Investigation
‘Insufficient credible evidence’ to charge Dharamlall over new rape allegation – Police legal advisor: The police force last week said that there was “insufficient credible evidence” to charge former Minister of Local Government Nigel Dharamlall over a new rape allegation. It later clarified that this advice came from its senior legal advisor Mandel Moore. The matter was not referred to the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions. The police had been investigating rape allegations by Sarah Hakh who was an employee at the ministry at the time the rape was alleged to have occurred. After days of silence on the probe, the police yesterday said that on the 23rd May 2024, it received legal advice indicating that there was insufficient evidence to charge Dharamlall in relation to the rape and sexual assault allegations made against him. The legal advice, it said, was based on the fact that there were several inconsistencies and discrepancies in the complainant’s story. “There were also statements from several independent witnesses that totally contradicted the complainant’s story. These included alibi witnesses who placed Nigel Dharamlall in a different Region on the date that the alleged incident occurred in September 2020. “Statements also disclosed that Nigel Dharamlall is not the owner of the house where the alleged incident occurred in January 2021 and he has no access to same. “These disclosures, among others, resulted in there being insufficient credible evidence and no realistic prospect of conviction in these matters. “In keeping with the Code for Prosecutors, a case which does not pass this evidential stage must not proceed, no matter how serious or sensitive it may be”, the statement from the police said. On May 10th, Dharamlall denied the allegations of sexual assault and rape made during a press conference that day by Hakh.
In the court
State seeking to overturn entire GTU decision by Justice Kissoon: Saying that it is “dissatisfied with the whole” of the April 19 decision of Justice Sandil Kissoon in which he issued a stinging rebuke to the Ministry of Education, the state last week filed a notice of appeal against the judgment and it is also seeking a stay of execution of part of the judgment that bars the Education Minis-try from discontinuing the deduction of union dues from teacher’ salaries and remitting same to the GTU. In its notice of appeal, filed through the Chambers of the Attorney General, the government is seeking an order setting aside the whole of the decision including the Orders and Declarations made, an Order that the Respondents pay costs and any further order the court may see fit. In his affidavit to support the appeal and the stay of the ruling as it relates to the union dues, Chief Education Officer, Saddam Hussain, averred that he had attached a statement from the Deeds and Commercial Registry Authority (DCRA) confirming that the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) had not filed annual returns as required by Section 35 of the Trade Union’s Act, Cap.98:A3 since the year 2004. He argued that after conducting this review, the government, in the exercise of its executive policy-making power, resolved to cease offering the gratuitous service of deducting union dues from the salaries of teachers and submitting them to the GTU. He said the GTU was so informed by a letter dated February 06, 2024. The union had gone to court to challenge the government’s decision to deduct pay from striking teachers and the intention to cease deduction of dues from teachers’ pay in favour of the union. In his decision of April 19, Justice Kissoon, who delivered his written decision on May 20, said, “Teachers lifted their voices and they asked for bread, they were given stones.” He had declared that the government’s actions, which included deducting pay from striking teachers and ceasing deductions of dues for the union, were unconstitutional, unlawful, and interfered with the fundamental rights guaranteed to the union for collective bargaining. In his 134-page written decision seen by this newspaper, detailing the reasons for his ruling, Justice Kissoon commenced with an historical overview of the evolution of what he said was a “struggle…for fair wages and improved conditions of labour.”
CJ throws out Lowenfield, Myers Constitutional Challenge – AG’s Chambers: Chief Justice, Roxane George SC, last week dismissed a challenge filed by former Chief Election Officer Keith Lowenfield and his former deputy Roxanne Myers which had been the latest impediment to the hearing of electoral charges against them in the magistrate’s court. This is according to a statement yesterday from the Attorney General’s Chambers. The duo had alleged that Section 140 (2) of the Representation of the People Act breached their right to a fair trial, as guaranteed by Article 144, and their right to equality before the law, as guaranteed by Article 149 (D) of the Constitution, regarding certain criminal proceedings pending against them in the Magistrate’s Court. Lowenfield and Myers, along with others, face criminal charges of attempting to commit fraud at the 2020 General and Regional Elections. These charges are pending at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court. Their lawyers complained in the Magistrate’s Court that Section 140 (2) of the Representation of the People Act breached their constitutional rights. The Section states that: “No evidence of any deliberations of the Elections Commission or communications between members of the Commission regarding its business shall be admissible in any court.” The statement noted that Lowenfield and Myers claimed that they needed the deliberations or communications of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) as part of the preparation for their defence in the criminal proceedings. As a result, they applied for the criminal cases to be adjourned while they filed the constitutional challenge in the High Court. Amidst public criticisms, the Magistrate adjourned the criminal proceedings to await the decision of the High Court. In the High Court, Lowenfield and Myers named the Attorney General (AG) and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in the constitutional action. On the 23rd of April, the Chief Justice ordered written submissions from all the parties, including GECOM, and fixed the matter for ruling.
