Latest update November 26th, 2024 1:00 AM
Drama heats up in Berbice carpenter murder case… Attorney Chandra Sohan grilled in witness tampering probe
The drama escalated yesterday in the Faiyaz Narinedatt murder case, with police hauling in attorney-at-law Berbice attorney Chandra Sohan for questioning into allegations of witness tampering.
Murder accused, Marcus Bisram
The controversial attorney and former magistrate was held at around 16:00 hrs yesterday near his home. He was questioned extensively before being released yesterday evening.
His arrest came just a day after ranks from the Guyana Police Force (GPF)’s Major Crimes Unit detained a 21-year-old eyewitness in the case, for allegedly attempting to persuade another key witness to change his story.
Kaieteur News understands that the investigators arrested attorney at law Sohan based on statements they received from the detained man.
The eyewitness reportedly identified an individual in the legal fraternity whom he claimed influenced him to persuade another witness to also change his story.
It is alleged that a woman who is close to an individual who has been charged with murdering the carpenter, went to the home of the 21-year-old eyewitness and said that the eyewitness “could send a lot of people to prison.”
The woman allegedly advised the eyewitness to visit someone in the legal fraternity at that person’s office.
“He get frighten and went to (the legal official) and (the legal official) ask he what exactly he told the police, and he (eyewitness) said what he saw the night Narinedatt was murdered,” a source in ‘B’ Division said.
The witness was reportedly then told to change his story and to tell the court that the police had forced him to sign the statement.
“I heard he (witness) told the police that (the individual in the legal profession) tell he that he gon take care of him if he changed his statement.”
The eyewitness was reportedly reassured that the police could not “do him anything,” if he changed his statement.
Kaieteur News was informed that this eyewitness was then instructed to visit other witnesses and convince them to change their statements, since it will be in their best interest.
Attorney-at-Law Chandra Sohan
Police are said to be looking for the woman who was involved in the alleged attempts to pervert the course of justice.
Kaieteur News understands that Sohan was accompanied by two other attorneys when he was taken into custody.
In a brief telephone interview after his release, Sohan confirmed that he was questioned about allegations of witness tampering.
He denied the allegation.
It is not the first time the former magistrate found himself in hot water. In July last, Sohan was arrested at the Springlands Magistrate Court for attempting to pervert the course of justice in the murder of Narinedatt.
Kaieteur News has been informed that all the witnesses were videotaped explaining what they saw the night Narinedatt was murdered and if anyone decides to change their story, then they will be committing perjury which is non-bailable.
Early this month, a New York judge ordered that the alleged mastermind behind the murder, businessman Marcus Brian Bisram, be extradited. The Secretary of State will hand over Bisram to the US marshals pending his extradition.
However, there are some formalities to be handled by the Secretary of State before he can be placed on a plane.
The processing of Bisram would come in seeming record time as it was only eight months ago that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requested that he be sent back to Guyana to face a murder charge in the killing of Faiyaz Narinedatt.
Narinedatt was beaten after he allegedly rebuffed Bisram’s sexual advances early November 1, last year. Radesh Motie; Diadath Datt, 18; Harripaul Parsram, 49, and Niran Yacoob, 37, were remanded to prison for the murder. Also charged was Bisram’s mom, Shermella Inderjali, 45, a mother of two, of Number 71 Village, Corentyne, Berbice.
She and Maryanne Lionel, 25, a bank teller of Republic Bank, also of Number 71 Village, Corentyne, Berbice were arrested during a sting operation. They were charged for willfully attempting to pervert the course of justice.
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