Despite the manpower and time spent pursuing a trawler, suspected to be carrying illegal fuel, down the Demerara River two years ago, which resulted in 11 persons including businessman Lennox John and his wife being charged, the charges were all eventually dismissed in the magistrate’s court.
The police have remained tightlipped about the circumstances surrounding the dismissals.
The drama had been sparked by suspicion that the trawler, which reportedly belonged to John, had illegal fuel on board. However, no charge pertaining to illegal fuel was ever filed even though the Guyana Energy Agency had originally alleged that illegal fuel was found on the boat.
John and nine employees, Desmond Jack, Godfrey Forte, Nigel Thompson, Orin Alexander, Carl Powers, Ulric Arthur, Devon Forester, Devon Alleyne and Mark Peters were arrested on February 26, 2006 by the police following a high-speed chase on the Demerara River by the GDF coastguard during which shots were fired and two speedboats played a cat and mouse game with law enforcers.
The ten men were charged and made an appearance at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court several days after their arrest.
The then acting chief magistrate Cecil Sullivan remanded them all to prison. Magistrate Gilhuys, who later took over the case, then released them on bail. John was charged with obstructing a peace officer, failing to have a competent engineer on his vessel and attempting to offer a bribe. He and his employees were jointly charged with obstructing the Guyana Defence Force. They had all denied the allegations and these charges were dropped several months later on the advice of the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
After the ten made their first court appearance, the police filed additional charges again John, his wife Moufousa John and two employees.
The two Johns were jointly charged with two counts each of failing to have a competent engineer on board their vessel and failing to have a competent master on board their vessel and one count of possession of horsepower engines without licence.
These charges were dismissed in February last year.
When asked about the dismissals, the police would only say that they were due to “legal technicalities”. No other information was divulged to this newspaper although explanations were repeatedly sought.
