Region farmers reissued land taken away under APNU/ AFC Govt

THURSDAY, JULY 1, 2021 5 News Taxi driver killed, body dumped at Ogle

A53-year-old taxi driver was on Wednesday found dead at Block 1 Ogle, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

Dead is Kenrick Trim of Belfield Housing Scheme, ECD. According to Police, Trim’s body was found at 09:00h at the end of Cul-deSac Street.

Police have since said that the man’s body appeared to have been dumped from a silver grey Toyota Premio car, HC 5311, which was parked a short distance away.

It is suspected that the taxi driver was killed during the execution of a robbery. Trim was wearing a gold chain and ring when he left his home on Wednesday morning, but when his body was found his jewellery was missing.

The man’s son, Kenrick Trim Jr told Guyana Times on Wednesday that he received a call from his mother about 11:00h informing him the Police had said that they had found his father’s body at Block 1 Ogle popularly known as “Pradoville”.

Dead: Kenrick Trim

Woman stabs brother during row over $1000

Police have launched a probe into the wounding of Ricardo Mahadeo of Silk Cotton Dam, Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo (EBE), Region Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara) who was stabbed to his chest.

The incident occurred on Tuesday around 21:20h at Vergenoegen, EBE.

Based on reports received, the 27-year-old Mahadeo had left his residence around 12:00h and gone to his aunt’s residence, where upon arrival he met his sister, her boyfriend, and two cousins, who began consuming alcohol. It is alleged that the man gave his sister $1000 to buy a drink; however, after a few hours had passed with no sign of the beverage, an argument ensured.

It was at that time that his sister’s boyfriend intervened as the peacemaker. Mahadeo told Police that his sister took a bottle that she had in her possession, and dealt him a lash to the left side of his head, causing him to sustain injuries. He reported that in anger the woman also took a piece of the same broken bottle and dealt him a stab to his chest.

The Police were summoned to the scene and the victim was rushed to the Leonora Cottage Hospital. He was seen by a doctor on duty, treated and referred to the West Demerara Regional Hospital, where he was admitted a patient in stable condition.

Mahadeo’s sister went into hiding, but her boyfriend was arrested as investigations continue. (G9)

The young Trim said he immediately left work and went to the scene, where he met a detective there.

“I went to Sparendaam Station because that was in the vicinity; when I got there, they told me that the Police did not come back from the scene and that I should go there… I went and I saw the CID rank there and he told me that my father had some bores on his skin and it looked as though they punched him in his face,” the grieving son related.

The young man said when his father was found he was lying alongside his car, and was bleeding from his mouth.

He said that his father would usually work taxi in the vicinity of Hinck Street, Georgetown, and had been working out of the location for about 10 years to take care of his family. His father, he added, had never been robbed previously.

According to the man’s son, his father left home on Wednesday morning for work, and he dropped his wife at the passport office, on the way. He said that was the last time his father was seen alive.

“It looked like whoever was the suspect, tried to escape with the car… they didn’t get to escape with the car because of the mud. The car was stuck in the mud,” Trim Jr related.

The family said the man’s death came as a shock, because he left home on Wednesday morning full of life.

“This has left everybody in shock knowing that everybody saw him this morning joyful, making jokes with my mother… this really shocked everybody,” the young man said.

He added that the family was hoping that the perpetrators would be discovered so that they could get justice.

Police have since launched an investigation.

Public harassment by minibus touts

Dear Editor,

This letter seeks to shed light on the plight that many public transportation users are forced to endure daily by bus touts.

Allow me to highlight one particular instance where I was on the bus park attempting to get into a minibus. Out of nowhere, I was aggressively approached by four men, forcibly beckoning me to enter the minibus they were touting. And if that isn’t terrible enough, one of the men even grabbed onto the bag I was carrying.

