SOCU awaiting ruling on extradition of former GRDB accountant from Canada
As the trial of six former Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) members continues, a city court yesterday heard that the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) is awaiting a ruling on whether or not former GRDB accountant Peter Ramcharran would be extradited from Canada and brought to answer charges for the alleged falsification of GRDB accounts from 2011 to 2015. During yesterday’s proceedings, SOCU prosecutor Patrice Henry told Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan that the immigration procedures relating to Ramcharran are completed and that they were awaiting the ruling on whether the suspect would be extradited.
The matter was later adjourned until February 15th, 2019.
Last June, Jagnarine Singh, former GRDB General Manager; Prema Roopnarine, former Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture; Ricky Ramraj, agricultural consultant; Badrie Persaud, business consultant; Dharamkumar Seeraj, the General Secretary of the Rice Producers Association and a PPP/C MP; and Nigel Dharamlall, also a PPP/C MP, all former GRDB Board members, were charged with failing to record entries for funds amounting to over $250 million in total in the agency’s general ledger, from 2011 to 2015.
At the same time five charges alleging the falsification of GRDB accounts from 2011 to 2015 by Ramcharran were filed and sworn to at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. However, Ramcharran was never present at court, as he had reportedly travelled to Canada.