Cops kill five suspected burglars in Turkeyen shootout
Clockwise from top left – Timothy St Hill, Andrew Daly, Ian Forde, Levi Braithwaite
Five men were fatally shot early yesterday morning during gunfights with the police, who confronted them after a report that they were attempting to break and enter a Turkeyen house. Dead are Timothy St Hill, 38; Levi Braithwaite, 31, of 2177 Layou Street, North Ruimveldt, Georgetown; Andrew Daly, 40, of Westminster Housing Scheme, West Bank Demerara; Ian Forde; and Jermaine Doobay. The confrontation between the men and police unfolded around 3am and lasted for several minutes at one of the two houses situated in the gated compound at Lots 8-9 Turkeyen. The property, which is located some 100 metres from the under-construction MovieTowne mall, is owned by a businessman who resides in Florida, the police said.
Miner charged with missing cook’s murder
A miner was yesterday remanded to prison after being charged with the murder of missing cook Petal Hafeez, whose suspected remains were discovered two weeks ago at Thomas Island, Puruni River. James Allen, 30, was arraigned before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in Georgetown, where he was read a charge which stated that between June 28th and July 8th, 2018, at Thomas Island, Puruni River, he murdered Hafeez. Allen was not required to enter a plea to the indictable charge. Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan subsequently remanded the accused to prison and adjourned the matter until August 16th, when it will be called at the Bartica Magistrates’ Court.
Appeal Court upholds legality of paper committals under sex offences Act
In a major decision, the Guyana Court of Appeal yesterday overturned former acting Chief Justice Ian Chang’s ruling that the paper committal process under the Sexual Offences Act was unconstitutional and found that the Act balanced the rights of the victims and the accused. In setting aside Justice Chang’s 2014 ruling, which had been stayed by Justice B.S. Roy, the Court affirmed Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus’ committal to the High Court of rape accused Ray Bacchus. Then AttorneyGeneral Anil Nandlall had appealed Justice Chang’s decision, which led to Justice Roy granting his request for a stay of execution of the decision. Since the committal has been validated, an order will now have to be issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions to indict Bacchus, who was charged with sexual penetration of a child under the age of 16 in January of 2014. It was Bacchus’ committal that resulted in the challenge to the law on the grounds
HDM drug deal breached procurement regulations
The Ministry of Public Health breached the country’s procurement regulations when it went to restricted tendering for the $366.9 million in pharmaceuticals to HDM Labs last year and the act was condoned by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB), former Auditor General Anand Goolsarran says. He has also recommended that both the GPHC and the Ministry initiate annual prequalification of suppliers to prevent the need to engage in open tendering whenever supplies are needed. “The procurement of drugs and medical supplies from HDM Labs Inc. in the sum of $366.9 million was in clear breach of Schedule II of the Procurement Regulations which set a limit of $1 million for restricted tendering,” Goolsarran wrote in his accountability column in Monday’s Stabroek News. Pointing to the Procurement Act of 2003, Goolsarran said it speaks to both restricted tendering and sole source procurement. He laid out how both the agency and the NPTAB breached the laws. “Section 26 permits restricted tendering where the goods/services or construction, by virtue of their highly complex or specialized nature, are only available from a limited number of suppliers or contractors. In this case, all such suppliers or contractors are invited to submit tenders, and all other procedures relating to open tendering are applicable, including assessment by a technical evaluation committee and the determination of the lowest evaluated tender. However, the estimated cost of the contract must be below the threshold set in the regulations. Schedule II of the Procurement Regulations of 2004 has set the threshold for restricted tendering at $1 million for materials and services. Considering the amount involved, i.e. $366.9 million, the Ministry has clearly breached the Procurement Regulations, and by extension the Procurement Act, in initiating procurement proceedings based on restricted tendering. The NPTAB ought to have been aware of this breach and should have advised the Ministry not to proceed with this route,” he said.
Stanton found not guilty of Sanasie murder
“May the family get some kind of justice the right way,” were the words of Richard Stanton, the man who was accused of murdering Patricia Sanasie, moments after a not guilty verdict was handed down to him. It is alleged that Stanton, of Lot 53 Princes Street, Lodge, killed Sanasie, 45, on January 12, 2015, at Atlantic Gardens, East Coast Demerara. Last evening a 12member jury, after less than three hours of deliberation, unanimously found Stanton not guilty of the crime, before Justice Brassington Reynolds. After the verdict was presented a relative of Stanton shouted “Yes!” while the accused smiled from ear to ear, while mouthing “Ah love y’al” to the jurors. Justice Reynolds, be-fore discharging Stanton, told him that this was as close as anyone could get to a death sentence.
Diamond man dies after car crashes into truck
A 24-year-old man died on Tuesday night after he crashed into a parked truck along the Yarrowkabra Public Road, Soesdyke/ Linden Highway. The accident, which occurred at approximately 11 pm, claimed the life of Ryan Wilson of Lot 982 Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara. The unconscious Wilson was pulled from the mangled motor car, PWW 1114 and rushed to
Local gov’t authorities must find ‘creative ways’ to generate revenue -Bulkan
Democratically-elected local authorities have to come up with ways to generate the revenue needed to fulfil their constitutional responsibilities and ensure their autonomy, Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan says. “Leadership is the determining factor for the effectiveness of local organs in the discharge of their task of community development,” Bulkan said during his address at the opening of the one-day National Conference of Local Democratic Organs, held yesterday at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre. Bulkan said the presence of central government ministries and agencies at the meeting was in anticipation that the deliberations would feed into budget 2019 and beyond to ensure more effectiveness at the local level. However, in terms of where the local democratic organs (LDOs) will get their resources, Bulkan said, “not central government. We are moving away from that. You must come up with creative ways, within the confines of the law and with the voice of your communities included, to generate needed revenue.” Noting that the laws provide for revenue sources to come from within local jurisdictions, he questioned the autonomy of councils if they have to ask someone else to pay their bills. “Self-financing and autonomy are complementary,” he pointed out.
Drug trafficker gets four years, $3.3M fine after surrender
Two days after his surrender to the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU), Kelvien Sauers was yesterday sentenced to four years in jail and fined over $3.3 million for the possession of over three pounds of cocaine for trafficking. Sauers, of Success, East Coast Demerara, pleaded guilty to the charge when he appeared before Magistrate Peter Hugh at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court. Sauers admitted that on July 6th, at Lot 8 Enterprise, East Coast Demerara, he had 1.608 kilogrammes (equivalent to 3.54 pounds) of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. CANU Prosecutor Konyo Sandiford told the court that CANU ranks were led to the Lot 8 Enterprise residence after the arrest of 19-year-old Anisha Hardy, who was sentenced a little over two weeks ago after admitting to trafficking a pound and a half of cocaine, which she had ingested in 119 pellets. Hardy, of 237 South Ruimveldt, who was intercepted at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri was sentenced to three years in jail for the crime.
Man wanted over illegal distribution of fuel marker
Stanley Paul is wanted by the police for questioning in relation to Unlawful Distribution of Fuel Marker committed on the Guyana Energy Agency, in April, 2018, a release from the police said today. Anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of Paul is asked to contact the police on telephone numbers 226-2870, 2292655, 229-2289, 227-1149, 2267065, 911 or the nearest police station. All information will be treated with the strictest confidence. His last known address is Lot 256 Dove Square, South Ruimveldt Gardens.