Keeping you updated on current events... ONLINE DAILY NEWSPAPER
Saturday July 10, 2021
MMG+ WELCOMES ONE OF THE OLDEST SHIPPING COMPANIES
GUYANA GETS US$1.8M COVID GRANT
LOWENFIELD MOVES TO COURT TO OUST SASE GUNRAJ, BIBI SHADICK
Saturday July 10, 2021
MMG+ WELCOMES ONE OF THE OLDEST SHIPPING COMPANIES Mobile Money Guyana (mmg+) has registered shipping company, Laparkan, as an mmg+ biller. Laparkan is one of the oldest and largest shipping companies in Guyana and has delivered on its commitment to making it easier for its customers to connect with it. Laparkan is now able to allow customers from anywhere to pay for their services without having to travel to their physical offices. This is a big step for the shipping company
as it seeks to expand its reach nationwide. “Our mission at mmg+ is to be the undisputed market leader for payments in Guyana. This is one of the ways in which we enable companies to enhance their operations and change the way we as Guyanese conduct payments with large organisations like Laparkan,” said Bobita Ram, General Manager of mmg+. She added, “In keeping with our promise to
innovate for all of our country and reliably connect our customers, we are pleased that our service is innovative at its core and helps other businesses to connect to their customers.” C h a n d r a d a t Chintamani, Senior VP for Laparkan Guyana shared, “As businesses continue to evolve to operate in this digital landscape, we at Laparkan recognize that we needed to engage with such services so as to continue to deliver the
highest level of service. “Signing on with mmg+ made sense for us as a payment option since it makes it easier for our customers to connect and do business with Laparkan.”
GUYANA GETS US$1.8M COVID GRANT
Guyana is set to benefit from a grant of US$1.8 Million from the Global Fund, as part of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in Guyana. This was confirmed by
the Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony during his daily Covid-19 Update. Global Fund which is known as a body that fights AIDS,
Tuberculosis, and Malaria, has shifted its focus a bit to the fight against Covid-19. It was through such a shift Guyana was able to benefit from the grant.
“The Global Fund has been one of our traditional partners now in Health. In the past, we have worked with the Global Fund to get resources for HIV, TB, and Malaria. “But since the pandemic started Global has also been allowing the use of some of its funding to deal with Covid-19. And, so we have been able last year, to receive a small grant from the Global Fund for purposes of responding to Covid-19,” Dr. Anthony said This grant approval came someone month after it was applied for due to a proposal that
was submitted by the Ministry of Health. Guyana is set to behave some US$1.8 Million in supplies over the next couple of months according to the Minister. He also noted that due to this window Guyana will now be able to fund a specific aspect of the health sector that is directly relating to the fight against covid-19. That sector, Dr. Anthony said, will be the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Unit in each hospital around Guyana since the need has arisen for improvement in that area. With Guyana looking to expand its ICU
capable in the next few months in the eventuality of more persons becoming really sick with the deadly virus, the grant is set to fall right in the process of the Government’s intends to add more to the unit. This comes as the country sees a steady increase in cases and more people being hospitalized in the unit and later some even dying. As of Wednesday, Guyana had a total of 89 persons in the ICU that are being closely monitored. A few of them are said to be children.
Lowenfield moves to Court to oust Sase Gunraj, Bibi Shadick
Embattled Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, has moved to the Courts seeking the removal of the ruling PPP/C Commissioners, Sase Gunraj and Bibi Shadick, from the hearing set out to determine the
way forward with him, Deputy CEO, Roxanne Myers and Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo, due to a breach in natural justice. The three high-level staff are currently before the courts on charges relating to their alleged questionable conduct at the March 2020 election, which saw the PPP/C Party being victorious five months after Guyana went to the polls This delay came mainly due to several court battles and subsequent recount. However, according
to the new Government, it was due to the fact that all three of the high-level staff along with several others allegedly tried to rig the election in favour of the then APNU-AFC Government. On the backdrop of such allegations, PPP/C G E C O M -n o m i n a t e d Commissioners moved a motion in the commission seeking the termination of the three high-level staff from the job. Sometime after, Chair of GECOM, Justice Claudette Singh, Gunraj and Shadick met and
decided the way forward in which the matter will be dealt with. This, according to the CEO, shows a clear level of bias and should not be allowed since it was the two who made the complaint and now seek to pave the way forward in the matter. As such, Mr. Lowenfield through his Attorney, Nigel Hughes, has moved to the high court seeking several orders, He has also named the Guyana Elections Commission as the respondent in the matter.
