Tragedy
Mother, four children die in No. 64 fire: A woman and her four children died in an early morning fire last Wednesday at Second Street, No. 64 Village, Corentyne. Those who perished were Hemwatie Singh, 34, Kelvin Ramjatan called ‘Rovin’, a 14-year-old; Brandon Ramjatan called ‘Ravin’, a 10-year-old special needs child; Tomesh Ramjatan called ‘Arvin’, age two years; and his sister Cindy Ramjatan called ‘Emily’, an 11-year-old pupil of New Market Primary School. The police said in a statement that they were all awake and attempting to escape the fire. They tried to run out of the house but as they saw the large flames in front of the house, they turned back and went upstairs and were trapped in the fire. The blaze has left relatives and neighbours in mourning, seeking answers in the wake of the tragedy. Family members are calling for justice. Hemwatie’s mother, Aunty Gallo, in an exclusive interview with Stabroek News shared poignant memories of her daughter, describing her as a peaceful individual who got along with everyone in the community. Recounting the events after the fire, family members described a futile attempt to rescue Hemwatie and her children as they were trapped inside the engulfed structure. Despite efforts by neighbours and the eldest son, the intensity of the flames rendered their rescue efforts in vain. Expressing disbelief and sorrow, Hemwatie’s sister noted the unprecedented nature of the tragedy, emphasizing the tight-knit bond they shared. She shared their disbelief at the tragedy as relatives gathered to grapple with the reality of their loss and deliberate on the way forward.
Human rights
Inter-American human rights body calls for urgent action on gender-based violence here: A hearing requested by a local group at the IACHR last week heard testimonies of gender-based violence here and at the end of the session the Inter-American human rights body called on Guyana to take action. At its 191st Period of Sessions at the Organisation of American States’ headquarters in Washington, D.C., the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR) hosted a thematic hearing requested by the Guyana Equality Forum (GEF). The GEF delegation was led by its Attorney-at-Law, Chandrawattie Persaud, and also comprised GEF member organisations: Blossom Inc., represented by Dr. Ayodele Dalgety-Dean; Guyana Sex Work Coalition, represented by Kinesha Thom; and SASOD Guyana, represented by Twinkle Paul. At the hearing, titled “Impact of Gender-Based Violence on Migrant Women, Sex Workers, and Transgender Women in Guyana,” data was presented on the severity of the situation. The testimony came from several organizations, including Blossom Inc. Sasod Guyana , the Guyana Sex Workers Coalition and Guyana Equality Forum. One of the key findings discussed was the growing number of gender-based violence cases among migrant women, particularly those fleeing Venezuela. Dr. Ayodele Dalgety-Dean of Blossom Inc. reported a sharp rise in cases of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) among Venezuelan migrant women in Guyana. Blossom Inc. recorded 307 cases of sexual and gender-based violence among migrant women between 2020 and mid-2024. However, the situation is even more dire in the mining regions, particularly Region 7, where 174 cases of sexual violence were documented in just four years. This region, known for its transient population and weak law enforcement presence, has become a hotspot for exploitation and human trafficking, where migrant women are often trapped in forced labor or sex work. The session heard that 307 cases of sexual and gender-based violence were recorded from 2020 to mid-2024, 174 reported cases of violence were reported in Region 7 between 2020 and 2024 and 41 migrant children were interviewed, revealing the intergenerational impact of violence. Many of these children were either victims themselves or had witnessed violence against their mothers or sisters.
In the court
State ordered to pay $24m for unlawful killing of Quindon Bacchus: Justice Nigel Niles on Wednesday ordered the state to pay $24 million for the unlawful killing of Quindon Bacchus by plainclothes ranks on 10th June, 2022 at Haslington, East Coast Demerara. The ruling came after the state quietly accepted liability for the killing in July this year. Justice Niles ordered the state to pay $24 million to the mother. The mother was represented by attorneys Dexter Smartt and Dexter Todd. A release from Todd’s office yesterday said that the mother of Bacchus, on behalf of the estate of Bacchus, filed an action against the State for the unlawful killing of her son. This action was filed by Dexter Todd and Associates. The release from Todd’s office said that the state first defended the action, denying liability for the killing and claiming that Bacchus died during an authorized police undercover operation while he was attempting to illegally sell firearms. However, by letter dated July 24, 2024 the Office of the Attorney General wrote the attorneys for Bacchus’ mother, as well as the judge, indicating that the state had accepted liability for the shooting and requested that the court make a decision on the quantum of damages to be granted to the estate of the deceased. The release said that the court invited submissions from both sides and subsequently made its decision. The Judge found that the killing of Bacchus breached his right to life, as protected under the constitution of Guyana. The court said that it looked at recent matters of a similar nature and considered the settlement and judgment amounts in those matters before making its own decision in this case. The court ordered that the state pay to the estate of Bacchus the sum of one million dollars for his funeral expenses, $22,500,000 as damages for the breach of his right to life and $500,000 in costs. That brought it to a total of $24,000,000.
