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Kaieteur News
Cuban jailed for fake Irish passport Magistrate Faith McGusty yesterday sentenced a Cuban man to 12 months jail for tendering a fake passport case. Lesroy Martinez appeared before Magistrate McGusty and pleaded guilty to the two charges, one of uttering a forged document and another of overstaying in Guyana. Unfortunately for Martinez, one of the charges read to him only allows for a custodial sentence and after mitigation, the Magistrate deemed one year was befitting the crime of uttering a forged document. On December 28, Martinez presented a fake United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Passport to an immigration officer using his own identity. The police said that at Moleson Creek, Corentyne, Berbice the Cuban attempted to defraud Inspector John Brown by
stating that the said passport numbered 037651058 was his despite it knowing it was a fake. Additionally, Martinez was previously granted one month stay in Guyana which expired on November 10, but he failed to comply with the conditions which the police said, prevails around any permit that the State grants. He was permitted to remain in the country from October 10, 2013 to November 9, 2013 but he overstayed the allowed period. Lance Corporal Renetta Bentham who was prosecuting in the matter told the gathering that the man had entered Guyana using Cuban Passport #10148033. He however had presented the fake passport to the Inspector who realising that it was forged took the legal course of action against him. Martinez was subsequently taken to the Criminal Investigation Division and questioned and
charged. The Magistrate had informed t h e c o u r t t h a t overstaying is an offence which attracts a fine but uttering a forged document carried a prison sentence and asked the man for a reason. Speaking through an interpreter from the Cuban E m b a s s y, Martinez explained that he was here waiting for a work permit. The Cuban man added that that’s the passport which was given to him from Cuba. In response, Magistrate McGusty claimed that she had seen no mitigating circumstances. However, before sentencing the man s h e r e l a t ed that she considered that he did not waste the court’s time. She said that the law does not permit anything but a custodial sentence and the man was thereby sentenced to jail. On account of the overstaying charge, he was slapped with a $30,000 fine.
Chainsaw operator ordered held for Christmas Day murder A chainsaw operator who hails from Region One, Barima Waini was ordered held by Magistrate Faith McGusty after he made his first court appearance charged with a Christmas Day murder. Yesterday, at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, Clinton Hart, 30, stood accused of murdering 23year-old Marlon Sam on December 25 at Kwakwani Park, Berbice River. He was not required to plead since the matter was deemed indictable. The Prosecution, which was being spearheaded by Corporal Seon Blackman, did not reveal the details of the crime. However, a source disclosed to Kaieteur News
that following an argument which occurred between the two, the young man met his demise at a nightspot around 23:30 hours that night. Reports indicate the two men were purportedly imbibing alcohol when a heated argument ensued. The source related that as a result of that row, Hart stabbed Sam with a knife. Sam reportedly received stab wounds on both the left and right side of his chest. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the Kwakwani Hospital. The matter was reported and the accused was charged with the capital offence. Hart was remanded to prison until January 10, 2014.
Clinton Hart, murder accused
Another Brazilian miner ... From page 9 (ATV) and were heading to Bartica, reportedly to purchase mining supplies with the intention of working through the Christmas holidays. However, they never arrived in Bartica. Their bodies were discovered in a decomposed state Saturday just after midday. There was no sign of their ATV. Meanwhile, an official from the Brazilian Mining and General Association told Kaieteur News that the Association had received reports that gunmen had attacked a boat transporting Brazilians in the Cuyuni River on Sunday. The official said that he
Edilene Fernandes dos Santos had received reports that a miner known only as ‘Branco’
was slain in the attack. The official also complained about the exploitation of Brazilian miners by rogue elements of the police force and some Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) staffers. The source said that many more Brazilians have been slain than have been reported. Meanwhile, other reports suggest that an armed gang operating within the Arimu trail, Region Seven is targeting miners; robbing and terrorising them. Police had indicated that they had beefed up patrols in the interior to cater for miners coming out of the district with their hard earned wages for the Christmas holidays.
Tuesday December 31, 2013
German-based energy firm in Repsol partnership to explore for oil Germany-headquartered, RWE Dea, says it has struck a deal with Repsol to explore for oil offshore Guyana.
Germany-headquartered, RWE Dea, has moved forward into the South American arena by farming-in to the Kanuku licence in Guyana According to a 4traders.com news report yesterday, RWE Dea has arranged a deal with Repsol Exploración Guyana (Repsol) to farm-in to the Kanuku licence operated by Repsol in the Guyana-Suriname Basin located offshore from the coast of Guyana. Under the agreement, RWE Dea will acquire a 30 per cent share in the Kanuku licence. After regulatory approvals the Kanuku block will be explored by a consortium formed by Repsol (40 per cent operator), RWE Dea (30%), and Tullow Oil (30 per cent). The licence is located in the prospective GuyanaSuriname Basin, 80 kilometres off the northeastern coast of South America and covers an area of 6,525 square kilometres. Kanuku represents a high potential exploration opportunity with significant prospectivity mainly in Cretaceous strata in water depths ranging from shallow shelf to 200 metres.
“This new project in partnership with Repsol and Tullow Oil is another showcase of our strategy of early entry in frontier and emerging basins with volume play potential,” said HansHermann Ecke, Senior Vice President New Ventures of RWE Dea AG. “The results of the past exploration activities of our partners show promising signs of hydrocarbons being present in the licence area, and we look forward to the results of the 2D and 3D seismic acquisition campaign currently underway.” The Kanuku licence is among a few that the Government of Guyana is banking on to find oil. With Trinidad, Suriname, Brazil and Venezuela already operating wells, indications are that oil is there. However, two separate wells drilled last year offshore Georgetown and Berbice failed. According to the news report yesterday, the acquisition of 2D and 3D seismic data covering 860 line kilometres and area of approximately 3,200 square kilometres, respectively, was successfully completed in
December. After processing the seismic, data will be interpreted together with already existing 3D data with the objective of identifying drillable prospects by the end of 2014. “Based on the findings, a decision will then be taken whether to enter a second exploration phase during which an exploration well would be due to commence.” RWE Dea is already present in the region through its farm-in to Block 52 midyear in the neighbouring state of Suriname, where together with its partner PETRONAS a 3D seismic survey has been successfully completed in November. RWE Dea AG, headquartered in Hamburg, is an international company engaged in the exploration and production of natural gas and crude oil. RWE Dea has stakes in production facilities and concessions in Germany, the UK, Norway, Denmark, Egypt and Algeria. Recently, following a key meeting with exploration companies, Government announced that the next round of drilling will not take place until 2015.
Fish Aggregating Devices ... From page 21 the “Caribbean Fisheries Comanagement (CARIFICO) Project is not just about constructing FADS and increasing catches: It is really about building local capacity of stakeholders and information base for comanagement, improved conservation, and achieving optimum sustainable use of the fish stocks while safeguarding the marine ecosystems in which they are found.” Through the CRFM’s cooperation with the Japan International Cooperation
Agency (JICA), Japan has committed over US$3.26 million to improving the contribution of fisheries sector of the CARICOM States by way of the Caribbean Fisheries Comanagement (CARIFICO) Project, designed to develop a fishery co-management approach suitable for each target country. “The application for the CARIFICO project was submitted to the Government of Japan in August 2011 and field i m p l e m e n t a t i o n commenced May 2013, less
than 24 months later. That is rapid turnaround for a project of this nature,” Haughton said. CARIFICO is currently working to e n h a n c e t h e partnership among fisher and countries through FADs co-management in six countries within the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), to promote sustainable use of fisheries and aquaculture resources by development, management and conservation of these resources, in collaboration with stakeholders.