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In the document seen by the publication, Mr. Lowenfield is seeking several orders by the court, among them, an acknowledgment by GECOM that the CEO is entailed to the protection of natural justice and the right to a fair hearing to determine the outcome of the Motion. The CEO is hoping that the court bars Gunraj and Shadick from anything relating to the hearing since the two cannot properly participate in a motion they brought forward. This argument,
according to the CEO, comes since Article 9 of contractual employment has noted that an employee can only be dismissed by way of three months’ notice and by way of gross misconduct with the entity setting out clear reasons for the employee’s dismissal. According to the CEO, the two participating in the matter highlight some level of bias that will affect the rule of natural justice. This should not happen especially in a matter in which the two are the complainant.
Saturday July 10, 2021
PM threatens No Confidence motion against Harmon, Senior Counsel scoffs at the idea campaign against the Government’s acquisition of Sputnik-V vaccines, during which he even called for a halt to the distribution of the vaccine. According to Phillips, Harmon’s actions endangered lives and increased vaccine hesitancy among an already vulnerable population. But Senior Counsel Roysdale Forde has scoffed at the Prime Minister. The Opposition Members of Parliament have every confidence
in the Leader of the Opposition. The PPP is not only desperate but is also seeking to pervert the Constitution and inject into it that which it does not provide for. The Leader of the Opposition in accordance with Article 184 of the Constitution is elected by the non-governmental members of the National Assembly. Further, the Leader of the Opposition can only be removed by a majority of the non-governmental members of the National Assembly. By definition, the
Leader of the Opposition does not have to enjoy the support of the Government members of the National Assembly. Unlike, the two incompetent installed ministers – Dr. Frank Anthony and Robeson Benn – they are to enjoy the confidence of the National Assembly. Any attempt by the PPP to file a noconfidence motion against the Leader of the Opposition will be baseless, frivolous, unconstitutional, vexatious, and an
abuse of the National Assembly. The Speaker will have no basis to allow such a motion and will have no choice but to discard it. The installed Prime Minister, Mark Phillips, in whose name it is reported the purported motion is to be filed may wish to allow himself the benefit of advice and guidance from credible constitutional experts and legal minds of which there appears to be a considerable and growing deficit within the ranks of the PPP.
to celebrate its anniversary on August 2, former President David Granger says that its record reads like a ‘diary of a bad year.’ Speaking at his weekly programme, The Public Interest, on Friday, Mr Granger said the past 12 months will be unforgettable for the mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic, ‘the country’s worst flood’, the crime crisis, and the dismissals of Former President year in office. public servants. Granger knocks the PPP As the PPP He particularly administration’s first administration prepares condemned the
a d m i n i s t r a t i o n ’s purging of hundreds of public servants who have been deprived of the ability to provide for their families. Addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, Granger predicted that over 500 persons would have died by the PPP’s anniversary. Response to the flood situation was aimed mainly at providing relief by distributing hampers rather than also planning for the recovery of the livelihoods of farmers, miners, and workers.
Mr. Granger also criticised the a d m i n i s t r a t i o n ’s hasty ‘One Guyana Commission’ and ‘Corridor of Unity’ initiatives, suggesting that the ‘corridor of unity’ should be located at the scenes of the PPP’s riots in East and West Berbice on March 6, last year. Mr. Granger said that everyday crime and interpersonal violence have been spiralling out of control while the Police Force is being demoralized by the
vulgar attacks on the integrity of the Police Service Commission. He noted that the PPP administration failed to address the surge in transnational narcotrafficking. Mr. Granger contended that the administration should strengthen the capacity of the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defense and reestablish the National Anti-Narcotics Agency which it hurriedly disbanded when it entered office last year.
will not pose any threats of trying to flee the jurisdiction since he has so far been co-operating with investigators. And over the year he has been seen in the sight of the police each day, even as he was working. The lawyer maintained
to the Magistrate that her client will also adhere to any conditions attached to his bail. But the Police Prosecutor objected to bail noting that the offence was committed on a building containing public documents. As such the charge is of serious importance. Magistrate Fortune remanded all the accused to prison until July 30. Just last night in a statement, Police signaled their intention to charge three accused one year after the GECOM building went up in flames.
