An excavator operator was yesterday placed on $400,000 bail after he was charged with setting fire to two public buildings on the Essequibo Coast more than a week ago.
The accused, Keon Davis, 24 of Hibernia Village, Essequibo Coast appeared before Magistrate Esther Sam at the Suddie Magistrate’s Court.
He was charged with two counts of setting fire to a public building. Davis was not required to plead to the allegations.
Bail was granted in the sum of $200,000 bail on each charge. The matter was adjourned to August 5th.
Within hours on the morning of July 14, the two buildings: an unoccupied Army Base of the Second Infantry Battalion, Maria’s Lodge, Essequibo and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) office at Anna Regina, Essequibo were ruined by fire.
Fire Chief Marlon Gentle on Tuesday told Stabroek News that investigators at the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) had concluded that the fires were deliberately set.
Meanwhile, in a press statement last week, de facto Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan had said that preliminary investigations found that the fires were acts of arson.
“……..Preliminary reports from the security forces point to arson in each case, this development is most unfortunate,” the statement said.
In light of the increase in fires at public buildings, Ramjattan had asked for more patrols in every policing division across the country.
“The Minister of Public Security requested that more security personnel be dedicated to more frequent patrols in every division……We can ill-afford any further loss of valuable assets. I therefore call on all citizens to cooperate with our security forces by assisting to safeguard both public and private property. If you see something, say something,” the statement added.
The Ministry had added that at that point, it couldn’t conclude whether any of the fires were “politically directed or motivated”.
