud, when contacted yesterday said that the police had gotten statements from both of the robbery victims. The police in a press release on Sunday had said that they were investigating an armed robbery, which occurred at about 10:10 pm. The police said that during the incident, one of the two perpetrators was fatally shot by a policeman, who is also a licensed firearm holder.

The release stated that investigations revealed that Kwamina Whyte, 28, of Timehri, East Bank Demerara, and a female friend were sitting on a bench on the Avenue of Main Street when they were confronted by two men armed with knives. The men held them up and took away a cell phone and $6000 from Whyte and a handbag containing $4160 and documents from the female.

According to the statement, a policeman was passing at the time and upon witnessing the robbery, went to the assistance of the victims. “The policeman was attacked by the two armed perpetrators causing him to resort to the use of force during which one of the men was shot to his left side forehead. The other managed to escape”, the statement asserted.

The injured man, who was identified as Andrews, was taken to the GPH where he succumbed on Sunday while receiving treatment. The knife he used during the incident and the handbag which was stolen from the female victim, with its contents intact, were recovered at the scene, the police had said.

Yesterday Persaud said that the woman’s bag was recovered from Andrews when he was shot. He said that the police have statements from both of the persons who were robbed. He noted that in a case like this, investigations will be conducted and a file would be sent to the Chairman of the Police Complaints Authority for him to peruse and make recommendations. The file would then be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions to decide on the way forward, he added.

Relatives of Andrews have alleged that he was deliberately shot by the policeman, a Presidential Guard. They said that there was a feud between them. Oswald had told this newspaper that Akeem and another son, Keith, had problems with the man, which arose after someone was robbed in the community two months ago and the man’s brother was named by them as the robber.

Andrews said that the man was held and was released on bail but ever since the man had threatened that he would get even with the brothers. He said that the shooter, who he named, grew up in the community and was known to them. A post-mortem examination on Akeem’s body is expected to be done today. (Stabroek News)
 

April 14, 2009

Lusignan man found dead on road

   After heated row with unknown man

The body of a Lusignan man who is believed to have been the victim of a severe beating was discovered a short distance from his home early yesterday morning.

Victor Persaud of Grassfield, Lusignan, who lived alone, was reportedly involved in a heated row with another man prior to the fatal attack. Reports are that the man inflicted a beating on Persaud with a piece of wood.

It is unclear what injuries Persaud suffered, but neighbours who found his body reported seeing a gaping wound at the back of his head. They also reported that Persaud appeared to have lost a substantial amount of blood between the time he was left lying on the road and when he was found.

The circumstances surrounding Persaud’s death are sketchy and residents were offering bits of what they knew happened yesterday. While there were no eyewitnesses two persons claimed to have heard the argument between Persaud and his attacker.

It some time after 2 am that the argument erupted in the area and according to one woman, it was clear from the voices she heard that Persaud was involved. The woman said she was aware of Persaud’s drinking and his usual outbursts, and as a result, did not bother to look outside.

“He does drink and suh so I ain’t bother look out and see what going on. … I hear another voice and he. But ah can’t say who was de other person,” the neighbour related. Another woman said she heard the noise and also ignored it, but shortly after she heard what sounded like someone groaning. The woman said that Persaud was likely groaning after he was beaten.

She said too, that the groaning continued for a while but she was not certain for how long because she fell asleep. Persaud’s bloodied body was discovered around 6 am when a neighbour looked out. Police were called in and Persaud’s body was later removed from the scene. Blood was visible on the road where he was found yesterday.

A man who identified himself as one of Persaud’s friends told Stabroek News yesterday that his friend might have been alive if someone had responded to his cries. The man who requested anonymity said that persons who live close to where the incident happened heard the noise, but failed to act.

“He might still be here if only people did look out and see him there on the road in pain, and to think that he live next door to a RC [rural constable]”, the man lamented. (Stabroek News)
 

April 9, 2009

   Surinamese drug mule jailed for four years

Joel Ofwintu

Magistrate Hazel Octive-Hamilton yesterday sentenced a Surinamese drug mule to four years imprisonment and ordered that he also pay a fine, when he appeared before her at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.

The 22-year-old father of four, Joel Ofwintu, pleaded guilty to the charge of trafficking in narcotics. He was found with 795 grammes of cocaine in his possession for the purpose of trafficking at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri on April 5.

Ofwintu’s lawyer, Patrice Henry pleaded:  “My client did it because his grandmother was sick” and he needed the money to take care of her.

The magistrate then told Ofwintu “don’t you know the words bank loan or borrow or relatives?” She asked him why he had not used one of those options instead of transporting narcotics. She told him that he should have taken into consideration the fact that he had four children before committing the crime.

