A miner is being accused of offering a policeman raw gold as bribe in order to get a drug trafficking charge against his sister-in-law dropped.
Ernest Trotman, 39, of 584 Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo, yesterday pleaded not guilty to the charge that on May 9, at Issano Police Station, Mazaruni River, he corruptly gave an ounce of raw gold to Alex Vaughn, an officer employed by the government, as an inducement not to charge Dalyne Stewart with possession of narcotics for trafficking.
The charge was read to Trotman by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in Georgetown.
Police Prosecutor Arvin Moore told the court that the arrest of Trotman was done in connection with the finding of the narcotics in his shop at Issano. Moore said that a file was submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions for advice and Officer Vaughn was subsequently offered the raw gold by the accused.
Attorney Latchmie Rahamat, who represented Trotman, said her client is a miner and a storeowner in Issano and he has every intention of clearing his name.
According to Rahamat, Trotman was in Zeelugt, when he was informed that the police had conducted a raid at his shop in Issano, which he had left in his sister-in-law’s care.
According to the information he received, the police found narcotics in his shop.
She said her client left his home and travelled to the Issano Police Station, where he was held for questioning by the police about the drugs that were found. The lawyer added that the police asked Trotman to clear his pockets, which he did, and he declared the raw gold, keys, sunshades and other items he had in his possession.
According to Rahamat, all the other items were returned to Trotman except for the raw gold. She said the police held her client in custody for a long period.
While he thought he was being held for the drugs, she added, he later learned he was accused of attempting to pervert the course of justice. She pleaded with the court to grant him bail on the offence pending a trial.
When the Chief Magistrate asked if any charges will be made in relations to the narcotics, the prosecutor told the court that no charge or advice has yet been received from the DPP on the matter.
The Chief Magistrate subsequently granted Trotman his release on $150,000 bail and adjourned the case until May 25, when it will be called again at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court.
