Sheneza Jafarally, the University of Guyana (UG) student who was remanded to prison more than two weeks ago after being accused of making a bomb threat that disrupted classes and operations at the Turkeyen Campus, was yesterday granted $10,000 bail in the High Court.
Jafarally, also known as Diane, 25, a sales consultant of 36 Sixth Street, Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara, was released from custody following the successful application by her attorney, Latchmie Rahamat, before Justice Navindra Singh at the High Court in Georgetown.
Rahamat yesterday told Stabroek News that the application was made after Jafarally was refused bail on two occasions. “We have to remember that the young lady was charged with a summary offence; one which only attracts, if imprisonment is to be applied, six months in jail,” Rahamat said.
She explained that bail was successfully granted after the prosecution failed to prove that Jafarally is likely to tamper with witnesses.
“….It was for the prosecution to show why bail should not be granted. The lawyer from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) did object to the bail but the grounds upon which bail was being objected to, the prosecutor could not provide the court with answers of a list of witnesses that could possibly be tampered with and the judge noted that if you are going to use that as a ground for objecting to the bail you can’t just say that there is a possibility that witnesses will be tampered with but you have to have actual proof that such had happened or there is a likelihood of it happening. There must be more than just saying it and the prosecutor could not provide such a list,” Rahamat explained.
The attorney noted that they relied on the Criminal Law Procedure Act, which states that once the charge is punishable with a term of imprisonment not exceeding two years, the person is entitled to bail.
On February 11th, Jafarally was remanded to prison after she denied sending by means of public communication, a message which she knew to be false for the purpose of causing needless anxiety to the staff and students of UG.
During the court proceeding, Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield had objected to Jafarally being granted bail, while highlighting the serious nature of the offence and the potential for the spread of public terror.
The prosecutor had also stated that further investigations of a similar nature were pending against the accused and that if granted bail she may tamper with witnesses or interfere with the investigations. As a result, Jafarally was remanded to prison and was ordered to return on February 18 at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court. However, on that occasion she was further remanded by Magistrate Rushell Liverpool.
Jafarally was arrested on February 7th at her workplace after records from her phone allegedly linked her to the threats.
The day, UG had announced that classes at its Turkeyen Campus had been cancelled for the remainder of the week following a second bomb threat.
The first threat was issued on February 5th, while the second was made the following day.
