The three coastguardsmen charged with murdering Bartica gold dealer Dweive Kant Ramdass in August 2009 were yesterday committed to stand trial for the capital offence.
Appearing before Magistrate Nyasha Williams-Hatmin at the Vreed-en-Hoop Magistrates’ court, Sherwyn Harte, Delon Gordon and Deon Greenidge were told that sufficient evidence had been led for them to be committed to stand trial for the offence. The Guyana Defence Force Coastguard ranks Harte, 27, of Lot 123 Block C Eccles, East Bank Demerara; Gordon, 22, of Lot 108 C Field, Sophia; and Greenidge, 21, of Lot 166 Middle Road, La Penitence were charged with strangling Ramdass to death. It is alleged that they murdered him between August 20 and August 22, 2009 at Caiman Hole, East Bank Essequibo.
Special Prosecutor Khemraj Ramjattan led 14 witnesses, who gave evidence in the preliminary inquiry. Confession statementswere also submitted to the court.
Yesterday, the magistrate overruled no-case submissions by Gordon’s attorney and committed the trio to stand trial at the next session of the High Court. Relatives of the three men created a ruckus outside the courthouse after the decision and had to be cautioned by police. The three coastguards were charged and first appeared in court on August 24, 2009.
At the time of the incident, it was reported that police were initially investigating a robbery/abduction. Police had said that Ramdass, of Third Avenue, Bartica had been abducted by three men in uniform similar to that of the coastguard in a boat in the Essequibo River. Ramdass was on his way to Bartica with $17 million 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 coastguard vessel. The vessel left with the man heading in the direction of Bartica and that was the last time he was seen alive.
When Ramdass did not turn up at Bartica, an alarm was raised. Contact was made with a coastguard official at Parika and several boat captains recalled seeing Ramdass in the boat being taken away.
When the coastguard ranks returned to Parika, police arrested them and some of the money was recovered from a sister of one of the ranks who had turned up hurriedly. She was also arrested.
After their arrest, the coastguards were taken to the area where they had reportedly told investigators that they had dumped Ramdass but nothing was found. A fisherman later found Ramdass’ battered body clad only in underwear at Caiman Hole. An autopsy revealed that he died from asphyxiation. The police later charged the coastguardsmen with murder.
The case, which attracted widespread public attention, also ensnared relatives of the trio and police.
Separate charges were read to Shawn Ageda, 22, who is Harte’s brother and lives at the same Eccles address; Yvonne Beckles, 39, who is related to Greenidge and lives at the same address; and Viola Adolphus, 32, who is Gordon’s sister and lives at the same Sophia address. They were each charged with being accessories to the coastguardsmen and it is alleged that they aided them. They were not required to plead to the charges.
Three policemen were also charged with stealing millions they retrieved from suspects. It is alleged that on August 20, 2009 at Schoonord, West Bank Demerara, 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 attached to the Leonora Police Station, took $5.8 million from Shawn Ageda, of which they stole $4.3 million.
The money is said to be the property of Azeem Baksh. The trio had pleaded not guilty to the charge of larceny by public officers when it was read to them by the magistrate. They were initially charged with simple larceny but the charge was withdrawn after being reviewed by the Director of Public Prosecu-tions (DPP) and the new charge of larceny by public officers instituted.
In addition, Constable Jermaine James, 24, of Lot 80 Amelia’s Ward, Linden and his brother Collin James, 24, of Richmond Hill, Linden, were charged with supplying the police with false information. They were not required to enter a plea to the indictable charge and were granted bail in the sum of $50,000 each. It is alleged that on August 24, 2009 at the Criminal Investigation Department, Eve Leary, Jermaine and Collin James allegedly gave false information to Detective Inspector Trevor Reid.
When the men first appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, the court was told that Cadet Officer Denny was in charge of Constables Gordon and Fraser while on patrol duties on August 20, 2009 when they received instructions to throw up a road block in search of the perpetrators of an alleged robbery, involving the sum of $17 million.
The prosecutor had said that the ranks responded and apprehended two persons, including Ageda, with a black bag containing $5.8 million. However, she had said the ranks only lodged $1.5 million, claiming that this was the amount found. The prosecutor said that an investigation was launched but the ranks maintained that they only retrieved $1.5 million from the two men. She said the rest of the cash was not recovered.
Meanwhile, it is alleged that the James’ brothers, who are brothers of Gordon James, misled Inspector Reid when questioned about the car used to remove the stolen cash. The charges were laid against the men following advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The police said Ramdass, from whom the $17 million was stolen from, had the money in 34 parcels made up of $500 bills. The police alleged that the three coastguards accused of robbing and killing Ramdass divided the parcels among themselves and then passed them on to relatives, who were later intercepted. The cases are ongoing.
Meanwhile, the army had set up a Board of Inquiry to investigate the circumstances which led to the allegation of abduction and robbery against the three coast guardsmen and it found that the trio was “responsible” for the death of Ramdass. The Board also concluded that “a series of actions and inactions” by Coastguard Headquarters “contributed significantly” in creating conditions that allowed the former servicemen to contemplate and carry out the act. The men have since been dismissed from the force.
