A former laboratory technician attached to the Guyana Gold Board, who was charged earlier this year with stealing $2.1 million in gold from his employer, had the charge against him dismissed yesterday.
It had been alleged that on February 19, at Brickdam, Ronald Singh stole 8.9 ounces of gold, valued at $2,153,000, property of the Guyana Gold Board.
During yesterday’s court proceedings before Magistrate Judy Latchman, Attorney George Thomas, who represented the defendant, submitted that his client should not be called upon to lead a defence as the prosecution had failed to prove its case.
He argued that there was no marking on the gold mentioned in the charge to prove that it was the property of the Guyana Gold Board.
Police Prosecutor Shawn Gonsalves argued that the prosecution had proven all the elements of the case and the defendant should be called upon to lead his defence. He agreed with the defendant’s attorney that there was no marking on the gold but added that the prosecution did not need to prove ownership of the gold, according to the Larceny Act.
The prosecutor also argued that the defence had not discredited the state’s witnesses.
However, Magistrate Latchman ruled that there were many holes in the prosecution’s case and therefore did not call on the accused to lead a defence.
The court heard that there was no evidence as to whose gold it was as there was no mark or stamp on it. There was also no proper identification of the gold except through its weight and density. Additionally there was no evidence as to the formula used to arrive at the purity of the gold.
It was on these grounds that the charge against Singh was dismissed.
