Recent events review Saturday, July 25 – Friday, July 31
From page 18A Jennifer Westford and that ministry’s chief personnel officer Margaret Cummings were yesterday granted bail in a combined total of $2 million after being slapped with several counts of forgery and attempted larceny at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. Both women pleaded not guilty after the prosecutor requested that the case be handled summarily and the court and the defendants had no objection to this. Westford was read four charges of attempting to commit larceny, while Cummings’s charges were four counts of forgery. Both women took turns standing silently in the prisoner’s dock as Magistrate Ann McLennan read the charges to them before a courtroom occupied mainly by reporters and curious members of the public. of local government elections. “I am assured, Mr Speaker,… by the [Gecom] Secretariat that once such approval is granted, that Gecom will be able to hold elections in early December or well before the Christmas,” he said.
Three months after a criminal complaint was filed against him, former health minister Dr Bheri Ramsaran was charged yesterday with using insulting language against rights activist Sherlina Nageer. Ramsaran, 55, pleaded not guilty to the charge when he appeared before Magistrate Charlyn Artiga at the Whim Magistrate’s Court and he was released on self-bail. Ramsaran is accused of making use of insulting language to Nageer on April 20th outside of the Whim Magistrate’s Court, in a manner likely to have occasioned a breach of the peace. afternoon confirmed that Hinds was released earlier in the day on station bail and is to return today for further questioning. Stabroek News has since been told that the bail was set at $100,000. Blanhum had said in a previous interview that the man was not cooperating with ranks. It was reported that the man adopted this stance based on the advice of his attorney. Investigators were largely focused on gathering more information on Hinds’ confession that he was a member of the “death squad”. When asked what the next available option is given that Hinds is not cooperating, Blanhum had said previously that “we (the police) will continue questioning him.”