Henry urged that the court take into consideration that his client had admitted to the charge and in so doing he had not wasted the court’s time. He then asked that the court display “justice and mercy” towards his client’s sentencing since his client was still young, has his whole future ahead of him and is a father of four, with the eldest being three years old.

He also asked that the court impose on his client the minimum sentence for a crime of this nature. However, Police Prosecutor Robert Clement said that Ofwintu had been sentenced to prison for another matter in Suriname and that at present he was wanted for an “alleged murder of a goldsmith”.

The magistrate subsequently ordered that Ofwintu pay a fine of $715,500 as well as sentenced him to four years’ imprisonment. She also ordered that he be deported to Suriname after he has completed his sentence here. (Stabroek News)
 

April 6, 2009

‘Businessman’ had reportedly threatened Alicia Foster

   Father slams police inaction

Alicia Foster

A city businessman had reportedly threatened Alicia Foster shortly before she was brutally gunned down and though this was passed on to the police along with the description of the men who had abandoned her car, her father said, they failed to act.

However, the police are making their own accusations, as, according to Commander of ‘A’ Division Leroy Brummell, the father and his other daughter, who was with Alicia at the time of her death, have not been cooperating fully with investigators.

James Foster, in a stinging criticism of the police’s investigation into his daughter’s death, accused them of gross incompetence and opined that her murder will be added to the already long list of unsolved killings. Brummell, when contacted recently, told Stabroek News that a suspect had been held, but had to be released because the police did not get the full cooperation they needed from Foster’s relatives.

According to Brummell, the suspect was picked up based on information they had received and investigators were convinced that he had played a part in the October 12, 2008 murder. The man was placed on an identification parade, but an eyewitness to the incident could not identify anyone. However, Brummell said, the investigation into the case is still ongoing.

Just before 10 pm, Foster was shot in her face and pulled from her car by one of two men who were waiting outside her David Street, Kitty home. At the time the Senior Environ-mental Officer was waiting on her younger sister to open the gate so that she could drive into the yard. Following the shooting, the gunman jumped into the car and drove away while his accomplice also fled the scene. Foster was rushed to the George-town Public Hospital, but was already dead.

The day after the shooting, around 9 am, the woman’s car PHH 2236 was found abandoned at Well Road, North Ruimveldt minus the keys. Shortly after the incident, the police had told this newspaper that they ruled out robbery as the motive behind the shooting stressing that they were following several leads in the case. A week later, a suspect said to be matching the description of one of the perpetrators was held but subsequently released after he was not recognized at an identification parade.

Disappointed

On Friday the elder Foster spoke of his disappointment with the police’s inability to move ahead with the investigation although they have been provided with valuable information. He had told this newspaper, days after the incident, that the only thing taken from his daughter was her life and that he was prepared to let the police handle the matter. “As far as I am concerned the police haven’t done anything in terms of investigations into this matter. Persons were held but they just released them,” he told this newspaper via telephone.

The man said that persons in the Well Road area had given the police descriptions of the two men who had parked his daughter’s car there but “the police never acted on it.” He further added that it was learned through his daughter’s workplace that she was being threatened by “a certain” businessman. This newspaper had also received this report shortly after the woman was killed but several police sources dismissed it as a rumour. It is still unclear whether the businessman was questioned.

Unable to identify

According to Foster they cannot identify any of the perpetrators because the incident occurred at night and the place was dark. He said he had even visited Commissioner Henry Greene to find out about the investigation but left his office empty handed. “Is five months going into six months since she was killed. It is frustrating. As far as I can see this [the murder] will go down as another unsolved murder …because of the incompetence of the police,” Foster added.

He opined that the police seemed afraid to do their work and pointed out that it is as a result of their impotence and their inability to act on information that there was no progress in the case thus far. (Stabroek News)
 

April 3, 2009

Slain West Dem woman endured years of abuse

   Bloody trail points to deadly struggle with killer

Suspect: Devon Limerick

Her bloodied handprints on the floor, walls and even the door provided evidence of Pamela Mangru’s grim struggle to live; to escape her knife-wielding reputed husband on Wednesday evening.

But it was a battle she tragically lost because the story the bloody trail revealed was that even as she crawled to the door in her bid to escape she was apparently dragged back into a bedroom of her 79 Public Road, Vreed-en-Hoop home by the man she had shared her life with for less than six months.

When she was found, her cell phone, covered with blood, lay next to her body; there was also some clothing she had grabbed to try and staunch the flow of blood from her throat.

Pamela Mangru

In the end, ‘Pam’, as she was fondly called, who would have celebrated her 40th birthday today, died alone in the home she shared with her two children and the man who allegedly attacked her, 31-year-old Devon Limerick. Police were still looking for him up to press time.

