Well-known businessman Hareshnarine ‘Chiney’ Sugrim, owner of Guyana Tractor and Equipment (Guytrac) and the Classic Hotel in Berbice and who was acquitted of money laundering charges in the United States in 2016, died yesterday.
After the Sugrim family made the announcement on the Guytrac Facebook page yesterday, a number of people expressed condolences.
“Chinee the world stands still for you uncle!” one person posted on social media.
“Harshnarine Sugrim was a truly exceptional man … one of the most special I ever knew. He was the uncle to lecture you as well and take you to a rum shop … the one all the kids gravitated to,” another expressed.
“From humble beginnings he was brave enough to risk his life in the flour trade when it was banned in Guyana and that built an empire. The stories he told of those days are the stuff of movies … not the Driving Miss Daisy type … the Mission Impossible type … the man was a Legend!” a friend of the businessman said.
“My Dad was a quiet man and was one not to be too social … but for Chinee he always went … On the days they told stories about the old days in Crabwood Creek are truly some of the best days of my childhood,” another person wrote.
“Chinee was a simple man but had the courage of a lion. He was relentless … to the point of obsession and he loved a drink!!! A man who always encouraged me and truly looked out for me. He was always there when needed and even when he heard I was not doing ok … he would show up!!! I will miss you Big Papa” another person stated.
Guytrac has a large office at Prospect, East Bank Demerara where heavy duty equipment is sold. The company also owns a branch where it started at Mandela Avenue.
In 2017, Sugrim also opened the $1 billion Classic Hotel at Corriverton in Berbice. Consisting of four suites, including a presidential suite, 28 rooms, a pool, and three bars, among several other amenities, it also boasted an international chef. He had highlighted the reason behind choosing Berbice to make such a major investment was because he had been assured that Guyana would grow.
“I am a resident of Crabwood Creek,” he had said, “and with this new government I was assured this country will move forward and I believe in business in Corriverton.”
In January of 2011, police had issued a wanted bulletin for Sugrim following investigations into the incident which caused the death of Rajkumar ‘Roy’ Basdeo. He had subsequently turned himself in and was released on station bail but it is unclear what became of that case.
Then in 2015 he was charged in the United States with money laundering. However, he was acquitted the next year.
