Three former policemen were on Monday sentenced to one year imprisonment and fined $25,000 each at the Whim Magistrate’s Court, after they were found guilty of accepting a $6M bribe in September, 2015.
Ex Constables, Trevor McKenzie, of Princeton, Corentyne; Shawn McPhoy of 174 Laing Avenue, West Ruimveldt and Ray Saul of Eversham, Corentyne on 2nd October, 2015 were jointly charged with corruptly collecting an inducement. It was alleged that the three constables, while being employed as agents of the government in Berbice between September 10th and September 11th, corruptly collected $6M as an inducement from Renison Park for not arresting the occupants of a bus although they were found with cocaine. On Monday, Magistrate Charlyn Artiga after a lengthy trial at the Whim Magistrate’s Court found the three men guilty and sentenced them to one year imprisonment each. The magistrate also fined the men $25,000 each.
The three constables were on the Whim Public Road in September 2015 when they intercepted the vehicle and subsequently carried out a search that uncovered a large amount of cocaine.
It was alleged that the ranks demanded money but the occupants of the bus could not meet the demand. As a result, the vehicle was taken to the police station and one of the occupants was allowed to leave to collect the money demanded. After the person returned to the police station with the $6M, the bus and the occupants were allowed to leave.
Assistant Superinten-dent Terrence Browne, who was the officer-in-charge of the Whim Police Station at that time, also in 2015 was separately charged with accepting a sum of
money from McPhoy as an inducement for not arresting the occupants of the bus while he was employed as an agent of the government at the Whim Police Station.
However, in late 2016, Magistrate Artiga dismissed the charge against Browne after she had ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove that Browne was the person who collected the plastic bag containing the money from McPhoy.