Sugar
`We cannot continue at that cost of production’ at GuySuCo – President: Acknowledging that GuySuCo’s big loss on every pound of sugar produced cannot continue, President Irfaan Ali yesterday said that steps are being taken to ensure that the number is cut significantly but blamed the opposition APNU+AFC for bequeathing a sector where heavy subsidies are needed. “First of all, let me answer by saying we cannot continue at that price of production. The objective is working on reducing the cost of production. There a high cost of production now because of the capital that was required to bring back the industry to where it is today,” Ali said during the first of a series of interviews with a five-panel team of journalists called ‘In the Seat’. “The cost of production has to do with current and capital expenditure. We have to fix that. We have to invest in improving efficiency, creating higher yields and reducing the cost of production…and that is a work in progress,” he added in response to a question from Stabroek News. In addition, Ali said that while the financial aspects depict losses, one cannot evaluate the sugar sector here from that perspective alone as socio-economic and other factors play a role in the industry that is hundreds of years old. “We also cannot look at sugar from only a financial or the measurement you use. There is tremendous other impact for sugar that is non-book financial but more economical. So there is something called financial viability and economic viability. When you look at what sugar meant, take Wales for example, when the factory was closed down, Wales went dead overnight. A market that had hundreds of vendors closed immediately. The shops closed so the spinoff effect was gone. There was a dispensary, the sports facility…all the sport facilities we lost. The drainage and irrigation to support farmers, GuySuCo maintained that. So there is a spinoff effects and economic measurement. It must be taken into consideration”, he contended. “When you invest in sugar it is not only for the sugar workers but for the economy that sugar supports. Same with bauxite…” he added.
Major woes at Albion sugar factory –sources: Already experiencing dismal sugar production, GuySuCo is facing further woes as its factory at the Albion Estate has recently been plagued with a number of issues that have seen boiler and crystallizer malfunctions, added to the poor quality of cane produced and now, overproduction of molasses. And while government has been mum regarding the situation, industry insiders have revealed that this country has been making a US96 cents loss on every pound of sugar as it is being produced at a cost of US$1.31 when world market prices are currently at US35 cents. “It just isn’t seeming to end. From poor quality ratoon which gives poor juice and syrup to added complications because the boiler isn’t working at peak due to not having the tube as yet… makes the whole imbibition process gone wrong and we are left with so much molasses,” a source close to the industry told the Sunday Stabroek. Another explained, “Over the last six weeks, the Albion factory has been facing serious challenges with the disposal of sugar and molasses, due to number of reasons, such as sugar vessel turnaround time, limited storing space, contractors not working due to payment which leads to high build-up of stock levels.” “In these cases we had to put strict massecuite (a liquid mixture that is boiled to produce raw sugar) in crystallizers which are not working and in bad condition. Once the massecuite get in these crystallizers, it will foam and can cause spillage. Couple[d] with all of this is the low POL (polarization in cane production) which will produce more molasses,” the source added. This newspaper was told that management has already determined that the boilers are working inefficiently or “they are malfunctioning; breaking down too often” and “need major overhaul but the tubes are not in Guyana as yet.” Ordered since late July, GuySuCo is unclear whether they will arrive before the next out-of-crop season, according to a source.
Accountability
President berates, ministers, PS’s, engineers over delayed projects: President Irfaan Ali last week tore into government ministers, permanent secretaries, engineers and consultants over delays in projects and related problems. The shellacking handed out to the dozens of persons who were summoned to State House for a 5.30 am meeting went viral on social media. The tense meeting began with each minister, permanent secretary, chief engineer and contractors being asked to stand. The President began with Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Charles Ramson Jr. He eventually moved on to the Ministry of Education. It was here that the President became riled up. Neither the Minister, Priya Manickchand nor the Permanent Secretary Shanielle Hoosein-Outar could provide satisfactory answers as to why contractors in their sector were not present at the meeting. When told that one contractor was in the region, he asked where they usually uplifted payment from and was told it was the ministry. He remarked that they could go to the ministry to collect payment but not attend his meeting. At one point in his discontentment, he said that “…all of them getting fire…not only the contractors”. He accused the ministry of a laissez faire approach to work and said that there was a “blame game” and a “total lack of commitment”. He said that the days of contractors bidding low just to get the contract will come to an end and for those contractors their performance bond should be forfeited. The contretemps continued when he called upon the Minister of Local Government, Sonia Parag and the Minister in the Ministry, Anand Persaud. Their Permanent Secretary, Miguel Shaun Choo-Kang was stuck at the gate as he arrived late and so, too, was the engineer Satrohan Nauth. The two ministers professed that the only contract delayed for over four months was the construction of City Hall. The President seemed to doubt that and ordered that calls be made to the Regional Executive Officers of Region Six and 10. He then declared that the Port Mourant School was behind schedule and questioned who had misled the ministers. The fireworks continue when he moved on to the Ministry of Housing and Water. The Head of GWI, Shaik Baksh was not present and Permanent Secretary Bishram Kuppen and Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal were grilled on the absence of contractors and engineers.
