The trial of the eight members of the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) Board of Directors, who are charged with failing to comply with a court order, continued yesterday with further evidence being given by Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) head Sydney James.
Charged are Robin Stoby, Senior Counsel, who is also Chairman of the Board; Edward Anand Beharry, who is the Chairman of Edward Beharry and Sons Ltd; Suresh Beharry, who is the Vice-Chairman of Edward Beharry and Sons Ltd; Richard Isava, who is an investment banker; Shaleeza Shaw; Carlton James; Basil Mahadeo and Kathryn Eytle-McLean.
The charge against the eight defendants states that on September 7th, 2017, they failed to comply with an order issued by the acting Chief Justice Roxane George SC for the production of documents for an ongoing criminal investigation.
When the matter resumed yesterday, James continued giving evidence in relation to the matter and his role. Subsequent to his testimony, he was subjected to cross-examination by a number of attorneys for the accused.
Cross-examination was later suspended and the matter was adjourned until February 12th. The documents at the centre of the charge are pertinent to the ongoing US$500 million Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) probe being conducted by SOCU. SOCU has claimed that the bank’s failure to hand over the documents has stalled the probe.