Man charged with attempted murder of GDF rank: A man, 21, from Annandale and Achiwuib in Region Nine was last Thursday charged with the attempted murder of a GDF soldier on May 6th , was jailed for 60 months on armed robbery and read a series of other charges. According to the police, Terry Tho-mas was remanded over the attempted murder of Guyana Defence Force (GDF) soldier Azim Khan during a home invasion. Another person has also been charged over the attack on the soldier who remains hospitalized. Thomas also appeared at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court on a clutch of armed robbery charges.
Governance
Jagdeo warns about procurement skullduggery: Following numerous complaints about malpractices connected to state contracts, government has begun reviewing the procurement system and has warned that sting operations will be conducted countrywide and anyone found guilty will face consequences for their actions. “I see a lot has been written about corruption and all of that. The government has undertaken a review at every level [of] the procurement system,” Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo last week told a press conference. “Let me put on notice all of those people who are responsible for procurement in public corporations, statutory bodies, the ministries, regions, central ministries, everywhere, all the way up to the national tender board, that we’re examining the procurement procedures for compliance and also activities for compliance with the laws… and let me make it clear that if we find that those officers are skirting the provisions of the procurement law, then there shall be consequences for them,” he added. Jagdeo, whose portfolio also covers the finance sector, did not highlight any issues relating to the evaluation of bids, which has seen bitter complaints over the years from contractors who believe that the process favours some. The Vice President said that he has received a number of complaints with persons going to the party’s headquarters to lament their plight. “Too often we hear, I sit at Freedom House and people come, and I hear people complain that in some parts of this country, remote parts of this country, somebody is doing something [nefarious]. People win a bid and after the bid has been awarded, they try to change specs on the bid,” Jagdeo disclosed. Further, he added, “Another issue is payment. People who have done their work and submitted the bills, some of the accounting clerks in the ministries, they keep the processing of the payment for days on their desks… people have to run 10 to 15 times to get money [for work] they already did. Sometimes they have bank loans… run there to these little czars. It could be one clerk holding up a payment and then sometimes they want money to expedite a payment. Let me put on notice those people too.” President Irfaan Ali, according to Jagdeo, has already spoken to his ministers to ensure that unlawful practices do not happen in their respective sectors. “We are going to take this matter seriously. Whether you are an accounting clerk holding up payment, or the procurement officer of the agency, then there will be consequences for everyone. Sometimes government needs to do this sort of review,” he asserted.
Oil & Gas
Exxon insurance contract sets US$500m limit for any one incident: The Government has published a contract of insurance for ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL) which will raise further questions about coverage for a potential oil spill and other matters. The Official Gazette of May 11th 2024 made public the policy that ExxonMobil has with United Kingdom Insurance company Aon under policy number: ENOFC2400258 which is for the period February 1st of this year to February 19th 2025, and points out that the policy shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England & Wales. The policy makes clear that the limit is “USD 100,000,000 (for) any one accident or occurrence in respect of third party liability” and “USD 500,000,000 any one accident or occurrence in respect of operators extra expense”. It is unclear if this is an adjunct to a court-ordered US$2b guarantee from EMGL or the US$2b guarantee itself. The insurance policy agreement can be accessed at the following link: (https://officialgazette.gov.gy/images/gazette2024/may/Extra_11MAY2024NotiContr.pdf) The publishing of the contract comes amid an ongoing case where environmentalists and others have argued that ExxonMobil and its partners should be held to unlimited insurance coverage. This position was upheld by Justice Sandil Kissoon in a historic ruling which has since been appealed by Guyana’s Environmental Protection Agency. In the decision on May 3rd 2023, Justice Kissoon had ordered the EPA to obtain from ExxonMobil’s subsidiary, environmental liability insurance as is customary in the petroleum industry along with an unlimited parent company guarantee to cover all costs of an oil spill, in accordance with the environmental permit issued to ExxonMobil Guyana Ltd. Both the EPA and Exxon Guyana appealed the decision.
