The government today condemned a report by the online news service, Citizens Report on the arrest in Grenada on drug charges of Derrick Patterson, the brother of Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson.
A statement from the Department of Public Information follows:
The Department of Public Information has taken note of a report on PPP-aligned website, Citizens Report, related to charges brought against a Guyanese citizen in Grenada.
The report states: “Sources have revealed that Minister Patterson have compr[om]ised (sic) the security of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) by facilitating his brother to pass (sic) through the airport without being subjected to any security checks. One source noted that Patterson’s brother may have passed with the narcotics from Guyana and was caught upon arrival in Grenada.”
The Government of Guyana and Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson flatly reject this wicked and malicious lie being propagated by Citizens Report that he facilitated the departure of his brother from Guyana “without being subjected to any security checks”. This obnoxious false report is defamatory and libellous and the minister will avail himself of legal advice on this matter.
The official departure records of the immigration authorities show that Mr. Derrick Patterson departed Guyana via Cheddi Jagan International Airport Timehri on April 17, 2018. He departed using the regular departure area and was subject to the standard security and all other requisite procedures for departing passengers. Minister Patterson was not aware of his brother’s travel arrangements on that day or his subsequent travels.
Further, reports in Grenada state that Derrick Patterson was arrested on May 2, 2018, some two weeks after April 17 and was not arrested “upon arrival in Grenada” as stated by the malicious Citizens Report article.