One year after testimony in the 2005 Customs House $10M armed robbery was halted, the prosecution yesterday announced that it was withdrawing the case against the two defendants as they could not contact their star witness.
The last time evidence was taken in the matter was last year February and Magistrate Hazel Octive-Hamilton who was hearing the case in the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court had stated that yesterday was the final date for the prosecution to get their witness on the stand to give his evidence. His absence had caused the case to be adjourned on several occasions.
It has been almost three years since this matter was taken before the court and during this time the case faced numerous delays.
When the matter was called yesterday morning, attorney-at-law Euclin Gomes who was acting with Anil Nandlall as the special prosecutor in the matter informed the court that they were withdrawing their case against the defendants – Gerald Andrew Gilbert and Selwyn Bobb.
Nandlall told Stabroek News when contacted yesterday that their star witness was implicated in some departmental wrongdoings at the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and was later dismissed. He said that he had no way of contacting the man and neither did the GRA. Nandlall added that in light of this development, he had no confidence in the witness. And it was on that basis a decision was taken to drop the matter, he added.
Following the court proceedings which lasted less than ten minutes, the magistrate told the two defendants that they were free to leave.
Gilbert of Lot 14C Shell Road, Kitty and Bobb called `Brother’ of Lot 3916 South Ruimveldt Gardens were accused of robbing Shawn Semple at gunpoint of $10,327,497, which belonged to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) on May 27, 2005. The incident occurred at Customs House on Main Street and the two were customs officers stationed there at the time of the robbery.
Following an intense investigation, the two were arrested and then charged on June 10, 2005 with the sensational robbery. They made an appearance before Acting Chief Magistrate Cecil Sullivan and were remanded to prison. The matter was then assigned to Magistrate Bertlyn Reynolds who released the duo on $90,000 bail on June 22.
Police had alleged that the duo armed with guns invaded Customs House on Main Street sometime after closing hour when monies collected for the day were being taken up to the vault. A bag containing the cash was grabbed from Semple and the two then reportedly made good their escape.
The case which was plagued by numerous delays hit another hurdle after it had to be reassigned when Magistrate Reynolds left the magistracy. The trial was set for August 2005 but it never got underway until February last when the prosecution produced their first witness, Nigel Williams, an employee of the GRA. However his testimony lasted only a few minutes as attorney-at-law Mark Waldron who was representing Bobb repeatedly objected to the evidence he was giving.