Politics
‘Permanent Secretaries can belong to political parties’ – Jagdeo: Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo recently asserted that Permanent Secretaries (PS) can be members of political parties. Jagdeo’s position comes against the backdrop of concerns raised about the presence of Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Shannielle Hoosein-Outar who was seen clad in a red outfit at the recently-held People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Congress. Jagdeo made it clear yesterday that the PS is indeed a member of the party and that is her democratic right. Although Permanent Secretaries are appointed by the President, there have been lingering concerns that the PPP/C ad-ministration’s appointees are not career public servants but instead, party members who were parachuted into the position of Permanent Secretary. “First of all let me make it clear that Permanent Secretaries are political appointees. They are appointed by the President of the country not the Public Service Commis-sion. The Public Service Commission appoints civil servants. Ministers and Permanent Secretaries are appointed by the President of the country. That is in the constitution of Guyana, we didn’t put that there,” Jagdeo said, as he condemned the Stabroek News’ May 13 Editorial – “Permanent Secretaries”. He went on, “Secondly, people are free to practice… they are free to belong to a political party and not be discriminated against. That’s the freedom that we fight for. The freedom to freely express yourself, freedom of association that we have always fought for.” While Permanent Secretaries are political appointees they are not expected to be members of political parties but career civil servants. The editorial had pointed to attorney-at-law Darren Wade’s Facebook query about the presence of Hoosein-Outar at the just concluded PPP Congress.
Health
Doctor struck from medical register for malpractice: The Medical Council of Guyana (MCG) yesterday said that Dr Anil Solomon has been removed from the register of medical practitioners in Guyana following a finding of professional misconduct and malpractice. A public notice in May 16th Stabroek News signed by the Chairman of the MCG, Dr Navindranauth Rambaran said that Dr Solomon is not permitted to practice medicine in any capacity in Guyana. The notice was issued in accordance with Section 17 (3) ( c) of the Medical Practitioners Act. The notice also announced the suspension for four months of Dr Abdulla Amin after a finding of malpractice. Dr Amin is not permitted to practice medicine between May 6th 2024 and September 6th 2024. His suspension is in accordance with Section 17(3)(b) of the Medical Practitioners Act.
Crime
Dharamlall released on $500,000 bail: Former Local Government Minister, Nigel Dharamlall, who turned himself in to police at the Cove and John station last Wednesday following a rape complaint was later released on $500,000 bail. This was disclosed by his attorney Bernard Da Silva. Da Silva who accompanied him to the station, told reporters that Dharamlall was invited to the station. Da Silva explained that his client is denying the allegations of sexual assault made against him. “He is cooperating with the police. I have had the privilege of turning him in. He just conducted an interview of which he denied all the allegations and the police will have to take it from there.” Da Silva left the Cove and John Police station shortly after the interview was conducted and stated that Dharamall was being processed as he remains in police custody. He was later released on $500,000 bail. “I have full confidence in the police to do their work. I do not want to interfere and therefore I do not want to remain with him. I have given him instructions and he is mature enough to follow my instructions,” Da Silva explained. Dharamlall was invited to the Cove and John Police Sation following an allegation made against him by Sarah Hakh. The Guyana Police Force confirmed that consequent to the sexual assault allegations levelled against Dharamlall, he turned himself in at 9.20 am. Last Monday, Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum had noted that the allegations are “serious” and are under investigation. “Relative to questions from the media regarding the sexual assault allegations against former minister Nigel Dharamlall, Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum has indicated that a formal report was made by the (complainant) to Police at the Cove and John Police Station. He noted that the allegations are serious and the matter is under active investigation,” the statement said. The statement from the police was posted in the Joint Services/Press Team WhatsApp group days after Hakh, during a virtual press conference, made sexual assault allegations against the former minister and had stated that the police finally took her report after three attempts.
