State Attorney to prosecute Jennifer Westford’s multi-million-dollar fraud case

Aug 06, 2016 News

An Attorney-at -Law attached to the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions, (DPP), is scheduled to enter an appearance on behalf of the State in the case for which former Public Service Minister, Dr. Jennifer Westford,

Dr. Jennifer Westford

and her assistant Margaret Cummings are charged with the misappropriation of over $600M from the State.
The announcement came yesterday when the matter was called up before Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. The court heard that State Attorney, Teeshana Lake, will be prosecuting the case, when the matter is called on the next occasion. The matter was previously in the hands of Police Prosecutors.
The matter was adjourned to August 11, for continuation. Lake’s appointment follows a public debate on whether Police Prosecutors are equipped to debate in court with Attorneys-at-Law and Senior Counsel, in matters of interest to the State.
Particular mention was made to Westford’s case in which the defendants are represented by trained Attorneys-at-Law and even Senior Counsel (SC), while the state is represented by police Prosecutors without comparative legal training; clearly disadvantageous to the state. Many lawyers raised concern over the issue.
Responding to questions at a Press conference, former Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee noted that the police are at a disadvantage, because of their limited training and experience in the field of law.
“The experience is important. But the experience, together with the legal training, is probably the best way to go,” Rohee stated
He added that in the Justice Sector Improvement Programme, which is a companion of the Citizens’ Security Programme, it had been a recommendation that Police Prosecutors should be seconded to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP)’s Chambers.”
The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary stated that between three and five of these Prosecutors were seconded to the Chambers, in what was expected to be an ongoing process. He noted that the whole idea was for Police Prosecutors to move over in their entirety to the DPP chambers, though he admitted that they were not necessarily trained lawyers.
Rohee stated that while it was recommended that the DPP Chambers have Police Prosecutors seconded to it; the force’s budget should have provisions for a contingent to be sent for legal training annually.
In fact, (Minister of Public Security Khemraj) Ramjattan, did say, that they would spare no ends in training police. So in keeping with that undertaking, and in keeping with the Justice Sector Improvement Programme, I think that is the course that should be taken.”
“More police should be sent for training to be lawyers first of all, particularly in prosecution matters. And then on their return they should be posted to strengthen the DPP’s Chambers, to make it a stronger and enhanced autonomous body,” he opined.
Rohee pointed particularly to the need for skilled prosecutors in high profile cases, such as the one which implicated his colleague Dr. Westford and her assistant, Margaret Cummings.
Dr. Westford is a current Member of Parliament for the PPP. She and Cummings are facing 24 simple larceny charges. The charges allege that between August 2011 and April 2015, while being employed in the Public Service of the Government of Guyana, they stole the sum of $639.4M belonging to the state. They allegedly received the money by virtue of their employment.

1 thoughts on “State Attorney to prosecute Jennifer Westford’s multi-million-dollar fraud case”

Devil's advocate August 7, 2016 at 5:18 am

the time and resources the state would be investing in this trial would be squandered if the prosecution is illequipped …..
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