Archie Poole, who police said they wanted to question in relation to the Ministry of Health fire, was arrested at a Linden-Soesdyke highway location yesterday.
His attorney, Leslie Sobers said that he understood that Poole was arrested by law enforcement officials at his business place on the highway. Up to press time last night, Poole was being held at the Brickdam Police station. Police said last week that they were seeking Poole and Heston Bostwick to assist in an investigation. Bostwick had turned himself in and after being detained for three days, was later released on $10,000 station bail. Crime Chief Seelall Persaud had told this newspaper at the time that the police were holding Bostwick in connection with the fire at the Ministry of Health. He had said the police are also interested in Poole with regard to the same investigation, but that the man had not been located.
This newspaper understands that acting on information received, Poole was arrested yesterday afternoon in a police raid at his business place. Sobers told Stabroek News that he was retained by associates of Poole to investigate the reasons for his arrest. The attorney said that he spoke to a senior police officer at the Brickdam Police station and was informed that his client was sought for questioning as part of investigations into the Ministry of Health fire. As far as he knows, his client knows nothing about the incident, the attorney declared.
Sobers along with Poole’s other attorneys visited him at the police station yesterday. Sobers said that Poole was in good physical condition and was “speaking properly and walking properly”. He did not complain of ill-treatment and said that he was alright, the attorney pointed out. He said that the only thing that bothered Poole was “the stench of rancid air that pervades the atmosphere in the lock-ups”.
Meantime, police are still seeking the two other “key players”, who
Commissioner of Police, Henry Greene had said were wanted for questioning in relation to the fire investigations. Law enforcement officials are following information provided, a senior police official told Stabroek News yesterday. No other arrests in relation to the investigation were made up to yesterday afternoon, he stated.
Mysteriously
disappeared
Early Monday morning, two men, who police said are suspects in the Ministry of Health fire, mysteriously disappeared from the Providence Police Station lock-ups. Greene had told reporters at a press conference later that day that the two escapees are Kurt Thierens called ‘Bage’ or ‘Glasses’ and Colin Jones called ‘Bonny’. He had said they were among six persons who were arrested so far in connection with the July 17 fire, but were separated from the others and taken to the Providence facility, which, according to him, was “very secure”. The police said yesterday that the photograph used in the wanted bulletin for Jones, which was circulated to the media on Monday, was a photo of Tedenna Bagot who had been charged with setting fire to the Ministry of Health building, and not Jones. Police spokesman, Ivelaw Whittaker apologized for the misinformation.
The two officers who were on duty at the time of the escape were taken into custody while a special team from the force’s Tactical Services Unit (TSU) is on the hunt for the escapees. The two ranks remained in custody up to yesterday. Questioned as to whether the duo was likely to be charged anytime soon, the senior police officer stated that investigations are ongoing.
On Monday two men were charged with setting fire to the Ministry of Health building. It is alleged that between July 16 and 17 at Brickdam, Clayton Westford, 19, an office assistant of 7 West La Penitence and 21-year-old Tedena Bagot, a pork-knocker of 32 Second Street, Alexander Village unlawfully and maliciously set fire to the Ministry of Health’s building, property of the state. The two men were not required to plead to the indictable charge of setting fire to a public building when it was read to them and were remanded to prison by Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson.
A huge fire sparked by channa bombs completely destroyed the Ministry of Health’s main building and an annex at Brickdam in the wee hours of the morning on July 17, devouring decades-old records, vehicles and a string of key divisions in a major blow to the health sector. Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee had said on Monday that the fire was well orchestrated by a ring of “intellectual authors, planners and actors”, all working within an established network. He had declared at a press conference that persons “well-known in the society” are involved.
According to the minister, the police have unravelled a detailed plot that points to certain things including where a meeting took place, and also to when and where persons entered the ministry to do the damage.