Private criminal charges have been filed against ministerial advisor Mervyn Williams for alleged damage to property and using insulting language stemming from a dispute over property.
The charges were filed by attorney Eusi Anderson on behalf of his client, Savitrie Benimadhu, who claims that Williams and his common-law wife, Sandra Persaud, have denied her access to property that she owns at Anna Catherina since 2013. Benimadhu, a retired teacher, has also initiated proceedings in the High Court to take possession of the property, which she said she had rented to Persaud for the operation of a charity, the Sunshine Women and Youth Organisation.
Benimadhu alleges that Williams maliciously damaged five padlocks, valued $17,000, at the Anna Catherina property. She also alleges that on one occasion Persaud used insulting language to her annoyance. Another person, Kawall Parasram, has also accused Williams and Persaud of using insulting language at the property.
In an affidavit in support of an application for possession of the property that was filed in the High Court last month, Benimadhu claims that after returning to Guyana this year to take possession of the property, she changed the locks to the gate and house. She said she was accompanied by ranks from the Leonora Police Station on this occasion. alleges that Williams subsequently arrived in a government vehicle and broke the locks and replaced them with locks of his own.
Contacted on Friday, Anderson confirmed that the charges have been filed against Williams. “I do not take kindly to people trespassing on the constitutional rights of any Guyanese, especially those in authority. He needs to respect people’s constitutional rights. Mr Williams holds a public office…There are videos of him going to break a padlock installed by my client. Benimadhu has a transport for the property. She has had a transport since 2000 and Williams has piggybacked on her efforts,” the attorney said.
Anderson also wrote Williams and, citing Benimadhu’s allegations, urged that he desist from returning to the property. He also copied the correspondence to Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Sydney Allicock for his attention, while noting that the government vehicles that were allegedly used by Williams and his agents were registered to his ministry. The letter was also copied to State Minister Joseph Harmon and Commission of Police Seelall Persaud.
Williams, in response, submitted a complaint against Anderson to Ombudsman, Justice Winston Patterson, accusing him of “unprofessional conduct” as a result of the letter, which he said was damaging to him.
He contends that Anderson’s letter sought to “impugn” his character and to “defame” him. “…It is inappropriate for a practicing attorney at law to write to anyone without first receiving instructions to do so. It is also wrong for a practicing attorney to make unfounded allegations against anyone and to use such baseless allegations to take matters into the realm of the person’s professional life…,” Williams states in his letter.