Cash grant
$100,000 payout before Christmas -President: President Irfaan Ali last week said that the $100,000 cash grant will be paid to most persons here before Christmas with pensioners and public servants poised to get theirs by the end of this month. In the hinterland, work has already begun with creating their datasets and theirs will be speedily paid, the President said. “Before the end of the month, the existing datasets [for pensioners and public servants] their cheque will be cut easily because their dataset is already there. This weekend, they will be in Region 9 collecting the datasets from Region 9, working with all the toshaos …the hinterland regions we will try to complete as quickly as possible because the coast we can easily work with,” the President yesterday said when asked by Stabroek News during a new interview programme that was launched by the Office of the President. “Yes… you would get your money before Christmas,” he added. According to Ali, a key prerequisite is data collection and that is in the works. “So you had to get a system to collect the data, to cut the cheque , we already had raw datasets like all public service employees and then you have all pensioners. Tomorrow morning we can cut the cheque for all of them.” The President said that training has been ongoing for persons who head into the hinterland to collect data from citizens there. And when the teams are done training and go out into the fields, they will be doing so with electronic devices with special data applications which they will bring back to the city to store and set the process for payment. “The training has been ongoing for persons who go in the regions and collect the data. For example, this weekend we will be in Region 9 to get all the information… the ID cards [etcetera]. When all of that is done, it goes into an app electronically. So they have their tablets, they go into the field…in two days [they can] register them and then all the cheques will be cut in the system and then you go back out with the first list [of payments]. So you are building accountability, transparency, involvement. Involvement and at national level, the regional level and you are effectively and effectively build the system out,” Ali explained.
GPL
Gov’t signs 75 MW deal with powership company: The Guyana Government yesterday signed a second deal for a powership which will see 75 megawatts (MW) of energy supplied in two phases. With Heavy Fuel Oil to be used in this generation the government has been criticised for replying on carbon fuels instead of green energy in the context of climate change woes. The government’s management of the power supply system has also been questioned. Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance and the Public Service, Dr. Ashni Singh and Minister within the Ministry of Public Works. Deodat Indar yesterday oversaw the signing of the agreement between the Guyana Power and Light Company (GPL) and UCC Holdings. A release from the Ministry of Finance said that the powership will be stationed in the Demerara River and will in its first phase, deliver 60 megawatts of generating capacity to the national grid while in its second phase, 15 additional megawatts of power will be delivered to the grid. Signing the agreement at GPL’s Duke Street office were its Executive Management Committee Head Kesh Nandlall and Managing Director of the Americas, UCC Holdings Antonio Neto. The value of the contract was not disclosed in the press release. The powership will be the second one that Government, through GPL, has chartered to assist in offsetting generation shortfalls. The first was deployed to Guyana in May this year and stationed in the Berbice River through an agreement with the consortium. This has been supplying 36 megawatts of power to the Demerara to Berbice interconnected grid, the release said. Speaking at the signing ceremony, Singh said that Government will continue to supply the country’s growing demand in the short term as it continues to work on meeting the growing economy’s demands in the longer term through larger projects such as the Gas to Energy Project.