Much to my dismay, none of these men were wearing masks but yet they stood seemingly less than two feet away from me, with little to no consideration for my personal space or regard for the COVID-19 safety protocols and guidelines. The whole ordeal was quite traumatising for me. Both children and the elderly are subjected to this same awful treatment at the hands of these touts. This practice is beyond unacceptable

The whole situation begs the question, what plans do the relevant authorities such as the Guyana Police Force and the Minibus Association have to curb this issue which boils down to gross harassment? In my opinion and I am certain that my fellow Guyanese share the same sentiments, these touts need to be removed immediately.

I urgently call on the Guyana Police Force to address this matter which continues to cause distress and annoyance to citizens.

Sincerely, TC Graham

THURSDAY, JULY 1, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM APNU/AFC granted immunity to diplomatic agency from law enforcement

…agency used sweeping tax concessions to import luxury vehicles

Former President David Granger

Details are only now emerging of the sweeping concessions and immunities the former A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government granted to a regional diplomatic intergovernmental agency it hosted in Guyana back in 2018.

The agency in question, the Partnership for Sustainable Land Management (PISLM), was set up by the former David Granger-led Government. However, what was unknown until now was just how much members and non-nationals on this agency, headquartered in Guyana, benefitted from tax concessions and other perks.

According to the Host Agreement seen by this publication, the former APNU/ AFC Government granted the members of this body immunity from various arms of law enforcement. Members of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), Guyana Defence Force (GDF), the Judiciary or administrative, were barred from entering any PISLM property unless they receive the consent of the agency’s Executive Director.

“All archives and records, correspondence, documents and other materials of PISLM shall be inviolable… PISLM, its property, assets and other facilities, wherever located and by whomsoever held, shall enjoy immunity from every form of legal process except (if) it has waived its immunity; it is understood, however, that no waiver of immunity shall extend to any measure of execution,” the document states.

The scientific and technical staff of this agency were granted exemptions from paying income tax or National Insurance Scheme (NIS) contributions, as well as exemptions from paying customs duty and Value Added Tax (VAT) on any motor vehicles, personal and household items they imported within the first 12 months of their stay in

Former Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan

Guyana.

According to information seen by this publication, a number of luxury vehicles were brought into Guyana using this provision. These vehicles include a 2019 Mercedes G550 and a 2021 Cadillac Escalade, which arrived just days ago.

This agreement was signed into effect on December 28, 2018, by then Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge. Also signing off on the document was Chairman of the PISLM Task Force, then Guyana Lands and Surveys Commissioner (GL&SC) Trevor Benn. Benn has since been dismissed from the GL&SC and is before the court on unrelated charges.

PISLM was formerly hosted by Trinidad and Tobago, until the agreement was signed in 2018 for it to be relocated in Guyana. Following a high-level session of sustainable land management in 2018, Benn had said that the establishment of the office locally

would allow Guyana to play a leading role in sustainable land use.

“When it comes to the issue of sustainable land management, we are taking a number of steps, including for the first time in Guyana, we are going to be having a national land policy. We’re working on a national land policy, revising all of our land use plans. We are trying to make them more descriptive than prescriptive,” Benn had said.

Some of PISLM’s work had included organising a workshop for the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) national fo-

Example of a 2019 Mercedes G550 PISLM Task Force Chairman Trevor Benn

cal points from Guyana, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Dominica, Haiti, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Suriname at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre with the aim of setting the agenda for these sustainable land management discussions.

THURSDAY, JULY 1, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

IN THE COURTS

Fight over birthday dress lands designer, UG student in court

Abrawl between a fashion designer and a University of Guyana student has landed both of them before the court. Appearing before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on Wednesday were 34-year-old fashion designer Keisha Edwards and Melissa Calder, 25, a UG student.

They both pleaded not guilty to the charge, which stated that on June 16, at Georgetown, they unlawfully and maliciously wounded each other. They were ordered to post $5000 bail each. The case has been adjourned until August 10, at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

The Police prosecutor told the court that Calder made a down payment of $30,000 to Edwards for her to make a dress for her birthday. After completing the dress, Edwards sent a photo to Calder, who told her that it was not the style she requested.

