A Detective Sergeant and a Detective Lance Corporal attached to the Sparendaam Police Station were yesterday charged with accepting a bribe in exchange for dropping charges against a woman.
Sergeant Radesh Persaud, 37, of La Bonne Intention, East Coast Demerara and Nageshwar Nauth-Sukar were jointly charged with attempting to obstruct the course of justice. They both entered not guilty pleas to the charge and acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson granted them on bail in the sum of $50,000 when they appeared before her at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
They denied that on February 16, at the Sparendaam Police Station, they willingly attempted to obscure, pervert, prevent or defeat the course of justice by accepting $20,000 from Tenesha Butcher, in order to forbear prosecution of her in a criminal matter.
Their lawyers, Sandil Kissoon and Glenn Hanoman, had applied for reasonable bail for them.
Kissoon stated that Persaud had been a member of the Guyana Police Force for over 17 years and that the charge is a bailable one. He said that Persaud had an unblemished record prior to this case.
Kissoon also stated that Nauth-Sukar is a father of four and has served in the Police force for over 15 years.
Prosecutor Stephen Telford made no objection to the bail applications but stated that it should be granted in a substantial amount.
He also stated that the bail should be granted with the condition that the duo reports to the Criminal Investigation Department, Head Quarters, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:00 am until the matter is completed. He told the court that they are still serving members of the Guyana Police Force.
The magistrate subsequently granted the prosecutor his request.
The case was transferred to the Sparendaam Magis-trates’ Court for March 16.