Border controversy
Venezuela’s military build-up near Ankoko continues, full of escalation risks: Following its February 7th report, a US think tank says Venezuela is continuing to build up forces along Guyana’s border and there are risks of escalation with elections approaching in July and even after that. In a piece yesterday entitled `The Essequibo Pressure Cooker: Runaway Nationalism and Maduro’s Compellence Strategy’, the US Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said that even though Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro is highly unlikely to win the election in a fair race, examples are legion of the “rally around the flag” effect during international crises, even if only in the short term and this is what he is doing with country’s claim to Essequibo. In its February 7th piece, CSIS cited the concept of “compellence” where Venezuela is employing a carrot and stick policy to force concessions from Guyana. While the recent escalation over the Essequibo region has not reached the level of kinetic action, CSIS said that the Maduro regime’s rhetoric, which, in part, aims to provide the armed forces a raison d’être, “has likely unleashed a genie that will be difficult to put back in the bottle”. Georgetown has not commented much about Venezuela’s military build-up and an attempt by APNU+AFC MP Amanza Walton-Desir to ask a question in Parliament last week on the matter was shot down by the Speaker Manzoor Madir. The Speaker said that the question violated the Standing Orders. CSIS said yesterday that Maduro and the armed forces have rhetorically committed to defending the newly created region, and the establishment of “Guayana Esequiba” (Essequibo) opens the door to potential illegal settlements, encroachments, or border skirmishes.
Trade
DDL export to T&T flare-up settled amicably: It was not the state of Trinidad that returned a shipment of milk from Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) but the importer as he had failed to follow the necessary procedures. The matter was cleared up yesterday in Georgetown. “We had an excellent meeting with the Private Sector Commission [PSC] of Guyana and we discussed a number of items that were of concern to Guyana and we able to resolve these amicably and put in place a process that would help us to deal with any further like circumstance,” Trinidad and Tobago Minister of Trade, Paula Gopee-Scoon, told Stabroek News as she exited the PSC office on Waterloo Street last Wednesday, following the meeting. “The milk being returned was a decision of the importer… not the government of Trinidad and Tobago,” she added. DDL’s Deputy Chief Execu-tive Officer, Vasudeo Singh, also spoke with this newspaper and expressed confidence that the issue would be resolved. For both DDL and the PSC’s part, they agreed with what the minister said as they fleshed out through discussions that the return of milk was due to misunderstandings with the Trinidadian importer who did not first seek all necessary permits. “We had a very good meeting this afternoon. We were better able to lay the issues we had on hand and the way forward is very clear. Like the minister said, the importer didn’t do certain things he was supposed to do, but now that we know the processes they need to follow, we will be able to resolve this matter expeditiously. We are very satisfied with the outcome of the meeting,” Singh said. Asked if the company would be resending milk and is confident it would be accepted, he replied in the affirmative, “Absolutely!” For the PSC and the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA), the meeting was a positive one. On Tuesday, DDL called on the government and CARICOM to ensure a level playing field for trade following Trinidad’s rejection of two containers of FDA-approved reconstituted milk the company had exported and the placing of a flavoured-water shipment under an onerous import clearance process. The value of the shipment of milk was pegged at around US$100,000.
Business
Unicomer breaks ground for US$33m Farm commercial complex: The ground-breaking ceremony last Friday for the new River Place Commercial Complex by Unicomer Guyana has set high hopes for this 55,000 square feet state-of-the-art commercial complex that will offer world class facilities as well as a new Logistics Park measuring 60 acres.Speaking at the ceremony, Sub Regional Managing Director of Unicomer, Vincent Gordon said that this project “is one of the single largest retail investments to date in Guyana’s history”. The first two phases of this project cost approximately US$33m while the third phase is currently still in planning and should include a hotel. He also shared that the new facility should be completed and open to the public in 18 months. Gordon again highlighted the company’s “ongoing commitment to invest in Guyana and the people of Guyana to deliver a retail experience that is second to none. Today’s events cements that we will become even more entrenched in Guyana … We want to move forward with this project with a view of excellence, maintaining our commitment to build Guyana for its residents and positively contribute to the economy.” Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group Country Representative for Guyana, Lorena Solórzano Salazar express-ed her pleasure at seeing the development of this project as financing for it was signed in April between the IDB Invest and Redstart Guyana. Redstart Guyana is a wholly owned subsidiary of Redstart Limited and it is jointly owned by Milady Group and Liverpool Group. The company was incorporated in Guyana in 1991 and is the real estate arm of Unicomer (Guyana) Inc.
