Politics
GECOM Secretariat sees March as earliest time for polls: The Secretariat of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on Friday, September 6th, presented to the commissioners a draft schedule of timelines which set the earliest date for General and Regional Elections as March 2020. According to opposition-nominated commissioner Bibi Shadick, the proposals presented by Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield will see elections held “one year and two days after the time provided for in the Constitution.” Based on the passage of the December 21st, 2018 no-confidence motion against the APNU+AFC government, elections were due on March 21st, 2019 but several legal challenges have so far delayed the holding of these elections.
Indigenous leaders call for elections ‘soonest’: Amid ongoing political uncertainty, the National Toshaos Council (NTC) on September 2nd added its voice to calls for elections to be held even as it reiterated the need for the inclusion of Indigenous Peoples in matters that affect them. “The Indigenous Peoples of Guyana need to become more and fully engaged in all development projects, programmes and policies that would affect us. We need to know more on the Green State Development Strategy, what is there in oil and gas for us, what will happen in the event of an oil spill, what measures are in place to safeguard our peoples and marine life…,” NTC representative Mario Hastings said as Indigenous Heritage Month was officially launched at the Sophia Exhibition complex as was reported on September 2nd.
Infrastructure
Drifting tug and barge hit harbour bridge: A tug and barge crashed into the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) on Monday, September 2nd, resulting in millions in damage and the disruption of the normal follow of vehicular and marine traffic across the river. The incident occurred around 12:50 on Monday morning, after the tug, a Panamanian vessel, drifted from Grove/Diamond on the East Bank Demerara and its crew belatedly issued a distress call. MARAD has since said the tug was not anchored in the correct position. The bridge was out of operation for a day. On Tuesday at 2pm, it was reopened to light traffic. On the completion on the realignment of the damaged bridge, it was open to laden and unladen trucks on Wednesday night.
Crime
Man found chopped to death at Haslington: The police reported that they were
investigating the murder David Gentle, 55, whose body was discovered early on the morning of September 2nd, with chop wounds about his body and his head almost severed from his neck at Haslington North, East Coast Demerara. Gentle, called ‘Black Hassa,’ of Lot 42 Golden Grove, also on the East Coast, had left home the previous night to attend a karaoke event.
Ex-cop wanted for allegedly trying to kill two women; Police on Wednesday issued a wanted bulletin for ex-policeman Teon Allen, who allegedly tried to kill two women two days prior in Linden. In the bulletin, the police said Allen, called `Spoil Child’, whose last known addresses are Lobora Creek, Linden and Wismar, Linden, is wanted for questioning in relation to the attempted murder of Denise Grant and Tiffany McBeth. Details surrounding the attempted murders, which occurred on Monday, September 2nd, were not released.
Roger Khan’s return postponed by hurricane: Convicted drug kingpin Roger Khan was on Thursday scheduled to be deported to Guyana but was told at the last minute that the journey was postponed, according to his attorney, Glenn Hanoman. He was not told why the trip was postponed and continued to be held at a Florida detention Centre, Hanoman told Stabroek News at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri on Thursday night. “He was (scheduled) but he didn’t make the flight. I don’t know what happened”, Hanoman said. “…I don’t know what went wrong. They didn’t tell him anything,” he added. Police Commissioner Leslie James said on Friday that Khan’s return had been delayed by Hurricane Dorian. Hanoman that when he spoke to Khan, around 7.30 pm on Thursday night he was anxious to return home.
Alves cleared by corruption probe: The months-long investigation into alleged corrupt practices involving Deputy Commissioner of Police Lyndon Alves has ended with him being cleared of any criminal conduct, Commissioner of Police Leslie James announced on Friday. “What I can say to you is that the investigation has been completed and I have obtained a file and in terms of criminal conduct Mr Alves has been cleared,” James told reporters. In late June, Alves, the Crime Chief, was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation into the exposure of a network of alleged corruption in the Guyana Police Force’s ‘B’ Division (Berbice). The move came days after the force broke its silence on media reports of corrupt activities in the division by stating that an internal investigation was being undertaken by the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR). A number of police officers had spoken out about alleged corrupt practices in the division.