It would appear that the attacker deleted all the photographs of himself from her phone, wiped his bloody hands on his stepdaughter’s towel, changed his pants and, padlocking both the door and the gate behind him, calmly walked away.

He later called his brother and told him that he had been in “a fight” with Mangru and he should check on her, but when the brother visited the home the police were already there and he was promptly taken into custody.

Police in a release yesterday said they were investigating the murder and that their investigation revealed that Mangru had an argument with her reputed husband during which she was stabbed to her neck. The police recovered a bloodstained knife from the scene, but they are yet to arrest the man.

The old saying ‘run away from the jumbie and meet up with the coffin’ could describe Mangru’s life as it was just over a year ago that she finally managed to leave her husband who had verbally and physically abused her for years. She then entered into another abusive relationship that ended in her death leaving her four children ages, 21, 18, 14 and 12 behind.

She never heeded the advice of many relatives, including her sister Amanda Beharry, to end the short relationship with Limerick. Relatives said though she did not see it, they knew the relationship was doomed from the inception because of the young man’s intense jealousy.

Possessive

Speaking to Stabroek News yesterday the woman’s eldest child, Roxanne Mangru, described Limerick as being a very possessive man, who insisted on following her mother wherever she went.

“He was like childish, always arguing about everything. But within ten minutes of arguing they would be back good and playing and laughing,” the young woman said yesterday. She said that while the man was possessive she had never seen him hit her mother and as such she was shocked at the brutal manner in which he killed her mother.

Roxanne said she only moved into the home with her mother on December 31, 2008. Before that she was living with her father and two of her siblings at Eccles. Her 18-year-old brother also lived with her mother while her younger siblings remained with their father. She said that in the few months she lived at the home, her mother and Limerick had many arguments, especially when he drank, but there was never any physical confrontation.

But according to Beharry, Mangru’s sister, there were many things she hid from them because she knew they were not happy with the relationship and they were insisting that she end it. The sister said she knew of instances where the man “shoved and hit” Mangru, but on all occasions, according to what Mangru told her, she fought back. She said that the man had once told Mangru that he used to be a soldier and had done cruel things while in the army and he could do those things to her.

“But she was a strong woman she use to really fight you know, since back when she husband use to beat she, she never take it so, she fight back. But this time I guess he overpower her. And if you see the knife he kill she with — a lil lil short knife with no handle,” the sister said.

Roxanne said it was obvious her mother had fought for her life as the entire house was trashed and many items were broken. “I know she fight for she life. If you see how she bloody handprints deh all over. My mother really fight. I don’t know why she had to die like that,” the grieving daughter said.

Roxanne recalled that she got home around 5.30 pm on Wednesday and shortly after her brother and Limerick arrived. She said it was obvious Limerick was under the influence of alcohol as he was talking a lot; something he did not usually do. “He was like asking us if we appreciate him and if we know how much he love our mother and things like that. But I didn’t take it for anything, because when he drink he does behave like that,” she said.

With hindsight, Roxanne wished she had suspected something was up and had stayed home. “If I was home, I know I would have fight for my mother. I wouldn’t let her die like that,” Roxanne said adding that she had a bath and left the home. She received a call from her mother around 7 pm asking if she was at home and when she responded in the negative, her mother hung up, she said.

Roxanne said she believed Limerick went to the Vreed-en-Hoop stelling where her mother operated a CD store and the two of them went home. It is not clear what triggered the disagreement between the two, but neighbours, including the landlord, heard them arguing and things being broken. Shortly after, there was silence and Limerick was seen leaving the apartment.

The landlord, suspecting that something was wrong, called Beharry, who lives just a few houses away, and advised that she check on her sister. But Beharry said she thought it was an April Fool’s Day prank and as she was frying plantains for her children she did not leave for her sister’s home immediately. The next call she received informed her that the police had been called by the landlord and were at the house and her sister was dead.

“I still didn’t believe. But me husband ran to the house and I going down the stairs slowly and telling meself it is not true,” Beharry said. The family believed that the woman might have been lying in the house for almost an hour before her body was discovered. Roxanne said no one called her home and she was shocked to be greeted by a large crowd and police at when she returned to the house. When she was told the news she fainted and had to be removed from the scene.

The family believed that Mangru met Limerick at a resort where he was employed as a lifeguard. They said that shortly after she began the relationship, she had wanted to end it, but the man forced his way into her home and never wanted to leave.

Roxanne recalled that many times her mother told him to leave but he refused and said he would never leave her. Relatives also feel that the man was freeloading off Mangru, as he paid no rent and made no financial contribution to the home since Mangru was capably taking care of herself; and both of her children worked.