Procurement
Procurement commission not doing its job – Patterson: APNU+AFC Parliamentarian, David Patterson has expressed concern over the silence and seeming sloth by the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) given that there have been many reports on questionable contracts and even the ongoing scandal in the Guyana Police Force on purchases. “The fact that there are scores of substandard works by contractors across Guyana and the Commission has not initiated any investigation under its broad function to monitor …these projects as the oversight body in the procurement system is concerning,” Patterson lamented to the Sunday Stabroek. He pointed to the Belle Vue Pump Station contract that saw $160.8 million paid to the Tepui firm headed by Mikhail Rodrigues known as ‘Guyanese Critic’, as an example with no works being done according to the 2023 Auditor General’s report. “The infamous ‘Critic’ contract looms with media reports of non-compliance on the project, timelines not adhered to… yet there hasn’t been a monitoring report on this project from the Commission. Millions of taxpayers dollars are wasted in an inequitable system of contract awards to the chosen friends, families and favourites,” he said as he questioned what the PPC is doing. The PPC has been flayed over its failure to recommend the termination of the huge pump station contract to the unqualified company, Tepui Inc. The evaluators at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) recommended the award of the contract even though Tepui failed to meet several key criteria. Patterson stated that he understands that there are no new complaints before the Commission and that this “could be contrasted with the constant reports of questionable contract awards from NPTAB – the ambiguous or arbitrary evaluation criteria in awarding contracts, in effect making the selected bidder most responsive who is sometimes not the lowest evaluated bidder.”
Oil and Gas
Auditor opted out of third oil audit because of `scheduling conflicts’ – Haynes: Floyd Haynes, the team lead for the third cost oil audit last week said that an auditor whose licence has been suspended by the ICAG had pulled out from the project prior to the submission of the winning proposal because of “scheduling conflicts”. Haynes was responding to a news item in yesterday Stabroek News that the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Guyana (ICAG) on Sunday gave notification that Azzar Haniff of Eclisar Financial and Professional Services had his certification suspended and thus cannot issue statutory opinions in this country. In a letter to Stabroek News, Haynes referred to the news item. “Please be advised that due to scheduling conflicts Mr. Azzar Hannif of Eclisar Financial and Professional Services (Eclisar) has opted not to have his firm participate in the third Cost Recovery Audit. Mr. Hannif made this decision prior to the submission of our proposal. As such, neither Mr. Hannif nor Eclisar are part of the third ExxonMobil audit that was awarded to VHE. Please make sure that the necessary corrections are made”. This was the first time that Haynes had said that Hannif and Eclisar were no longer part of Vitality, Haynes and Eclisar (VHE) which had won the bid for the second audit of ExxonMobil’s cost oil. The bids to conduct the third audit were opened on March 5th this year but there had been no statement from VHE that Eclisar was no longer a part of the audit team. Further the second audit which Eclisar is part of is still to be finally presented. Following questions by Stabroek News, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo disclosed on Thursday that he had spoken with Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) Commissioner-General Godfrey Statia and he (Statia) had told him that the audit would be finalized on Friday. On Saturday Statia told this newspaper that the audit had been signed off and will be made public this week. It is noteworthy that VHE is an acronym comprised of the first letter of each of the three components Vitality, Haynes and Eclisar. VHE is the winner of the contract for the third audit. The media was not invited to the signing of the contract for the third audit.
GRA confirms signing off on second cost oil audit: The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) says that it has signed off on the second cost oil audit which the VHE [Vitality Accounting, Haynes and Ramdihal and Eclisar Financial] consortium had undertaken in 2022 and it will be made public this week. “The final audit will be released within the week. I have already given the go ahead to VHE for them to do so,” Commissioner General of GRA, Godfrey Statia, told Stabroek News recently. The government audit conducted by local consortium VHE of US$7.3 billion in ExxonMobil expenses was expected to be finalized on Thursday. “I spoke with Statia on the report. He told me that by tomorrow, he is going to finalise the second audit. Once the report is finalised we can move forward from there,” Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday disclosed. Last week Stabroek News had asked Jagdeo for information on the audit after checks with the GRA and the Ministry of Natural Resources came up empty. Statia explained that there were some administrative issues that needed to be resolved but he had given VHE the go-ahead to sign off on the report.Both government and the GRA had remained mum on the status of the second cost oil audit which had been in the process of auditing for over two years with criticisms over the quality of its work. Criticism also rained when VHE was awarded the contract to conduct the third audit even though the second one was still to be completed, with APNU+AFC parliamentarian and former government minister, David Patterson adding his voice to the issue.
Accident
Man killed in Middle Mazaruni boat collision: The police are investigating a river mishap at Fish Pond, Middle Mazaruni River, that resulted in the death of Davenand Williams of Kangaruma Village, Middle Mazaruni River. The incident involved a River Quest jet boat, captained by Odil Cozier. According to a police press release, around 11:00 hrs on Saturday, Cozier was navigating towards Isseneru Village on the right side of the Mazaruni River with four passengers and cargo. Williams, along with a passenger, James McKenzie, was travelling in a wooden boat powered by a 40 Hp outboard engine in the opposite direction on the same side of the river. The police were told that on seeing the wooden boat, Cozier attempted to steer the jet boat further to the side. However, the wooden boat unexpectedly turned into the path of the jet boat, capsized, and the two occupants were thrown into the river, the release said. The passengers in the jet boat managed to pull both McKenzie and Williams from the water and transported them to a medical facility at Issano Landing, the police said. However, the release added, Williams was pronounced dead on arrival. He had sustained injuries to his face whilst McKenzie’s injuries were to his legs and upper back. Investigations, which are ongoing, the police said, have revealed that Cozier’s boating licence was expired at the time of the incident.