In the courts
SARA seeking to recover $2.7B from QAII, $274M from GBTI over property deals: The State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA) on Friday announced that it was seeking to recover $2.7 billion from Queens Atlantic Investment Inc (QAII) over its controversial acquisition of the former Sanata Textiles complex and $274 million from the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) for the purchase of the Kingston property that is now its headquarters. SARA filed proceedings in the High Court seeking Civil Recovery Orders against (QAII by way of Fixed Date Application, and against GBTI by Statement of Claim. Both claims are made under the State Assets Recovery Act 2017 and are for the recovery of GY$2,701,619,960 and GY$274,117,404 respectively, “including interest,” a statement from the agency said. QAII Corporate Secretary Zulfikar Ally had previously told Stabroek News that the sums asked for was exorbitant and said that the company would challenge the claim. GBTI on Friday characterised the contents of SARA’s statement as “spurious allegations engineered to further attack GBTI in a gross and unconscionable manner. It also said it would commence “appropriate legal action to vigorously defend itself against these malicious claims.”
Trial of accused in Robb St arson murders aborted: The trial of the two men accused of killing a father and his two daughters by setting their home on fire in 2014 was brought to an end on Tuesday by Justice Brassington Reynolds after what he described as “irregular contact” between an “interested” member of the public and a member of the jury. As a result, Justice Reynolds informed the two accused, Ganga Kishna and his former employee Avishkar Bissoon, that they would be further remanded and the case would be brought back to court at the earliest possible date. He then informed the 12 members of the jury that they were discharged. On November 17th, 2014, the Robb and King streets home of Hilrod Thomas and his two young daughters, Clarissa and Theresa Rozario, was set ablaze. While the two girls died the same day, their father died sometime later while being hospitalised.
Port Kaituma cook gets 23 years for rape of boy, 6: Leonard Albert, a 46-year-old Port Kaituma cook, was on Thursday sentenced to 23 years in prison for the rape of a six-year-old boy. Albert, who was charged with violating the child on June 12th, 2012, in the county of Essequibo, had been convicted in July by a 12-member jury.
Business
GPL short of 23 MWs, blackouts coming: With a deficit of 23 megawatts (MWs) of power, the Guyana Power and Light Incorporated on Wednesday alerted the public to another round of blackouts, the latest in a string of problems to hit the electricity company despite its many promises of lasting improvements.
In a statement, GPL said that it “remains committed to supplying reliable electricity supply to our valued customers” but added that due to unforeseen occurrences and generation/operational issues, it was challenged to meet the peak demand. As a result of the situation, Chairman of the Giftland Group Roy Beepat announced that Giftland Mall remained ready to help address the predicament by supplementing the supply of power to the grid. This led to the new GPL Board of Directors saying that it had authorised GPL to move forward efforts to finalise a Power Purchase Agreement and also invite Expressions of Interest (EoIs) from other potential power providers.
City Chamber crafting response to US envoy’s caution on local content push: Two days after United States Ambassador to Guyana Sarah-Ann Lynch contended that the push here for local content provisions may make foreign investors feel unwelcome, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) said it was crafting a response.
“We are currently discussing the matter internally. In fact we spent all day discussing but do not have a position at this time. We have not arrived at position but when we do it will be made public,” former GCCI head Deodat Indar told Stabroek News, as we reported on September 3rd. On September 1st, we had reported that Lynch warned that the tenor of some of the ongoing advocacy for the local content policy for the oil and gas sector may make foreign investors feel unwelcome. Speaking at the first Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the American Chamber of Commerce Guyana Inc (AmCham Guyana), Lynch had stressed that with the development of a global energy sector, focusing on who owns a firm could be counterproductive.
Mining
Mines officers ordered to remove illegal dredges from Kuyuwini River: On September 2nd we reported that Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) enforcement officers were ordered to remove two illegal dredges from the Kuyuwini River in Region Nine, according to GGMC Commissioner Newell Dennison. Stabroek News had reported last month that at least two river dredges are operating illegally in the Kuyuwini River in areas that were declared no mining zones. The South Rupununi District Council (SRDC) had expressed alarm at the destruction being caused to the largely pristine area by the gold mining operations and the Ministry of Natural Resources had launched an investigation.
