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Magistrate recuses self from Jordan’s misconduct in public office case
Kaieteur News – Principal Magistrate at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus, on Friday recused herself from presiding over an ongoing misconduct in public office matter against former Finance Minister, Winston Jordan.
Former Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, when he was first arrested by SOCU
Jordan was charged with misconduct in public office in December, 2021 and was released on $3M bail for allegedly selling a State Wharf way below its market value.
He made another court appearance on Friday, April 29, and his lawyers were expected to make their submission, but according to credible information received by Kaieteur News, the Magistrate assigned to the matter, Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus recused herself from the case citing personal reasons.
As a result, the matter was postponed until May 12, 2022 and is now assigned to court three.
The Misconduct in Public Office charge was brought against Jordan by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), an arm of the Guyana Police Force (GPF).
The charge alleges that while being and performing duties of Minister of Finance and being the concerned minister for the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), a company owned by the Government of Guyana, between February 26 and July 31, 2020 at Main Street, Georgetown, he willfully misconducted himself.
It further alleges that the former minister acted recklessly when he signed NICIL (Transfer of Property) Order, No. 50 of 2020, transferring to and vesting to BK Marine Inc. absolutely, all buildings, erections, stellings, platforms and further appurtenances that is to say, Mud lots 1 & 2, F of Mud lot 3, A, B & D, situated at North Cummingsburg, Georgetown, being over 2.553 acres, by paying $20,260,276, for a property valued over $5B and being sold at a price that was grossly undervalued to such a degree as to amount to an abuse of the public trust and without reasonable excuse or justification.
Jordan was not required to plead to the indictable charge after it was read to him.
On December 2, 2021, Jordan was arrested and later released on bail for a series of allegations relating to irregular transactions of public funds and state properties, estimated to value billions of Guyana dollars.
According to police, the first transaction that Jordan was interviewed on was in relation to the alleged sale and vesting of the state’s largest wharf facilities located at Kingston, Georgetown, valued approximately US$40,000,000 but was reportedly sold for US$500,000. It is alleged that the purchaser, BK Marines Inc., only paid US$100,000, which is 10 percent of the purchase price, and Jordan issued a vesting order passing Title to the purchaser, without the payment of any further sum of monies.
The former Finance Minister was arrested again on Thursday by SOCU for another allegation brought against him pertaining to the sale of prime lands at Ogle, East Coast Demerara (ECD).
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