Former GRDB accountant loses all extradition appeals -to come home tomorrow

Mar 05, 2019 News

A former accountant of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), wanted here by the police on fraud charges, has exhausted his appeals against extradition in Canada.
Peter Ramcharran is expected to be flown in tomorrow, accompanied by Canadian border officials.
According to Canadian officials yesterday, Ramcharran had sought a stay in the court order to send him back to Guyana.
The last possible appeal process ended with an Ottawa court yesterday refusing the stay.
In December, a Canadian court denied an application for refugee status in the case involving Ramcharran. The man has also been ordered deported.
Guyana had applied for the extradition of the official who is wanted on a number of charges.
Special prosecutor, Patrice Henry, had late last year told a city court, headed by Chief Magistrate, Ann McLennan, that the immigration hearing has been concluded.
Ramcharran had remained on a bail bond in Canada pending the outcome of the ruling in the Canadian Court.
Ramcharran is wanted in Guyana for alleged accounting breaches at GRDB, an independent state agency that regulates the rice industry.
Already, six former officials who were part of the former State entity’s board have been charged and released in relation to the said alleged breaches.
The Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) had successfully moved to the local courts, asking for an arrest warrant for Ramcharran.
In 2017, the Chief Magistrate issued the warrant after charges were filed against the fugitive.
The Government of Guyana in turn had asked the Canadian authorities to send Ramcharran back.
The GRDB found itself in the spotlight after a forensic audit of that entity revealed among some of the “anomalies” found were loans without proper paperwork or promissory notes.
According to information, the former accountant is heavily implicated in the probe with regards to the six former GRDB board members who have pleaded not guilty to the allegations.
The officials charged are former General Manager of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) Jagnarine Singh; former Deputy General Manager of GRDB Madanlall Ramraj; General Secretary of the Producers Association (RPA), Dharamkumar Seeraj; former Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, Nigel Dharamlall; former General Manager of the Guyana Oil Company Badrie Persaud and the Deputy Permanent Secretary Finance Ministry of Agriculture, Prema Roopnarine.
The charges against Ramcharran were read in his absence.
Ramcharran had reportedly been studying in Canada, when authorities swooped down on him in June 2017 following a request for his extradition.
A forensic audit, one of several ordered by the Coalition Government, had found several alarming things at GRDB.
From about 2009 to 2015, Guyana, under the administrations of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic, had entered a multi-billion-dollar oil-for-rice arrangement where GRDB was clearing out for farmers. However, millions of dollars of those monies were reportedly siphoned off via third-party arrangements including rental of ships and other sweetheart deals for a few millers.
SOCU is investigating other aspects of the audit report.

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