Industrial
Ministry, GTU trade barbs on conciliation talks: With a third session set for Monday, the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) last Wednesday traded accusations over two conciliation meetings this week aimed at resolving the ongoing strike by educators for collective bargaining. The union has accused the ministry of showing no interest in considering its proposals, while the ministry has condemned the union’s actions as a breach of agreement and a display of bad faith. Early yesterday morning, the GTU issued a press release on its Facebook (FB) page where it noted that it had presented a detailed proposal outlining the conditions for resuming duties and commencing conciliation for determining the period for which negotiations are to be taken. The proposal included demands such as an interim 20% across-the-board payment, recusal of the Minister of Labour from the negotiation process, and establishment of an arbitration tribunal if negotiations fail. Further, the union expressed disappointment and concern that the Ministry of Education had not shown interest in negotiating a collective labour agreement or resolving the ongoing strike. “Despite the GTU’s efforts to reach a reasonable compromise, the MoE has remained steadfast in their refusal to negotiate a collective labour agreement for the period 2019-2023, which is the core grievance prompting the strike,” the release said. The Ministry of Educa-tion yesterday responded to the GTU’s release by convening a press conference, where Minister of Education Priya Manickchand condemned the union for violating what she said was a confidentiality agreement. According to Manickchand, the agreement by both parties, was intended to keep the contents of the conciliation meetings private. “Both parties were asked to keep the contents of these ongoing meetings confidential to maintain trust among the parties as well as to show good faith in the conciliation pro-cess,” the minister stated. However, some of these details were provided by the Chief Education Officer (CEO) Saddam Hussain to the Guyana Times whose story appear-ed yesterday before the GTU issued its press release. On Tuesday, after the second day of conciliation meetings between the Ministry of Education, the Guyana Teachers’ Union, and the Ministry of Labour came to a close, this newspaper reached out to CEO Hussain, but he declined to comment. Later that even-ing, however, a reporter from Guyana Times managed to speak with the CEO, who shared some insights about the conciliation meeting in a news item which appeared in yesterday’s edition.
Legislative
Amendment passed to correct anomaly in Constitutional Reform Commission Act: The Constitutional Reform Commission Act was on May 9th amended with unanimous support from the National Assembly to correct an error in the number of members on the Commission from 20 to 21, and it now paves the way for the Commission to begin its work. Attorney General Anil Nandlall said that the amendment “takes effect from the date as it was retroactive [to the date of the Previous Act]”. In November 2022, the Bill was passed with the expectation that the government would move swiftly to begin the constitutional reform process. Some 18 of the 21-member Commission were sworn in last April and they had taken the oath of office which was administered by President Irfaan Ali at the Office of the President. However, it was later discovered that it had an error. “An unfortunate error was belatedly discovered in the Constitutional Reform Act. Section 3 of the Act speaks to the 20-member commission but another part of the Act authorizes the President to appoint a Chairman, in the exercise of his deliberate judgment and from outside of the 20-member Commission. The combination of those two provisions would mean it is a 21-member Commission and not 20,” the Attorney General explained. “As a result, an amendment was moved and unanimously supported by the opposition to change … 20 to 21 in Section 3 of Act,” he added. The opposition supported the government, and allowed for the full amendment to be passed in all its stages at that one sitting, on May 10th. .
Electricity
Power ship supplying 18 MW to grid – GPL: GPL recently announced that the power ship moored off of Everton in the Berbice River is supplying 18 MW to the electricity grid and will incrementally move to 36 MW during the coming week. In a deal brokered by a Qatari company, the ship arrived from Cuba last week and the hook-up to the Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS) was done over the last few days. Faced with a shortfall in power generation, the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) scrambled to find power urgently even after hooking up second-hand generators that arrived from Honduras last year. GPL on April 18 announced the terms of the agreement it signed with Urbacon Concessions Investments, W.L.L (UCI) to charter the power ship for a period of two years. “The contract includes the provision of operation and maintenance services as part of the agreement…The contract requires GPL to pay UCI a fee of 6.62 US cents per kWh as a monthly charter fee for the powership and a monthly operation and maintenance fee of 0.98 US cents per kWh, based on electricity generated,” GPL had said in a statement as it pointed to the US$1 million mobilisation fee. It is unclear how the mobilisation fee is amortized over the two-year period, into the cost per kWh. On May 1 the power ship arrived in Guyana’s waters. A statement issued by the power company announced that the ship would be connected to GPL’s grid at 69 kV. The government has said that there will be no additional charge to consumers from the ship.