The force claimed that the two men implicated Kendall, as the man who offered them $150,000 to set fire to the GECOM office. In the alleged confession, the force maintained that one of the suspects said the man provided them with a bottle of gas and took them to the building, and waited nearby until the building was set on fire. At the said time, the force also claimed that two suspects sustained burns to their feet when an explosion occurred at the scene of the fire.
One day after Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon NoConfidence Motions (NCMs) against two People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government Ministers, Prime Minister Retired
Brigadier Mark Phillips has given notice that he intends to slap Harmon with an NCM of his own. Phillips is demanding Harmon’s immediate resignation from the position of Leader of the Opposition. Phillips is also critical of the Opposition Leader’s “recklessly misinformed the public and the National Assembly” when it comes to the Covid 19 vaccine, its efficacy, and its acquisition by the government. This is a reference to Harmon’s recent
‘Diary of bad year’
Man kills uncle over plantains
Three men fingered in setting fire to the Guyana Elections Commission Building during the height of the election period last year were all remanded to prison. The three, 21-year-old Marlon Hunter, 48-yearold Bryon Kendall, and 23-year-old Teon February, called ‘Nut’, appeared this afternoon before Magistrate Wanda Fortune in the
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Linden Magistrate’s Court and were not required to plead to the offence. According to the charge, it is alleged that all three of the accused on July 14, 2020, set fire to the GECOM building located at Lot 2 Burnham Drive, Wismar, Linden. Attorney Yondessa Mercurius in an application for bail for Hunter argued in the
court that her client was never convicted for anything, other than breaching Covid-19 measures. She said that, even as the crime was committed on an important building, the offence at hand is one that is bailable and
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Saturday July 10, 2021
Jovenel Moïse: Foreign hit squad killed Haiti’s president, police say
A group of 28 foreign mercenaries, including retired Colombian soldiers, assassinated Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse earlier this week, police say. After a gun battle in the capital Port-auPrince, 17 were detained, some at the house they were using, others after entering Taiwan’s diplomatic compound. Three suspects were killed by police and eight
are still being sought. Bloodied and bruised, arrested suspects were shown to the media on Thursday, along with a slew of seized weapons. It is still unclear who organised the attack and with what motive. The attack took place in the early hours of Wednesday, when gunmen broke into the president’s home in Portau-Prince, shooting him dead and wounding his
wife. Mr. Moïse, 53, was found lying on his back with 12 bullet wounds and a gouged eye, according to authorities. Martine Moïse, 47, was seriously wounded and is in a stable condition after being flown to Florida for treatment. Police said the hit squad included mainly Colombians, along with two Haitian-Americans. Found in the suspects’ possession were firearms,
sets of US dollar bills, the president’s personal checkbook and the server that held surveillance camera footage from his home, Le Nouvelliste newspaper reported. Taiwan confirmed that 11 of the suspects were arrested after breaking into a courtyard at its compound. Angry civilians had joined the search for the gunmen, and helped police track down some who were hiding in bushes. The crowd set fire to three of the suspects’ cars and destroyed evidence. “We Haitians are appalled; we do not accept it,” one man told AFP news agency. “We are ready to help because we need to know who is behind this, their names, their background so that justice can do its job.” Axes, wire-cutters, sets of US dollar bills, and Colombian passports have been seized. Police chief Léon Charles called for calm, saying the public should not take the law into their own hands. At the news conference on Thursday,
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police showed reporters Colombian passports. “Foreigners came to our country to kill the president,” Mr. Charles said, as the suspects sat on the floor behind him in handcuffs. C o l o m b i a ’ s government has confirmed that at least six of the suspects appeared to be retired members of its military. It has pledged to assist Haiti with its investigation efforts. The US state department, meanwhile, said it could not confirm if any of its citizens had been detained. However US and Canadian media are reporting that one of the dual citizens arrested, James Solages, 35, is from Florida and was a former bodyguard at the Canadian embassy in Haiti. An investigating judge told local media that Mr. Solages and the other US citizen, named as Joseph Vincent, had said they were there as translators for the mercenaries, after finding the job on the internet.
