A police officer who allegedly obtained US$100 from a man so as to forego prosecuting him for an offence was granted bail yesterday when he appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.
Sherwin Cummings, 23, of Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara, pleaded not guilty to the charge of engaging in an offensive and corrupt transaction.
It is alleged that on December 27 last year at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri, Cummings, while being an officer employed by the Government of Guyana, obtained from Wazir Khan US$100 (equivalent to about $20,000 Guyana currency) as an inducement or reward to avoid prosecuting him for an offence that he had committed.
The prosecution made no objection to Cummings’ bail application when he suggested it but stated that he was on duty when Khan placed the money in the washroom for him.
The prosecution noted that Cummings had not completed his probation for a two-year sentence for another offence. The magistrate subsequently placed Cummings on bail in the sum of $50,000 and transferred the case to the Providence Magistrate’s Court for March 13.
In recent weeks nine other policemen have been charged with similar offences.
