Businessman denies connection to Senior Government Official

Jul 29, 2010 News

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Albouystown businessman, Mohamed Din, is denying that he used threatening language against police ranks during an incident last Saturday and caused his arrest along with his wife.
Din is also denying that he boasted of connections he had with a senior government functionary while he was being arrested for reportedly threatening his tenant.
The businessman’s firearm was seized and investigators have refused to return it despite instructions from a senior police officer.
This led them to believe that Din was using his ‘contacts’ to influence the work of the investigators.
Recalling the sequence of events before and after his arrest, Din admitted that on Saturday he and his tenant did have a verbal confrontation over a disputed property in Albouystown.
He said that after asking the tenant to vacate a property which he claimed belongs to him and his wife, the man informed him that they will have to pay him to remove.
According to Din, a police patrol unit was passing and he requested its assistance to have the tenant removed.
But after intervening briefly, the ranks advised the warring parties to have the matter settled in court, since it was not in the police mandate to force the tenant to leave.
The tenant, Francis Madray, subsequently left the house and Din seized the opportunity to employ the services of a labourer to clean the property.
Madray must have got word of the developments because within minutes he returned with two jeep loads of police ranks. This was about 20:30 hours on Saturday.
The police, Din said, proceeded to arrest the labourer and demanded that the businessman open his gate to let them in.
“My wife went down to them, and I told them that I already went to the station. But they began to rock the gate and my wife had to beg them to stop, that she will open the gate,” the businessman told this newspaper. He said that the policemen enquired from his wife if he was a licenced firearm holder and she answered in the affirmative.
“Three of them attempted to run into the house but my wife stopped them; she went and got the firearm and gave them,” Din explained.
By this time, more ranks arrived on the scene and sensing that the situation was getting serious, the businessman along with his wife and son accompanied the police to the Ruimveldt Police Station.
“One of the policemen, (name given) said that he was the destroyer and that he will see that I cannot hold back my firearm again,” Din said.
He said that at no time did he threaten the ranks nor did he use any abusive language despite police claiming that they have statements to that effect.
While he was detained at the Brickdam Police Station, his wife was taken to East La Penitence where they spent the rest of the night, having been booked for abusive language and threatening language.
Contrary to what was previously reported, Din and his wife were held until the following day before they were released on self-bail.
So far no charges have been instituted, but according to Divisional Commander George Vyphuis an investigation in underway.
“At no time did I mention that I was the brother of any government official. I don’t know the DPP and I don’t have any relationship with any senior police officer,” Din stated categorically.
He is linking his present predicament to a report in the newspaper in which he accused the police of callousness in investigating a robbery at his property on June 23, last.
In that report Din alleged that the police laughed at his report and he believes that the recent incident is a way of getting back at him.
Meanwhile, his firearm remains in the possession of the police.
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Rohee commissions study to decide if Special Constables should get benefits

Speaking to the National Assembly last week Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee, has revealed that his office has had to commission a study to decide whether or not Special Constabulary Officers should qualify for salary increases, overtime and leave packages among other benefits that are currently awarded to the Guyana Police Force.
His rationale for the fact that these officers were currently not entitled to the same benefits as members of the Guyana Police Force was that they are not members of the Police Force and that their unit falls under a ‘different regime’.
However when the point was raised by Robert Corbin, leader of the opposition, that some members of the Special Constabulary Unit are actually responsible for the security of senior Government officials including ministers and even the Commissioner of Police.
He noted that these duties gave them responsibilities equal to and perhaps even greater than those of some members of the Guyana Police Force yet they were not afforded the same benefits. He also pointed out that in these positions these Constables were called upon to work long and difficult hours yet at present they were not even given overtime pay for the time that they were working outside of their normal duty hours.
Rohee’s response to the questions raised by the opposition was that a study has been commissioned with a local consultant to look into the matter with a view to regularizing the emoluments of the members of the Special Constabulary.
At present, the issues of overtime and leave packages as well as salary increases are all being considered under the study. As a result, he was unable to give any answers.
Corbin’s suggestion that Special Constables at least be paid overtime for the extra hours that they are being asked to work at present was also buried in the response that ‘it was being looked at under the study’.
The members of the opposition questioned the Minister as to when the study might be completed and how soon after the findings might be acted upon but Rohee did not gave a date.
What he did say was that his Ministry has been aware of the matter for a long time now and they had the study started out of concern for the Special Constables – they did not need to be asked any questions to get started. He went on to say that the Ministry has already started to discuss the results of the ‘almost completed’ study.
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Relatives say Surinamese authority now distancing self from investigation

Relatives of the Ravi Ragoonauth, who went missing after the trawler on which he was working reportedly exploded, said that from all indications the Surinamese authorities have called off the search for his son.
The missing man’s father, Ram Ragoonauth, yesterday told this newspaper that after other relatives arrived in Suriname they were reportedly told by officials there that the incident occurred in Guyana waters and as such it was no longer their responsibility.
As a result, the man said that it is impossible for them to get any proper information of what really transpired.
Ragoonauth added that efforts were also made to contact another survivor, Sharief Khan, but that too proved futile. He said he is now of the view that the owner of the boat has something to hide since he is now refusing to divulge any further information.
He said that prior to yesterday he was being given updates on the situation but that has since changed. “First he tell we that de thing happen in Suriname water and he de helping we. Yesterday he tell we that he ain’t sure wha really happen and all of a sudden we can’t get onto he phone.”
The man added that some of his relatives who have since travelled to Suriname have no idea where the other two survivors can be located. “We hear dat he (Sharief Khan) went in de hospital when meh son go now at de hospital dem say how de somebody move he.”
Meanwhile the boat captain, Ramlall Ramjattan is said to be out of harms way as he is resting comfortably at relatives in Suriname. Ramjattan’s relatives told this newspaper yesterday that Khan is also in safe company with the boat captain.
Reports are that Ramjattan only sustained a minor burn to his arm. However up to press time yesterday there was still no word on the missing man. The family said that they are now left to make contact with the local Coast Guard who had initially promised to offer their assistance.
On Sunday last Ragoonauth was in the engine room on board the ‘MV Captain Tom’, and the other three crew members were on the deck when the vessel bust into flames. Two crew members immediately jumped overboard.
However Narine called ‘Barrat’, reportedly ran in to the engine room to inform Ragoonauth about the fire. It is alleged that by the time ‘Barrat’ tried exiting the engine room, the vessel was almost engulfed.
Narine, Ramjattan and Khan jumped overboard and were rescued but no one could account for Ragoonauth.

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