As such, the customer asked to be refunded $20,000. Edwards told her that she can make the necessary adjustments to the dress but Calder insisted on having a refund. Calder told the court that on June 16, she visited Edward’s studio to speak with her.

Calder said that she was told to wait outside because too many persons were already inside. After a while, the woman said that she re-entered the studio after which Edwards approached her and pushed her outside. Calder recalled that she pushed her back.

Edwards, on the other hand, said that Calder became “heated” about wanting a refund and threatened to report the matter to the Police.

The fashion designer stated that she advised Calder to do as she pleased and she became angry and shouted that she would collect her money “today”. Edwards admitted that she stepped forward and pushed the UG student.

Meanwhile, in another case, Peaches John appeared in court on charges which allege that she behaved disorderly and assaulted a Policewoman at the Stabroek Police Outpost. John also appeared before the Chief Magistrate. She pleaded not guilty to the charges.

It is alleged that on June 19, she behaved disorderly in a public place and resisted being arrested by and assaulted Shanwa PennWilliams, a Police rank acting in the execution of her duties. The defendant was released on $12,000 bail and will return to court on July 8.

She was also placed on a bond to be on good behaviour. According to the Police prosecutor, on the day in question, John visited the Police outpost to report a matter when she began speaking in a loud tone and using a series of expletives.

The prosecutor said that although the woman was warned about her behaviour, she continued. As a result, the Policewoman went to arrest her. During the process, John cuffed the Police rank to her head and kicked her to the abdomen. (G1)

Keisha Edwards Melissa Calder

Incitement…

…to murder

Some say what’s playing out in Guyana is a Greek tragedy, but really, it’s not. Greek tragedies describe the pain and glory of the main character being rebellious, for a greater good. But while there’s a hell of a lot of pain for Guyanese by PNC’s shenanigans, there’s absolutely no glory – either to them or the country. And that’s because their actions have never been for the “greater good” which would give comfort – even if there’s suffering. They do say, no pain…no gain! But with the PNC it’s always about feeding their insatiable craving for power.

So, what prompted this chagrined rumination on tragedy by your normally ebullient Eyewitness? The charges against those four young men charged for the tragic murder of Haresh Singh, that’s what. And the tragedy is that this last murder wouldn’t have happened if the atmosphere in West Berbice hadn’t been poisoned by the political rhetoric that was spouted after the equally tragic, brutal murders of Isaiah and Joel Henry. These murders all occurred in a small close-knit community where everyone knew everyone regardless of their race, religion, ethnicity, or class. They literally ate from each other’s plates!

But Granger and Harmon –- locked in their insane insistence that their party was robbed by the PPP – ran down to West Berbice where one of the ambitious newbies to political office had already started to stir the cauldron. The call for justice for the murdered Henry cousins was transformed to a call for justice against the PPP! In addition to claiming absolute authority to interpret the Constitution as far as elections were concerned, Granger divined that the murders were politically motivated! Which in Guyana means that they were RACIALLY motivated. And advised that the residents of the Henrys’ village should form “selfprotection” units.

The initial, clumsy political attempt to charge all in sight - -only to release them soon afterwards – placed the spotlight on Haresh’s family. The next week – we’re now finding out – he was at the wrong place in the back dam at the wrong time – after the brother of Isaiah and some friends had confronted the former’s relatives. This was a tragic denouement with no heroes – simply a nihilistic lashing-out by young men after their elders from outside the community – who should’ve known better – egged them on! Your Eyewitness notes that the father of Isaiah preached understanding of the bonds that had knitted the communities together and not to take steps to sunder those bonds.

So, what’s next? While there’s been no further violence following the W Berbice murders and the ensuing anti-Indian violence, the situation has deteriorated considerably.

The atmosphere’s been made even more incendiary with challengers vying to outbid Granger for leadership!

…to stifle democracy

In addition to attacking our fledgling democracy’s constitutional underpinning – and in the streets – the PNC has taken another tack. Filing defamation suits against critics at the drop of a hat. But it’s not just the critics: they invariably go after the media – or more to the point – the newspapers that are assumed to have “deep pockets”. Another day, another defamation lawsuit.

