Trinidad and Tobago national Sawak Maraj, who is charged with faking his own kidnapping and conspiring with others to secure a ransom, yesterday proclaimed his innocence before later being granted permission to leave Guyana although his trial is yet to be completed.
Maraj currently faces two charges. It is alleged that on October 27th, 2017, at Georgetown, Maraj knowingly gave false information to the police that he had been kidnapped and that his abductor requested US$700,000. It is also alleged that on the same date, at the Madewini Resort, he conspired with other persons to commit a felony by knowingly assisting in a negotiation to obtain the ransom of US$700,000.
When his trial continued yesterday, Magistrate Fabayo Azore overruled a no-case submission made by Maraj’s attorney and called upon him to lead a defence to the charges.
As a result, Maraj opted to give unsworn evidence, in which he proclaimed his innocence. “I am not guilty of any of these charges,” he declared.
Maraj told the court that he is a qualified engineer and had travelled to Guyana to seek a job with ExxonMobil. He claimed that he had been contacted by a person identified as Jason Abraham, who was acting on behalf of ExxonMobil. Abraham, he noted, emailed him and he would have responded and he later gave the police a copy of the correspondence.
“I came to Guyana with legit expectations and full confidence of the extensive findings ExxonMobil made in the offshore exploration area,” he stated. Maraj added once he landed at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, he was met by a person who identified himself as Abraham and he was led to a taxi in which the driver and another person were present.
Maraj said he was driven to several locations and soon realised that something was wrong. He said he was subsequently taken to a hotel, where a cutlass was held to his throat and he was threatened.
“I became very afraid,” he told the court. “I knew no one and was very confused. I was visibly relieved when the police came shortly before my captors had fled,” he added.
Maraj then told the court that the taxi driver gave a statement just to clear his own name and to assist the police in concocting a case against him. He further stated that at no time did he agree with anyone for anything to happen and that at all times he believed that Abraham was a bona fide employee of ExxonMobil.
His attorney, Senior Counsel Bernard De Santos, subsequently told the court that there was a possibility that they would be calling a witness.
Prior to the adjournment of the proceedings until February 1st, De Santos made a request for his client to be granted permission to travel back to Trinidad and Tobago, while claiming that he and his family are suffering in Guyana. He assured the court that the defendant would return and he noted that the family is even willing to lodge $500,000 in addition to the $1 million Maraj has already posted for bail in order to ensure his return.
Police prosecutor Dominic Bess, however, objected to the attorney’s request, while noting that he was not satisfied that the accused would return. Additionally, Bess argued that if the family was indeed suffering, the additional $500,000 that they were willing to lodge could be used to support them until a verdict is delivered in the matter. The objection by the prosecution was, however, ignored by the magistrate and Maraj was granted permission to depart from the country.