Four policemen and a civilian were yesterday charged with stealing millions they retrieved from suspects held for the robbery and murder of gold dealer Dweive Kant Ramdass, and lying to investigators.
Cadet Officer Kevon Denny, 26, of Kitty and police constables Gordon James, 28, of Lot 80 Amelia’s Ward, Linden and Leyland Fraser, 24, of Lot 1602 Kaluri Street, Ituni, all police constables attached to the Leonora Police Station were not required to enter a plea to an indictable simple larceny charge when it was read to them by Magistrate Priya Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. They were remanded and the case was transferred to the Vreed-en-Hoop Magi-strates’ Court, for August 31.
Meanwhile, Constable Jermaine James, 24, of Lot 80 Amelia’s Ward, Linden and his brother Collin James, 24, of Richmond Hill, Linden, were not required to enter a plea to the indictable charge of supplying the police with false information. They were each granted bail in the sum of $50,000 and ordered to return to court on September 2.
It is alleged that on August 20 at Schoonard, West Bank Demerara, Denny, Gordon and Fraser stole $4.3M from Shawn Ageda. The money is said to be property of Azeem Baksh. It is also alleged that on August 24, at the Criminal Investigation Department, Eve Leary, Jermaine and Collin James gave false information to Detective Inspector Trevor Reid, a Public Officer.
Prosecutor Dennise Griffith told the court that Cadet Officer Denny was in charge of Constables Gordon and Fraser while on patrol duties on August 20, when they received instructions to hold a road block in search for the perpetrators of an alleged robbery, involving the sum of $17M. The prosecutor stated that the ranks responded and apprehended two persons, including Ageda, with a black bag containing $5.8M. However, she said the ranks only lodged $1.5M, claiming that this was the amount found. Griffith said that an investigation was launched but the ranks maintained that they only retrieved $1.5M from the two men. She said that the rest of the cash was not recovered and that investigations are ongoing to find it.
Meanwhile, it is alleged that Jermaine and Collin Jones-brothers of Gordon James-misled Inspector Reid when questioned about the car used to remove the stolen cash. The charges were subsequently laid against the men following advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions.
In requesting that bail be denied for Denny, Gordon and Fraser, Griffith noted that $4.3M is still missing and that if the men were released they may tamper with witnesses and vital evidence in the case. She made no objections to Jermaine and Collin’s bail applications.
Attorney James Bond, who represented all of the men, contended that there are many “actors” in the case, warning that the prosecution should not be quick to blame someone for the offences. He said on August 20, Fraser, Denny and Gordon were at a road block that they were instructed to hold the two men, including Ageda. Bond argued that his clients did not know how much money the men were carrying and that the police ranks took the bag with the money put it into the police vehicle, arrested the men and drove straight to the police station with them.
“The prosecution or no one really knows how much money was really in the bag,” Bond said, adding that his clients delivered the same amount of cash ($1.5M) that they had taken from the men at the road block. “This case cannot stand in any court,” he opined.
The police said Dweive Kant Ramdass, who the $17M was initially stolen from, had the money in 34 parcels made up of $500 bills. The police alleged that the three Coast Guards, who are accused of robbing and killing Ramdass, divided the parcels among themselves and then passed it on to relatives who were later intercepted. Only $12.7M is currently in police custody.
On Monday, the three Coast Guards, Sherwyn Harte, 26, of Lot 123 Block C Eccles, East Bank Demerara, Delon Gordon, 21, of Lot 108 C Field, Sophia and Deon Greenidge, 20, of Lot 166 Middle Road, La Penitence were charged with the murder of Ramdass. They all were accused of murdering Ramdass, a gold dealer between August 20 and August 22 at Caiman Hole, East Bank Essequibo.
Separate charges were read to Ageda, 22, who is Harte’s brother, Yvonne Beckles, 39, who is related to Greenidge; and Viola Adolphus, 32, who is Gordon’s sister, who are alleged to have been accessories.
Ramdass was on his way to Bartica with the money in a box to conduct business for his employer when he was taken off a boat he was in at Parika by three ranks in a Coast Guard vessel. The vessel left with the man heading in the direction of Bartica and that was the last time he was seen alive.
