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ONLINE DAILY NEWSPAPER

Thursday March 24, 2022

GOVT SLASHES EXCISE TAX ON FUEL TO ZERO

COURT RULES GEA BOSS, GRA ACTED IN EXCESS OF THEIR POWERS

THREE JAIL SENTENCED FOR SERIAL RAPIST, THE LARGEST IS 30 YEARS

Thursday March 24, 2022

GOVT SLASHES EXCISE TAX ON FUEL TO ZERO

Since the Russia/ Ukraine War, the world has been affected by rising fuel prices. Guyana

is no expectation. The Government will now reduce the excise Tax on Gasoline and Diesel

Since last year oil prices have been going up. This year it has escalated by the growing war between Russia and Ukraine. Prices for fuel rose to over US$100 per barrel and climbed.

Affected by the increase local gas companies have raised their prices from under $200 per liter to close to $250 per liter.

This has significantly affected industries, mainly the manufacturing industry post, one day after stating which deals heavily with from 50% to Zero.

This is according to that the cost of living fuel to do their work.

Hit by the new changes Vice President Bharrat will go up due to what’s happening globally. in prices, goods and Jagdeo in a Facebook

services prices continue to rise daily and families across Guyana with the same salary cannot stretch their monthly budget.

These changes are the fourth reduction in a space of a year. At first, the excise tax moved from 50% -to 35% then late last year it had moved from 35% to 20%.

Additionally, in this year’s budget, it was further moved from 20% -10%, and as of now, it will not be at 0%.

The said reduction is said to reduce the cost of fuel immediately.

COURT RULES GEA BOSS, GRA ACTED IN EXCESS OF THEIR POWERS

Dr. Richard Van West Charles

Guyana Energy Agency and its head Mahender Sharma have suffered yet another blow in the courts after Justice Franklyn Holder found that the body acting outside its Jurisdiction when it cancelled Atlantic Fuels Inc’s licence to trade and

wholesale fuel.

The Company was at the time being run by Dr. Richard Van West Charles at the time of its cancellation back in March 2021.

GEA had argued AFI committed the crime under regulation 70 of the Petroleum Regulations 2014 in that it submitted false information to the GEA knowing the same to be false.

According to the court document submitted, AFI had stated that an invoice bearing an incorrect supplier to the GEA triggered the GEA’s investigation, the

seizure of the fuel and the cancellation of AFI’s fuel import licence.

More than 600,000 litres of diesel fuel was also seized by the GEA and the Guyana Revenue Authority.

As such, Mr. Van West Charles along with the Company’s Attorney, Siand Dhurjon, moved to the court. Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire then ordered that the fuel and some $15 M in storage fees be paid by the GRA and GEA to AFI. The case against the cancellation of the licence came up before Justice Holder. Several orders

were sought. One was an order of certiorari to quash the decision of the GEA and Mr Sharma to cancel the licence.

The company also sought an order of mandamus commanding the GEAand Mr Sharma to take all steps necessary to reinstate the AFI’s Import/ Wholesale Licence on the basis that the cancellation

by Mr Sharma was a nullity in law, arbitrary, ultra vires, unreasonable, irrational, unreasonable, unfair, abuse of power, based upon no evidence, unconstitutional, o p p r e s s i v e , disproportionate,

whimsical, capricious and malicious.

Those orders were granted by Mr Holder, who explained that the cancellation ‘ran afoul’ of the laws and regulations and that Mr Sharma did not have the powers of a Court to determine that AFI was guilty of breaching regulation 70 when the summary courts were exclusively statutorily designated to do so under law.

According to the Judge, any state agency or Statutory body ought to act within the powers given by Parliament and that “their role should not

be usurped,” Since AFI’s import wholesale licence was cancelled, it effectively shut down AFI’s business of importing, trading and reselling fuel and placed it and its employees on the verge of financial ruination.

AFI had to fire employees, move offices and borrow money to stay afloat as a result of Sharma and the GEA’s illegal actions.

With the ending of the matter, the company is hoping that its company can now participate in doing business in Guyana.

Three jail sentenced for serial rapist, the largest is 30 years

Esan Germaine

Already serving time behind bars over raping a girl under the age of ten three times, Esan Germaine is expected to spend an additional 30 years behind bars after he was found guilty of raping

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a 15-year-old girl three times Back in 2017, a 12-member jury found Germaine guilty of three counts of rape committed between 2010 and 2013, on a girl when she was

aged four, six, and seven.

