Godwin Maxwell, of Calcutta, Mahaicony, is feared dead after he jumped into the Mahaicony River yesterday, shortly after he was released on bail on a tax evasion charge.
Up to press time last evening, Maxwell had not been found; a search ended around 9 pm.
Stabroek News was told that Maxwell, in his 30s, appeared in the Mahaicony Magistrates’ Court and he was released on $45,000 bail.
The man, who was described as a “jack of all trades” and who was known to be a promoter, did not have the money to post bail at the time.
He was being transported to the nearby police station to await word from his relatives on the bail when the incident occurred. Maxwell was seen running towards the nearby river. He then jumped in.
Wilbert Inniss, an uncle, told Stabroek News last night that Maxwell was not in handcuffs at the time because he was not considered high-profile. He said the man managed to run away from the police and jump into the river.
Maxwell reportedly rose above the surface about three times before disappearing, but Inniss recalled seeing him above the surface only once. He said the police who were in pursuit fired a shot when Maxwell came up on that occasion, but it was difficult to tell whether Maxwell was injured.
Inniss said his nephew was also wearing a pair of heavy-duty Timberland boots at the time of the plunge; he believes this would have also posed problems for him in the water.
Recounting the events leading up to the court appearance, Inniss explained that Maxwell would coordinate events in his area, but that for sometime now he was not involved in any promotions.
He said the officials from the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) paid Maxwell a visit short while ago to advise him about how promotional events were run in keeping with local laws.
He said the officials promised to return and explain in greater detail to Maxwell, but no one turned up, and Maxwell subsequently received tax return forms. Maxwell ignored the forms, he said, because he did not understand how to proceed and last Friday he was summoned to court.
According to Inniss, Maxwell’s brother who resides in Barbados was contacted about the case and had promised to send money to pay the taxes; the money was expected in the country this week.
He said Maxwell decided to appear in court and when the bail was set they realized that they were short on some of the cash.
Inniss recounted that he was speaking with the Magistrate pleading for a reduction in the bail when he heard a commotion over a man jumping into the river. To his surprise, the man was his nephew and according to him the Magistrate called on the police not to shoot at the prisoner, but a round had already been discharged.
Maxwell was the father of a three-week old baby. Persons in the Mahaicony area who knew Maxwell said that the incident came as a great shock as they could not understand why he would have wanted to take his own life over such a simple matter.
Police are investigating.
