Relatives challenge court appointed receiver

Jun 14, 2010 News

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Battle over slain businessman’s multi-million $$$ estate…

With a bitter battle brewing over the multi-million dollar estate of executed businessman, Terry Bacchus, attorney at law Anil Nandalall says that the court should not add Bacchus’s brothers and his mother as administrators of his assets.
The lawyer, who is representing Kumarie Ramkellawan, Bacchus’s second wife, said that he has no problem with the businessman’s previous wife, Bibi Ally, who has two children for him, being a joint administrator because at the end of the day, the man’s estate should be divided between his children.
Ramkellwan has one son for Bacchus and according to Nandalall was his common law wife at the time of his death.
According to the lawyer, Bibi Ally, who has two children for Bacchus was separated from Bacchus at the time of his death.
The lawyer, who spoke to Kaieteur News yesterday, said that his client Ramkellawan was Bacchus’s common law wife for the past seven years.
“The couple was living at his mother’s home up until last year when they bought a home together,” said the lawyer.

Nandalall posited that his client was never in a visiting relationship with Bacchus. He said that Bacchus’s name is registered as the father of Ramkellawan’s son.
According to the lawyer, since Bacchus was executed, his brothers have been unlawfully removing assets from all of the businesses that he owned.
He said that the brothers have also taken control of all of the late businessman’s vehicles.
“They refused to hand over the keys to the vehicles,” said the lawyer.
The lawyer further told Kaieteur News that the night Bacchus was killed he had approximately $8M on his person.
According to Nandalall, the police handed over the money to the brothers and his client is yet to receive any part of the money.
He said that it was because of these reasons that he advised his client to move to the High Court and secure an order to protect and preserve her husband’s assets because they were being dissipated by persons who are not entitled by law.
Furthermore, Nandalall said that he had asked the court to appoint a receiver to take possession of Bacchus’s estate and also to prepare an inventory so that a net estate could be determined.
The court appointed attorney at law Kashir Khan as the receiver of Bacchus’ assets.
Nandalall further said that Khan’s appointment was impartial. But the slain businessman’s brothers and his previous wife want to discharge Khan as the receiver of assets.
On Friday, Bacchus’s mother, Kowsilla Ajodha, and his common-law-wife of 12 years, Bibi Ally, moved to the court to remove Ramkellawan as the administrator of the estate and to discharge Kashir Khan as the receiver of the estate.
Bacchus’s family wanted either his mother, Kowsilla Ajodha and/or his wife Bibi Ally, to be made the sole administrator of the estate, but the court decided to name Bibi Ally co-administrator of the estate along with the other woman.  The court will on June 17 decide on the removal and replacement of a receiver to the estate.
The lawyer further said that he recognises all the allegations which are going to be made against his client.
Nandalall said that he is cognizant at the fact that Bacchus has two children from a previous union, and they must get shares in the assets of their father.
Moreover, Nandalall says that Bacchus’s brothers and his mother are not entitled to share his estates under the law of Intestacy.
He said that the brothers are detaining and removing assets from the man’s estate, which is unlawful.
Bacchus’s relatives, including his brothers with whom he conducted business, want to secure his assets and hand over management of the estate to his mother and his common-law wife, Bibi Ally, with whom Bacchus had two daughters.
While the court battle is ongoing, Bibi Ally claims that the other woman, namely Ramkellawan, with whom Bacchus had a “visiting relationship”, is plundering his estate. Relatives have claimed that three containers of electrical items from one of his stores at Anna Catherina, West Coast Demerara, worth an estimated $50 million, have been removed.
Relatives are up in arms over the fact that the receiver has exercised his authority to seal the bond at the home of Bacchus’ mother, while allowing other businesses to operate.
Bacchus owned and operated several businesses in the city. These included two stores in the Regent Multiplex Mall and a store on Water Street. He also owned a bond on South Road and operated three stalls in Stabroek Market. On the East Coast, he operated the Double Discount Store, and 20 stalls in the Mon Repos Market. On the West Coast, he operated a business at 102 Public Road, Anna Catherina, where he lived. There he had a bond and another bond at his mother’s residence.
In a sworn-affidavit, Bibi Ally of 34 Gas Station St. said she married Bacchus in August 1998 according to Muslim rites and she remained his wife until he was killed three weeks ago. Together, they had two children, Theresa Bacchus, who is now 10-years-old, and Tereena Bacchus, who is now eight-years-old.
Bacchus was gunned down on Water Street on May 22, minutes after he had just left one of his business places.

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