“Mommy needed nothing from him. He was the one who needed,” Roxanne said relating that the man, who had started working as a driver with a security firm, had two young children to support.

Fled

The relatives find it ironic that Mangru had fled the abusive relationship she shared with her husband, whom she was married to over 21 years ago, and ended up with a man who would end her life. “This is a long history of domestic violence. She husband use to beat she bad [he] knock out she teeth and tie she to the bed and beat she,” a male relative of the woman said.

Roxanne said that because of the manner in which her father physically abused her mother, when she attained the age of 18, she left her parents’ home. “I couldn’t take the way he used to beat mommy. He use to really beat her,” the young woman said. But she was forced to return to the home as she could not longer pay her rent. Her mother had already left the home by the time she returned and shortly after she invited Roxanne to live with her.

Relatives believe that because Mangru was already a battered woman she was no match for Limerick when he practically forced his way into her life and attempted to control every aspect of it. Because of the mutilation of the woman’s body the family plans to bury her tomorrow, after a post-mortem examination which is expected to be done today.

Graphic evidence

Meanwhile, the PNCR has described Mangru’s death as yet further “graphic evidence that domestic violence is reaching epidemic proportions in Guyana. She joins a growing list of women who have been brutally killed by a partner or spouse.”

The party said it supports a proposal by activist Eusi Kwayana that a commission of inquiry be established to look into the question of abused women and to make recommendations as to how the scourge can be effectively tackled.

“Such a commission should make a close examination of the root socio-economic causes of domestic violence in order to arrive at a better understanding as to why it disfigures Guyanese society at this particular point in its history,” the party said.

Further, the party said, society and all relevant Guyanese should ask themselves why the Domestic Violence Act of 1996, which was passed in parliament, the Stamp it Out! Consultation that was mounted by the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security and other relative programmes and policies do not seem to have an impact on the rise in domestic violence. (Oluatoyin Alleyne/Stabroek News)
 

April 2, 2009

Vreed-en-Hoop woman slashed to death

   Sustained 13 wounds

Pamela Beverly Mangru

A 38-year-old mother of four was brutally slashed to death by her reputed husband during a heated argument at their Lot 79 New Road, Vreed-en-Hoop home last evening. Up to press time the suspect, a 28-year-old security guard was still on the run.

Dead is Pamela Beverly Mangru who was killed two days before she would have celebrated her 39th birth anniversary. Police held the suspect’s brother, shortly after the gruesome discovery was made.

According to the information reaching Stabroek News the woman’s throat was slit and she was stabbed some thirteen times before the man made a quiet exit from the home. The incident occurred around 8 pm.

However the woman’s screams were followed by sudden silence, the relative said adding that shortly after the man was seen locking the door to the home and the gate before quietly walking out of the area.

The landlord, who lived in the upper flat became suspicious and made several failed attempts to contact relatives to come to the house and check on Mangru to ensure she was alright.

The man, the shock still evident in his voice, related that relatives were eventually contacted but by the time they arrived, the police were already in the house. The man said that police were called and when they kicked down the door they found a bloodied Mangru. She was already dead. The police, he said, told him that she was stabbed some 13 times about the body.

According to him, the couple had their “ups and downs” and that was probably why the neighbours did not intervene. The woman leaves behind, four children, the eldest is 21 and the youngest is 11.

Mangru’s brutal demise follows on the heels of a spate of domestic violence against women. On March 12, Savitri Arjune, a mother of two, was stabbed to death by her former reputed husband moments after she had left her Herstelling, East Bank Demerara home. At the time of the incident, the woman who had endured years of abuse and threats from the man, was making her way to the public road to catch transportation to the city where she worked.

Up to now, the police have failed to apprehend the man and no bulletin has been issued for him. Then during the wee hours of February 15, Deborah Allen was chopped to death by her reputed husband in their Oronoque, Port Kaituma home following an argument over a party. After inflicting the blows on the woman, the man turned his weapon on her 16-year-old daughter, chopping her across the face. The man subsequently turned himself over to the police.

Hours later the bloodied bodies of Nekecia Rouse and her sister-in-law, Alexis ‘Keisha’ George were discovered in Smythfield, New Amsterdam. They had been stabbed to death. Rouse was the mother of a four-year-old daughter while George had a one-year-old girl. Both girls were in the house when the gruesome discoveries were made. Several suspects were subsequently held but released. Police investigations are still ongoing in this case.

On February 8, less than a day after she was allegedly stabbed by her husband following an argument, Latoya Conway Woolford, a mother of three succumbed to her injuries at the Georgetown Public Hospital. The husband fled after the incident and attempted to commit suicide. He spent several days in hospital before being taken to court charged with the capital offence. (Stabroek News)
 

 

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