Development
New harbour bridge completion now set for March next year: The new Demerara Harbour Bridge is now projected to be completed at the end of the first quarter of next year instead of December this year, with Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, contending that it was not the fault of the contractor. Work on the bridge is currently around 45% with consultants – Italian company, Polytechnica – reporting that as at April 28, the figure was 43.7%. “The last report, that is as at 28th April was 43.7… Does this percentage match where they are supposed to be? No, it doesn’t. They should have been a little more advanced. The bridge is supposed to be completed by December 31st 2024,” Edghill told the Sunday Stabroek in an interview recently. “We have had some loss in time and that is not as a result of the contractor’s fault, so we can’t penalise the contractor for that. Our revised completion date is March 2025, taking into consideration loss of time and all the rest,” he added. Questioned about the reasons for the delay, he said it ranged from a number of issues but primarily had do to with delayed shipping that saw the company requesting force majeure for those periods lost. “The Panama Canal had low water and they had to go through the Cape Verde route to bring material in. They had what is called force majeure issues and that was calculated as no fault of the contractor,” he explained. He further noted, “There are many things that account for this; the approval of materials by the technical people too. For example, we had to send the consultant and our project people to China to visit the company where some of the materials are being [produced], to ensure the quality [was up to standard]. And when they get the sign off, only then could they procure. So things like that took time.”
Crime
Machine operator stabbed to death by teenagers: A 33-year-old man was on May 11th attacked by three teenage boys and fatally stabbed by one of them while on Commerce Street, Georgetown. Dead is John Williams, a machine operator from Lot 102 Martyr’s Ville, Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara. According to police reports, the incident occurred around 21:15 hrs. Williams was walking north on Water Street with a green haversack on his back when he turned onto Commerce Street and was ambushed by the suspects from behind, the police said. The suspects, identified as Daniel Badley, 19; a 14-year-old, and a 15-year-old, were allegedly attempting to steal Williams’s haversack, the release said. When he resisted, one of the suspects stabbed him in the left upper chest with a knife, causing him to collapse on the roadway, it added. Following the attack, the suspects fled the scene in an eastern direction, and then south, but the two youngest were later captured by the police and are in custody. Emergency Medical Technicians were called and Williams was pronounced dead by a doctor. The crime scene unit discovered what appeared to be bloodstains on the victim’s jersey and the ground, the police said.
Tragedy
Five die in horrific Long Creek crash: Five persons died at Long Creek on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway last Monday after a head-on collision involving two cars and four others are in critical condition. The five dead persons were identified as Rushell Leacock-Jones, Graduate Senior Mistress of Kwakwani Primary; her brother, Rehum Leacock also known as Eddo, 24-years-old of Kwakwani who was the driver of one of the vehicles; Dwaylon Farrell, Graduate Head of Department (GHOD) of Industrial Technology at the New Silvercity Secondary, Linden and the driver of the other vehicle; retired nurse, Urani Hall and Clinton Patterson. The police say the accident occurred at 8.20 am. It involved two motor cars, one, a black with registration number PAF 6785 owned and driven by Rehum Leacock and the other, a silver-coloured car with registration number PTT 8159 owned and driven by Farrell, a 42-year-old of Herstelling Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara. Inquiries, police say, disclosed that PTT 8159 was proceeding south along the eastern drive lane while PAF 6785 was proceeding north along the western drive lane both allegedly at a fast rate. As the vehicles were about to pass each other the driver of PAF 6785 reportedly lost control of his vehicle causing it to collide head-on with PTT 8159. This collision caused extensive damage to both cars, and all the occupants were injured. They were taken to the Linden Hospital Complex and were examined by doctors. However, Rehum Leacock, Patterson, Rushell Leacock-Jones and Farrell were pronounced dead on arrival. The other four occupants (Asha Granum, Aubrey Ghanie, Roseann Bumbury, and Ashana Ramsammy) were admitted to the hospital with severe injuries. They were later transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital and admitted. Their condition is regarded as critical, the police say. Measurements and statements were taken, and the vehicles have been lodged at the station to be examined by a licensing and certifying officer.