Justice Simone MorrisRamlall sentenced Germaine to serve 15, 20, and 30 years respectively.

Germaine on a fresh new trial before Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Demerara High Court, was found guilty two weeks ago on the charge that it was alleged that he had raped a 15-year-old, three times between January and July 2014.

Due to the guilty verdict by the Jury, a probation report was presented to the court. In that report, it was explained by the probation

officer that Germaine has incestuous behavior. In the past he even got a family member pregnant. This behavior, according to the family, brought them a lot of shame.

According to the victim, it was explained that with all that she had been through, even though she is older she still cannot get over what the rapist did to her.

This, according to her, made her even now not to trust the men around her.

The acts have also made even made it very hard for her to show any sort of affection towards anyone.

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In her judgment, Justice Beharry said that she would have considered all the trauma Germaine would have put the victim through that has completely changed her life both physically and mentally.

The judge added there is a likelihood that he may repeat his acts and it is something that cannot be tolerated anymore, judging from his previous encounter with the court.

As such, Germaine on the first count was slapped with 20 years behind the bar, 25 years on the second count,

and 30 years on the third count. The sentences will run concurrently which means that Germaine will only serve 30 years behind bars.

Reports are that Germaine was known to the parents of the victim and would usually commit the act when the girl’s parents weren’t around since according to him she was “experimenting with her sexuality”.

Additionally, he explained that the child was unmannerly and that all his methods to put her in the right direction were not working.

Thursay March 24, 2022

CUG TO HOST VIRTUAL JOB FAIR THIS WEEKEND

University of Guyana

The University of Guyana will be hosting a Virtual Open Day and Job Fair on March 25 and 26, 2022. According to a

press release from the university the two-day event aims to provide all the necessary career, application, registration

guidance, and support to prospective students in helping them make informed decisions as they choose their next

academic step.

The university offers over 150 programmes across 50 disciplines at the Pre-University, Diploma, Degree, Master’s Degree, and Doctoral Levels.

At this weekend’s Open Day, persons will be able to meet and interact with Faculty and Administrative Staff.

In addition, the University will introduce a new component – a JOB center- to support the economic well-being for students, alumni and the public. This will allow graduates

and other job seekers to access employment and internship opportunities from leading companies and organisations operating in Guyana.

The event will also seek to link companies and organisations with potential employees.

Graduates and other job seekers could access a listing of vacancies and they could seek to have further engagements where they could submit an application and schedule an interview for a job.

The event is open free

of cost to prospective students, parents, University staff and current students, alumni, partners and sponsors, and all other interested persons. Please click here to register: https:// UGcareersuccessfair.uog. edu.gy.

The University of Guyana, on March 7, 2022, opened its online application process for prospective students, both from Guyana and around the world, who wish to commence studies in the Academic Year 2022/2023.

SUSPECTED HIT AND RUN DRIVER REMANDED

Vivendra Ramdharry

A Number 69 Village, Corentyne man was today remanded to prison for causing the death of

of Number 69 Village, Corentyne, appeared virtually at the Springlands Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Alex Moore when the charge was read to him.

Ramdharry is accused of driving a Suzuki Escudo jeep PVV 1015, two individuals during a on March 18, when he hit and run accident. allegedly struck 20-yearDefendant, 37-year- old Tony Lakeram, a old Vivendra Ramdharry carpenter of Number 71

Village, Corentyne, and his girlfriend, 28-yearold, Felicia Fernandes, of Coverden, East Bank Demerara on the Number 70 Public Road Corentyne, Berbice.

Additionally, he was charged with two counts of failure to render assistance and one count of failure to report an accident.

He was not required

to plead to the two counts of causing death by dangerous driving but pleaded not guilty to the charges of failure to render assistance and failure to report the accident.

Ramdharry was represented by Attorney at law, Bernard Da Silva, who made a bail application on his behalf that was denied.

Ramdharry is expected to return to court on April 14.

Reports are that Ramdharry struck the two individuals down and drove away from the scene following the accident.

The next day he was found hiding in a house at Kitty, Georgetown while a car was found at his house in his village

Customs officer remanded for attempting to kill his wife

Michael Hercules, a 44-year-old man, appeared before Magistrate Wanda Fortune at the Linden Magistrate’s Court.

Hercules denied that on March 19, last, at Buck Town, Linden attempted to murder Michael Hercules, his 42-year-old wife by A Customs officer has to murder his wife by stabbing her multiple found himself in hot water stabbing her during an times.

