More than two weeks after his client, confessed drug trafficker Leonard Bacchus, received a suspended sentence, Member of Parliament and lawyer James Bond has been accused by the PPP/C of being “in bed with the criminal underworld;” an accusation Bond has dismissed as senseless and a distraction by the PPP/C.
In a statement issued on Thursday evening, the PPP/C also accused A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Bond’s party, of being duplicitous on the issue of drug trafficking in Guyana. It pointed out that Bond, a senior APNU member, had represented Bacchus who received a 5-year suspended period for trafficking in nearly 150 pounds of cocaine.
“…APNU leader Mr David Granger has on several occasions in the past described Guyana as a narco-state and chastised government for not doing enough to tackle the issue of drug trafficking,” the PPP/C said.
“This is [a] kind of hypocrisy by the opposition and this action is another indication of how disingenuous the opposition can be,” the PPP/C release further said.
It went on, “While Mr Bond was not representing the APNU in the trial, the fact of the matter is he represents a political party which time and time again sought to give the public the impression it is serious about tackling the drug trade.”
Bond said in response: “That the PPP Civic can take its mind off of so many issues that are plaguing our nation and focus on me is ridiculous.” These other issues, he said, include the long-awaited local government elections, the prorogation of Parliament, and the “inadequacy” of the $10,000 cash grant under the Because We Care programme.
“There are so many things I can mention. If they can take so much time to write such statements, then it really shows the senselessness of the PPP; they are a senseless government,” Bond said.
Bond further said that the suspended sentences were not his decision to make but rested solely with the magistrate. “This man [Bacchus] admitted his guilt; I didn’t get him off, you know. The magistrate used his own policy and ruled with that and this is not the first time that the magistrate has given a suspended sentence,” he said before continuing, “But because James Bond is involved, it’s blown up.”
Bond opined that the PPP/C should focus its attention elsewhere, particularly in the light of the recent bust of over US$620,000 on a private plane owned by pilot Khamraj Lall.
“Let them [the PPP/C] make a statement on that; let them make a comprehensive statement on how they’re going to tackle money laundering in this country,” Bond said. He went on, “They choose to focus on James Bond and his practice instead of bettering the lives of the people of Guyana; it shows that we have a stupid government. I cannot think of another word to describe them.”
APNU leader David Granger also weighed in on the PPP/C’s accusations and stated that there are no inhibitors within the party that dictates which case an attorney can or cannot take. He further said this extends to other professionals and not just lawyers.
“We do have a code of practice for MPs; it covers ethical behaviour but it does not cover what cases an attorney may take or may not. Or what cases a doctor may operate on or not operate on. It’s a professional matter and there’s no specific direction to attorneys or to any other professional,” Granger said.
However, he added, there is a possibility that directions can be put forward.
Bond was not the only professional to come under fire in the PPP/C’s release; the party accused the PNC of providing military training and other support to “criminal elements” who held Buxton under siege and also accused another opposition lawyer of perverting the course of justice and earning the freedom of a man accused of murdering 11 persons in the 2008 Lusignan massacre.