Fire
Fire guts Bob and Son grocery in NA: A fire of so far unknown origin destroyed the Bob and Son Grocery at Strand, New Amsterdam, Berbice, last Monday night. Fire Chief Gregory Wickham told Stabroek News that one building was destroyed and one slightly damaged. “We are going to conduct the investigation to determine the cause of this fire”, he added. No injury was reported. According to eyewitness, Ulric Victor, who went live from the scene and spoke to reporters via phone, the blaze originated in the upper flat of the building, quickly spreading to consume the entire structure. The building was said to be an old one. Victor described an intense scene, with gas cylinders exploding inside the supermarket and heavy smoke blanketing the area. “The building was blazing, it was a very old building, they couldn’t save it because it was already completely gone, the whole supermarket completely demolished,” he said, noting the intense heat radiating from the building, which threatened nearby structures. Scotiabank, located next door, was in particular danger due to its proximity along with Penguin Hotel, next to the grocery store, which sustained damage, with its side wall catching fire.
In the courts
Ex-Health Ministry workers charged with money laundering: The Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) last week was charged two former employees of the Ministry of Health’s Material Management Unit (MMU) Bond with money laundering in a probe that found that $343.8m in drugs and COVID-19 testing kits were unaccounted for. The two persons charged are: Terrence Williams, a 26-year-old miner of Lot 123 Farm, East Bank Demerara, and Kerron Webster, a 29-year-old Lot 344 Middle Street, North Cummingsburg, Georgetown. The police in a statement yesterday did not identify the period in which the drugs and COVID-19 testing kits went unaccounted for. The MMU Bond is located at 1st Avenue, Diamond Housing Scheme. The police said yesterday that SOCU is currently pursuing forfeiture of the duo’s properties. The two men were charged separately by SOCU. Webster appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court #5 before Acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty where he was not required to plead to the indictable charge. The charge accused him of contravening the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act. He was granted bail in the sum of $100,000 and the matter was postponed to 6th December 2024 for report.Williams, who was charged with two counts of money laundering, did not appear in court. His matters were postponed to the 22nd November 2024 and 9th December 2024 respectively for charges to be read to him. He is currently incarcerated at the Lusignan Prison serving a three-year sentence for possession of a firearm and ammunition which the police said has a direct connection with the money laundering cases he is now facing. SOCU said that information surfaced that Williams and Webster, while being employees of the Ministry of Health’s MMU bond stole a quantity of pharmaceutical and Covid-19 testing kits from the facility.
Security
Murders down, armed robberies up – Blanhum: With murders down but armed robberies up, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) yesterday launched its Christmas Policing Plan for 2024 and it will run until January 15, 2025 and drones will be among the devices deployed. Aimed at ensuring public safety during the bustling holiday season, the plan includes a heightened police presence across Georgetown and other regions, with strategies designed to address crime reduction, traffic management, and community engagement. The GPF’s approach involves collaboration with various stakeholders, including local businesses and security agencies, to foster a secure environment for shoppers and visitors. Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum said there has been a reduction in the number of reported murders for the year 2024 when compared with the figure in 2023. In 2023, 133 murders were recorded while in 2024, 100 murders were recorded from January to November 11. For 2024, 88% of the victims of homicides were males while the remaining 12% were females. Region 8, Potaro-Siparuni recorded no murder for 2024 while in 2023 twenty-five murders were recorded. However, there has been an increase in the number of armed robberies. This year saw an increase by 11.2% with 239 incidents while 2023 recorded 215. The peak hours for criminal events were highlighted as 6 pm to midnight. In 2023, 180 rape cases were recorded while in 2024, 193 were recorded up to November 11. According to a 10-year review, the highest seizure of illegal firearms was recorded this year – 162 guns from January 1 to November 11. The types of firearms seized were as follows: 67% pistols, 13% shotguns, 11% revolvers and 8% rifles. Most of the firearms were seized in Regional Police Division 4 ‘A’. The firearms seized came mainly from the United States and Brazil. There was a reduction of 14.4% in serious crime reports for the period (January to November 11 this year) when compared to last year. The Guyana Police Force recorded 1042 serious offences for this year and 1406 last year. The largest number of serious crimes was recorded in Regional Police Division 4 ‘A’.
