Airport manager heads to court today on sex charge

Aug 23, 2019 News

The deputy head of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) is set to appear in a city court today to face a sex charge.

CJIA’s deputy chief, Andre Kellman

This development comes one week after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) advised the police to charge Andre Kellman, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
He is likely to be charged with sexual assault of an employee of a duty free concession that operates at the Timehri airport.
The case has been engaging the public’s attention since June.
Last week, the DPP in response to a request for an update on the file, said that the police have been advised to lay a charge of sexual assault.
The advice comes days after the alleged victim, a supervisor of a business which has a concession at the airport, complained that she is in limbo with her job with little word on the investigations.
In June, the woman alleged that she was held and kissed twice in the office of the manager when she visited him last year.
The supervisor claimed that she visited Kellman’s office, to ask his help in removing the wheel clamps on her employer’s vehicles.
The vehicle had been left overnight in the parking lot of the airport.
While in the office, the woman said she was blocked from leaving and kissed twice without her permission.
She claimed she did not have that level of relations with the manager.
The supervisor reported the matter the next day to CEO, Ramesh Ghir, who she said promised to probe the matter.
However, for several months there was no word despite her queries.
It was some time in June that after demanding a response, that she was told by an official of the Human Resources Department that the matter had been resolved.
She was not told how.
She later complained to the police and the media.
Days later, she was ejected from the airport and had her security passes revoked.
Kellman was sent on leave but resumed work after.
The airport’s handling of the matter had come under fire with the board of directors later making it clear that it does not tolerate workers’ victimization.
The board also said that it has ordered a review and update of CJIA’s protocols on how to better deal with issues like this.