Their lawyers are having a blast and laughing all the way to the bank as they haul in fees whether they win or lose – just like during the constitutional challenges. But what we have to note – and the PNC would have us forget – is that these defamation suits are actually being used to stifle the very essence of democracy. Which is that the people must be facilitated to participate in critiquing those who they’ve placed in office when, in their opinion, the latter are straying.

The letters-in-the press have become the equivalent of the Ancient Greece’ meeting place for citizens exercising “direct democracy”.

Save it!

…to steal

The PNC established a “Partnership for Sustainable Land Management” (PSLM). Its principals – including Trevor Benn of GL&SC fame – just imported a duty-free 2019 Mercedes G550 and a 2021 Cadillac Escalade!

Pilfering Never Ceases (PNC)!!

Readers are invited to send their comments by email to eye@guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, JULY 1, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM 1M barrels of oil purchased by India to set sail on July 4

India, which has for some time been in discussions with Guyana about purchasing crude oil, has finally concluded a deal that will see the country’s top refinery purchasing 1 million barrels of oil that will set sail on July 4.

According to international news agency Reuters, Indian Oil Corp (IOC) has purchased 1 million barrels of crude oil from Guyana. The oil, which comes from the Liza-1 field, sets sail on July 4 on a Greek tanker for India’s Paradip port and will arrive around August 8.

IOC is a State-owned oil and gas company headquartered in Mumbai, India, and administered under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. According to Reuters, this shipment of oil is a trial cargo. Efforts by this publication to secure a comment from Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat were futile.

While IOC is the first Indian State entity to buy oil from Guyana, it was preceded by HPCL-Mittal Energy Limited, a joint venture between State-run Hindustan Petroleum Corp and Indian steel tycoon LN Mittal.

Back in March, this joint venture bought 1 million barrels of oil from Guyana. In an interview with this publication, Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr KJ Srinivasa had described India as an energy hungry nation.

“You know, we are an energy-hungry nation. We import about 86 per cent of crude… And obviously, your Liza oil – “light sweet crude” are the words used – seems to be well suited for our refinery. We are working on various options now,” he noted.

Dr Srinivasa further reminded that India had expressed interest to buy Guyana’s share of oil through a Government-toGovernment arrangement, which he pointed out would cut out any handling or commission fee.

India used to import a significant portion of its oil from Iran and Venezuela. However, the sanctions imposed by the United States on these two nations has resulted in a massive reduction of those imports.

“We stopped receiving crude imports from Venezuela for last three, four months now. Every day, we used to get close to about 375,000 bpd from Venezuela,” the Indian High Commissioner had noted.

According to a Reuters article, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries’ (OPEC) share in India’s oil imports fell to historic lows between April 2020 and January 2021 after the body took a decision to extend production cuts through April.

Guyana, with US oil giant ExxonMobil as the operator, began producing oil on December 20, 2019, in the Stabroek Block. Guyana’s oil revenues are being banked in the New York Federal Reserve Bank, where it is earning interest.

In March 2021, the Natural Resources Ministry had disclosed that to date, a total of 5,009,797 barrels of oil worth US$246.5 million have been lifted. This sum, added to the royalties the country receives, took the total in the NRF account to US$267.6 million. And if one considers earnings from the sixth lift in April

Indian Oil Corp’s Barauni oil refinery

and royalty payments, this amount is expected to have climbed to over US$300 million.

Guyana received its first payment of US$54.9 million for an oil lift dated February 19, 2020. The second lift on May 21, 2020, was valued at US$35 million; while the third lift, which occurred on August 9, 2020, was worth US$46 million.

The fourth lift of oil offshore Guyana occurred on December 9, 2020, and came in at US$49.4 million in value. And on February 5, 2021, some 997,420 barrels of oil were lifted from Liza Destiny. A sum of US$61 million was paid for that lift.