Will the execution of former Agriculture Minister Satyadeow Sawh and the sudden death of murder accused David Leander called `Biscuit’ ever be solved?
Sawh’s brother-in-law Bob Persaud who has since sought the assistance of the Canadian government believes that despite “all the cover ups” the truth will come to light some day.
Persaud, during a recent interview with Stabroek News from his home in Canada, expressed confidence that he will get a positive response from his government in accessing self-confessed drug lord Roger Khan, who he believes has vital information about the killings.
“The Canadian government is still looking at the situation. They got to go through the red tape with the Americans… I foresee that very soon I will have a positive word from them,” said Persaud, who lost his wife Phulmattie and brother-in-law Rajpat Sawh in the blitz that took the life of the former Agriculture Minister.
A still grief-stricken Persaud explained to this newspaper that Parliament recently convened after a long break and that may be the reason behind the delay in the response to his request.
He had approached his government earlier this year after the Guyana government’s failure to honour a promise to seek foreign aid to solve the murders.
“I am not going to give up. I will continue to fight because my lawyers [in Guyana] have advised that the lawsuit against the Guyana government will take between five to ten years to come up in court,” he added. He has filed a lawsuit against the Guyana government for failing to protect a minister; it is pending.
According to Persaud, he is prepared to wait for the truth since he is confident that one day all the pieces of the puzzle will fall into place.
“The truth will come out sooner or later. When people cover up and lie, the truth always comes out,” he insisted.
He said that no real attempt has been made to find out who paid the killers before adding, “they probably know who did it or [who] are somehow involved but I know that some day the truth will come out.”
Persaud informed Stabroek News that he is contemplating putting up a reward for any information that could lead to a breakthrough in the case, particularly the capture of the mastermind.
He then stressed that his brother-in-law’s main objective was to serve the Guya-nese people and nothing else.
Around 12.15 am on April 22, 2006 seven masked gunmen dressed in military fatigues invaded the minister’s LBI home and riddled him, his two siblings and his security guard Curtis Robertson with bullets. Reports were that the minister’s wife Sattie and his brother Omprakash were in the kitchen when they saw a masked gunman looking at them through a window. Sattie had said that she alerted the minister who was in his hammock on the veranda, but before he could escape to safety, he was riddled with shots. He collapsed just inside his front door.
Sawh’s brother Omprakash hid his sister Phulmattie Persaud underneath a bed, but the gunmen found her and after dragging her out shot her in the face.
The gunmen then turned their weapons on the minister again and at the same time placed Omprakash on top of Rajpat to execute them both. Omprakash said he begged the men for his sister’s life and gave them $23,000, a digital camera and a watch. He said he and his brother were praying for their lives, but before the gunmen left they fired another shot at them killing Rajpat. Robertson was shot outside the home and he also died.
Omprakash Sawh, 53, another brother of the minister who resides overseas, and security guards Albert Mangra and Aga Khan were also injured.
The minister’s wife and children have returned to Canada where they lived prior to 1992 when Sawh was called home to be part of the PPP/C government.
‘Biscuit’
More than a year has passed since David Leander also called David Zammett and ‘Biscuit,’ who was accus-ed of murdering the minister and his siblings, died from suspected poisoning. To date there has been no word on the results of samples sent to a Trinidadian lab for toxicology testing, Crime Chief Seelall Persaud said last week.
The Crime Chief also said that there have been no new developments in the investigation into the 2006 execution.
Bob Persaud, commenting on the Leander situation said: “As I said before, dead men tell no tales… Biscuit was killed to cover up the truth. They will forge the toxicology test, we wouldn’t get the truth. The government is in control of everything and we may never get justice,” he added.
The Crime Chief had said earlier this year that the samples were sent to the island some time after Leander died, but could not give an estimated date. He had said too that local investigators were in contact with their counterparts in Trinidad in relation to this matter and others and indicated that until the results are received the investigation into Leander’s mysterious death could not progress.
A close relative of the dead murder accused had indicated to this newspaper that police did not care that he was dead, before stressing that a woman who suddenly started taking food to the Georgetown Prison had poisoned Leander.
The relative had said too that it was strange that he could have died of a mysterious illness, just as the case was coming to an end in his favour. Days before he took ill, Magistrate Yohanseh Cave ruled an oral statement purportedly made by the murder accused inadmissible after a voir dire (trial within a trial) had been conducted.
Jermaine ‘Skinny’ Charles who was also charged with the killings is also dead. He had managed to escape from the lockups at the Sparendaam Police Station and was later shot dead along with alleged gang leader Rondell ‘Fineman’ Rawlins.
Troy Dick and close to a dozen others had also been implicated in the killings.
Senior police officials have repeatedly insisted that the investigation is still open and that the remaining suspects are still being sought.
Police had offered a $2 million reward for the capture of Leander, Charles, Rawlins, Orlando Andrews called ‘Bullet’ or ‘Jeffrey’ of Buxton, ‘Cash’ of Buxton; ‘Not Nice’ of Buxton and ‘Sonny’ of Agricola.
Why?
Persaud said he is still puzzled as to why Sawh was targeted, adding that there have been many rumours.
He said that what has made things more difficult was that several of those implicated have been killed and the others wanted for questioning have disappeared.
Persaud insisted that the gunmen who invaded the house that morning were hired guns and their sole aim was to kill the minister.
The man added that he is stunned at the opposition’s silence on the issue particularly given the fact that a minister was killed.
“The government knows more that they are telling… This was an organised killing,” he said.
He added that he has his suspicions as to what may have led to the murder and hopes that one day the motive behind the killings will be revealed.
