Latest update February 6th, 2025 7:27 AM
Promoter challenges fraud allegations
Vijay Panday
The promoter who was accused of defrauding a Destra Promotion has “come out of hiding” with a response.
According to Vijay Panday, the Events Coordinator of ‘Slaughter House Promotions’ which is a joint venture between him and Keith Mordell, the monies he received from Mordell who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the promotional body, amounted to US$4,280. He plans to prove this with the help of his and Mr. Mordell’s transaction receipts from Western Union. He is expected to produce these documents by today.
Panday told Kaieteur News that with the money he received from Keith, he was only able to pay some of the artistes and the Sounds and Lighting crew. Most of them were part paid; some of them were not.
Kaieteur News understands that Slaughter House Promotions which was actually registered as Laughter House Promotions still owes a number of places and artistes, including Trinidad Chutney Star-Rick Ramotar and Mingles Sounds System, large sums of money.
Panday refutes Mordell’s claims that he (Panday) told Mordell that everyone and everything was paid for. Panday explained that he was always in contact with Mordell who he said, knows very well that there were some outstanding payments to the people involved in the show.
Panday also claims that Mordell who arrived in Guyana only shortly before the event, had told him that he was coming with US$ 25,000 to clear off all payments. This, Panday said, was agreed to before the commencement of the opening act. But before Rick Ramotar could finish his first song, the Mingles Sound System pulled the plugs and switched off the stage lights.
Panday said that among the many inaccuracies of the article was the line which stated that Rick Ramotar was pulled from the stage by his manager. Panday said that Ramotar was one of the few persons who agreed to wait a little while for his payment.
Panday added that they were getting a hard time securing sponsorship, as the event was a ‘wind down’ of the Mashramani celebrations; an event which was duly supported by many businesses.
Panday said that this resulted in him having to spend his own money on some of the ground works which included security deposits, as the money wired to him by Keith Mordell was not enough.
As far as allegations of him being “in hiding” goes, Panday said that it is not a case of hiding; rather, he said, he was being cautious following a number of threats he received from Keith Mordell. Panday told Kaieteur News that Mordell visited his home more than once, to “warn” him of his (Mordell’s) “people”.
The ‘Destra Berbice Inferno’ which was to feature performances by Destra, Jamaican reggae and dancehall queen ‘Cecile’, chutney star Rick Ramoutar, US-based chutney singer Jun Jeezy and Guyana’s Marlon ‘Malo’ Webster, was booked for the New Amsterdam Technical Institute Ground.
Panday expressed disgust at the article which painted him as a crook and denied that he was ever fired from Fire Fest Productions since he had never been employed with them. He said that he resigned from his job with Wild Fire Productions.
While Keith Mordell claims that he has suffered $ 6M in losses, Vijay Panday said that he is more than confident that the receipts from Western Union will definitely prove his innocence.
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