“The mission was to arrest President Jovenel Moïse… and not to kill him,” Judge Clément Noël told Le Nouvelliste. Colombian daily El Tiempo said that it had seen confidential documents that named the Colombian suspects. The paper’s research suggests that four of them flew from Colombia to the Dominican Republic on June 4. They crossed by land from there into Haiti two days later. The two countries share the island of Hispaniola. According to El Tiempo, Colombian intelligence has seen photos posted on social media by members of the group, showing them posing at a popular tourist spot in the Dominican Republic. The killing has triggered some civil unrest in Haiti, the poorest nation in the Americas. A state of emergency remains in force across the country, while the Dominican Republic has closed its border.
Saturday July10, 2021
Guyana Revenue Authority Initiates Customs Administration Modernization Consulting Project
to share its experience and know-how. The two countries expect that the consulting project which is expected to be for a duration of eight months will bring shifts in Guyana Customs administration in various fields, including risk management, cargo management and item classification, and contribute to the automation of Guyana’s Customs administration.
On June 4, 2021, in keeping with an aid agreement between Korea Customs Service and the GRA, a delegation of six consultants from KCS visited the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) located in Georgetown and
commenced consultations for the Modernization of the Guyana Customs Administration. The 50-day visit to Guyana is part of an effort to strengthen cooperation between GRA and KCS, and to conclude with the delivery of a final report
which will recommend a future model for Guyana Customs. During the visit, the project team will introduce UNI-PASS, Korea’s e-customs clearance system and hold seminars on Korea’s Customs Administration
Two charged with taxi driver murder, one reportedly confesses
Seyon James
Kenty Bacchus
Two men who were reportedly fingered in the brutal killing of a taxi driver during a robbery and later dumping his body in the Ogle area have been charged and remanded to jail for murder. The two Kenty Bacchus, called ‘Trini’, and Seyon James, called
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‘Lil Alfey’ appeared before Magistrate Rushelle Liverpool at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court and were both not required to enter a plea to the indictable charge. It is alleged that the two on June 30, 2021, at Block 1 Ogle, East Coast Demerara, murdered
53-year-old taxi driver, Kenrick Trim, during the course and furtherance of a robbery The two were later remanded to prison until August 6, 2021. Reports are that the body Trim, of Belfield Housing Scheme; East Coast Demerara, was found just after 9:00 am
the said morning. It was believed that he may have been dumped there with stab wounds and a battered body. An examination of the body found that Trim had multiple stab wounds about his body. There were bloodstains on the mouth and around the nostrils. His car was also reportedly found a short distance away from the body with the key still in
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the ignition and the radio on. It was during the investigation that police then nabbed one suspect who revealed that he had linked up with the other suspect while serving prison time for simple larceny of a cell phone. The confessor then noted that on the day of the incident he was picked up from the bus park and two went to a snackette located at Carmichael Street to purchase something to eat. The confessor reportedly told police that he told the other man that he was in need of a place to stay since he was homeless at the time. Subsequently, after spending some time at the snackette the two then stopped a car that Trim was driving and they both entered.
It was further explained by the confessor that he was seated behind the driver and the other man was seated behind the front passenger seat. He reportedly said that as they got to Ogle one of them grabbed the taxi driver by his neck and choked him “until he passed out.” They then pulled the deceased over to the back seat but he was still moving so one of them dealt the taxi driver several stabs about his body. Shortly after, the two removed the valuables from the man, threw out the body, and later parked the car in another spot. The murder weapon was discharged in some bushes nearby while the two subsequently escaped on foot to a minibus close to the area.
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