Recent events review Saturday, February 24 to Friday, March 2
more if as expected production rises in the future to as much as 400,000 barrels of oil per day in the Stabroek Block. This is the contention of Sunday Stabroek business columnist Tarron Khemraj who also argued that the lack of robust economic research capacity here will cost the country dearly in deals such as the controversial Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) with Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEGPL). Khemraj compared Guyana’s pact to a similar production sharing agreement in Angola. Having earlier argued that the country missed out on about US$200 million in a signing bonus with EEGPL, Khemraj said that as it relates to royalty, the country is surrendering about US$108 million per year for the life of the offshore oil project, assuming 8% royalty at US$50 per barrel and 120,000 barrels per day.
Industry businessman succumbs after beating by doctor’s son
An Industry, East Coast Demerara (ECD) businessman succumbed at the Georgetown Public Hospital yesterday morning, three days after he was brutally beaten while visiting his doctor. Police said that the suspect in the murder of Hazrat Shaffie, of 114 Fifth Street, Industry, who was the proprietor of the Advance Furniture Factory at Coldingen, ECD, is to be charged today at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court. Shaffie was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital in an unconscious state after the attack on Friday evening and he was admitted in the Intensive Care Unit. He succumbed around 5 am yesterday. According to a police statement, the 29-year-old suspect, who is a Medical Administrator of Temple Street, Ogle, ECD, attacked Shaffie and was seen kicking him repeatedly. The results of an autopsy that was conducted yesterday gave the cause of Shaffie’s death as haemorrhage and shock due to multiple injuries. Alisha George at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court, where he was charged with the murder of Shaffie, who was the proprietor of the Advance Furniture Factory at Coldingen, East Coast Demerara (ECD). The accused, a businessman of Lot 8 Temple Street, Ogle, ECD, was not required to enter a plea to the indictable charge. He was subsequently remanded to prison and is set to make his next court appearance on March 23rd.
Carjacking accused ex-cop charged with receiving stolen vehicles
Ex-policeman Jason Harry, alleged to be linked to a major carjacking operation, was yesterday charged with receiving five stolen vehicles. Harry, who was recently charged and remanded to prison over an armed robbery that was committed in 2015, was also faced with two joint charges alongside welders Nigel Chung and Ricky Chung for allegedly forging chassis plate numbers on stolen vehicles. The first charge read against Harry alleged that between December 8th, 2017, and February 10th, 2018, at Georgetown, he received a Toyota Fielder Wagon, HC 6999, valued, $2,000,000 and belonging to Elizabeth Martin, knowing same to have been feloniously obtained or unlawfully attained. Particulars of the second charge stated that between December 15th, 2017 and February 10th, 2018, Harry received Delon Sketley’s Toyota Spacio, PVV 9742, valued $2,500,000.
Exxon projects 500,000 barrels per day
ExxonMobil Corporation announced formally yesterday its seventh oil discovery offshore Guyana, following drilling at the Pacora-1 exploration well and is projecting production of 500,000 barrels oil per day when all phases are in operation. In a statement, ExxonMobil said that it encountered approximately 65 feet (20 meters) of highquality, oil-bearing sandstone reservoir. The well was safely drilled to 18,363 feet (5,597 meters) depth in 6,781 feet (2,067 meters) of water. Drilling began on Jan. 29, 2018. “This latest discovery further increases our confidence in developing this key area of the Stabroek Block,” said Steve Greenlee, president of ExxonMobil Exploration Company. He added that “Pacora will be developed in conjunction with the giant Payara field, and along with other phases, will help bring Guyana production to more than 500,000 barrels per day.” The Pacora-1 well is situated approximately four miles west of the Payara-1 well, and follows previous discoveries on the Stabroek Block at Liza, Payara, Liza Deep, Snoek, Turbot and Ranger.
Top Cop defends giving himself gun dealership licence
Outgoing Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud yesterday defended the decision he made in January to grant himself a gun dealership licence saying that he was following the precedent that his predecessors left behind. “If you look historically you would see that over the last 25 years all the commissioners maybe with the exception of one granted themselves firearms licences so it is not anything new and you know we live in a society today where one set of circumstances is good for one person but not good for the other”, he told reporters while insisting that he had committed no wrong. He was forced to revoke the approval by Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan who yesterday refused to speak to media operatives and later told a journalist to “haul yah ass”. The State-owned Guyana Chronicle reported on the issue in yesterday’s edition, the same day of Persaud’s passing out parade. Persaud who served the Guyana Police Force for just over 34 years has been embroiled in controversy during the last few months. His conduct in the probe of an alleged plot to assassinate President David Granger came up at a Commission of Inquiry which concluded that his ability to continue to hold the post had become “untenable” and recommended that he should be made to resign under terms considered appropriate by the President, or if he failed to do so, be removed for misbehaviour. Monday is Persaud’s last day in office.
Cop recounts recovery of miners remains at Lindo Creek
Close to a decade after the Lindo Creek killings, a former policeman yesterday recounted the recovery of the charred remains of the eight miners at the crime scene. Clensford Burnett, a Detective Sergeant at the time of the discovery, was the first witness when the public hearings of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the killings began before Justice (Rtd) Donald Trotman at the Department of the Public Service, on Waterloo Street. Initially scheduled to start on February 15th, the hearing was halted because witnesses did not show up but Trotman related yesterday that since then, the commission has held in-camera hearings, interviews, and even visited locations in Essequibo, where they were able to garner information from potential witnesses.
Ramjattan apologises to the media for abusive language
Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan yesterday apologised to the media for using abusive language in their presence at a farewell parade on Wednesday for Commissioner of Police, Seelall Persaud. His apology was issued after a statement earlier in the day by the Guyana Press Association condemning his verbal attacks on reporters and calling on him for an apology. On Wednesday at the Police Sports Complex at Eve Leary, reporters including veteran journalist Denis Chabrol sought a comment from Ramjattan about the revocation of a gun dealership licence to the Police Commissioner. Chabrol and Ramjattan had had a conversation earlier in the day during which the Minister used an expletive. Chabrol persisted in asking questions at the Eve Leary forum and this led to Ramjattan, currently performing the functions of Prime Minister, saying to him and in the presence of other reporters “man you could haul yah ass”. Khemraj Ramjattan
Fraud accused miner loses challenge to revocation of 35 gun licences
The High Court on Wednesday ruled that the revocation of 35 gun licences that were granted to miner Saddiqi Rasul, owner of SRS Security Services, was lawful. After the revocation of the licences, Rasul commenced proceedings in July of last year against the Attorney General’s Chambers, seeking an order nisi of certiorari directed to then Commissioner of Police Seelall Persaud, in his capacity as the Controlling Authority under the Private Securities Services Act, to show cause why his decision to revoke the licences should not be quashed. By that point, Rasul had already been charged with defrauding a local bank of over $900 million.