The Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) is still seeking to have former Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) accountant Peter Ramcharran extradited from Canada and brought before the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court to answer charges for the alleged falsification of GRDB accounts from 2011 to 2015.
When the matter was called yesterday before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, SOCU Prosecutor Patrice Henry told the court that Ramcharran is challenging his extradition from Canada, and hence, they have not been able to bring him back to Guyana as yet.
Last June, six former GRDB board members were charged with failing to record entries for funds amounting to over $250 million in total, in the agency’s general ledger, from 2011 to 2015.
Those charged were, Jagnarine Singh, former GRDB General Manager; Prema Roopnarine, former Deputy Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Agriculture; Ricky Ramraj, agricultural consultant; Badrie Persaud, business consultant; Dharamkumar Seeraj, the General Secretary of the Rice Producers Association and a PPP/C MP; and Nigel Dharamlall, also a PPP/C MP.
At the same time five charges alleging the falsification of GRDB accounts from 2011 to 2015 by Ramcharran were filed and sworn to at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court. However, Ramcharran was never present at court, as he had reportedly travelled to Canada.
The matter was adjourned until August 27th.