Bail was denied for allegedly attempting argument in a car.

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and the defendant was remanded to prison until May 3.

Reports are that just about 13:30 hours on March 18, the two were in a car when a heated argument started.

Hercules, who was at the time driving his car, stopped at Buck Town.

Both he and his wife exited. He then went

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into the car trunk, took out a kitchen knife and ordered the victim back into the car where the argument continued.

During the argument, the woman was stabbed to her chest, her lower right foot and to her fingers. Hercules fled after the attack.

The woman made contact with relatives

who went to the area and rescued her. She was taken to the Linden Hospital Complex where she was examined by the doctor on duty and treated for her injuries.

She remains a patient in a serious but stable condition.

The matter was also reported and the suspect was later arrested

Friday March 4, 2022

East Street businessman remanded for drugs, money and uncustomed goods

Days after the city businessman and some members of his family were arrested when a search at his home

unearthed over five pounds of marijuana, several bottles of liquor suspected to be uncustomed, and a large quantity of

local and foreign cash, the businessman was remanded to jail.

Defendant, 30-year-old Nicolas Samaroo appeared

before Magistrate, Sherdel IsaacsMarcus on Monday, and denied the allegation made against him.

According to the court’s charge, it alleged that he on March 16 had in possession 2.030 kg of Marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.

Samaroo was represented by Attorney Dexter Todd who told the court that the drugs were found in a lower flat, his client would usually rent, and that his tenants only moved a few days ago.

He then asked for reasonable bail which was denied and the

accused was remanded to jail until April 1.

Ranks from its Criminal Investigations Department obtained a search warrant and carried out searches at Samaroo’s East Street home.

According to the Police, the ranks found just over $2.5 million in Guyanese currency along with US$75,697; €6,145 along with a quantity of Venezuelan, Surinamese, Trinidadian, Canadian, and Bajan dollars.

In addition to the money, the ranks also found several bottles of expensive liquor which

the Police said was uncustomed.

Searches also unearthed several parcels of marijuana with a combined weight of just over five pounds. The marijuana was found stashed in a cooler and it was plastic wrapped.

The Police said all of the seized items including the large quantity of money have been confiscated and stored away at CID headquarters. A search was also executed at the Providence home of the same businessman where his video recording devices were seized.

Express group graduates 20 management staff

Investment in Human resources to better the company remains the theme of the Express Group and Company after 20 employees graduated with certification the COPC Company in industry-standard.

COPC Inc. is a privately held management consulting company based in Winter Park, Florida, that specializes in customer experience transformation.

Express, who hired the company, trained his employees. It formally celebrated and recognized those 20 employees from supervisor to director info@guyanapostonline.com

level for completing their individual COPC Certified Professional Manager training at graduation.

There, all 20 employees were handed their certificated, officially making them more qualified in their field.

During the ceremony, the Central Executive Officer of the Company, Ken Deocharran, said the company which sees the importance of building a better human resource, will invest some $42 million in the space the next ten years to ensure such occurs and in return benefit the company with

the standard that is needed to sustain the business.

“Investment in our people is our top priority if we are going to continue to grow, and establish a workforce in Guyana and wanting always to be in the front seat…We don’t settle for the second, we don’t settle for the backseat; we go for the first position.

“With the team that we have assembled, we have already got the first position and we will maintain that all the time.”

Mr. Deocharran added that this is some time that is needed to upkeep

the standard required for doing international business.

“Because of the type of service we offer to our clients in North America, the standard is always needed. You know you need to have certain standards when you are working with the North Americans and we have proven ourselves even before COPC that we are capable and able; that we could deliver beyond our customer expectations.”

He said that this will not only benefit the company financially but also on the level in which employees can now

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expand their knowledge into doing business also with international companies.

“We have only been around for a number of years, and we have already made a significant impact in Guyana from employment, job creation and giving our Guyanese folks, the opportunity to expand themselves to be in an environment that can take you outside of Guyana, so that you can see what else is around the world.”

If the certification continues the company will soon be the first-ever BPO Center in Guyana to

receive its organisational level COPC certification.

James Cammareri, COPC Vice President for North America, during his presentation at the ceremony Monday night, shared the news that Express is likely to be the first-ever BPO Center in Guyana to receive its organisational level certification.

He further echoed the important step the organization has taken to start with individual leadership certifications to advance the process of the site’s accreditation and congratulated the graduates.