PPP/C will not allow businessmen involved in “illegal activities” to tarnish its reputation – Jagdeo

Aug 20, 2022 News

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By Shervin Belgrave

Kaieteur News – Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo at a press conference on Friday made it clear that three businessmen will not be allowed to tarnish his government’s reputation.

One of the names he publicly mentioned was Azruddin Mohamed, a businessman who came under the spotlight earlier this month after a detective, Police Sergeant Dion Bascom, made accusations that he was involved in the murder of Ricardo Fagundes better known as ‘Paper Shorts’ on March 21, 2021. Bascom had also accused the businessmen of being involved in an alleged police cover-up of the matter.

Mohamed has since publicly denied the allegations and has said that ‘Paper Shorts’ was his friend and he would never want to harm him. The businessman has since threatened to sue Bascom millions for defamation of character.

At Jagdeo’s press conference, he was asked to comment on the back and forth that has been playing out publicly between investigators working on the ‘Paper Shorts’ murder case and Bascom who has accused them of taking a bribe to cover-up the findings.

Jagdeo in his response said that President Mohamed Irfaan Ali has instructed police to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the case with international help.

The VP, however, pointed out that the opposition has an agenda and in its call for an independent probe would seek to hint that the government cannot be trusted to ensure a fair investigation is done.

Even as he questioned the credibility of Bascom and his allegations, the Vice President mentioned the names of three businessmen – Azruddin Mohamed, Tamesh Jagmohan, and Roger Khan – stating emphatically that his party will not allow them to tarnish its reputation.

Speaking in his capacity as General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party, Jagdeo said, “Tamesh Jagmohan, Azruddin Mohamed, and Roger Khan… Roger Khan was abroad while the two others were busy working making money and their concerns do not preoccupy me at night.”

According to Jagdeo, “…their concerns are also not the concerns of the party” because they were not the ones “going house to house” looking for election votes.

He then continued, “…the PPP will not condone any illegal act on the part of any of those individuals that I mentioned or others.”

Although inferred, Jagmohan’s name had not been publicly called in the Bascom matter.

According to, Jagdeo, if they are found involved in illegal activities, they must face the consequences for their actions, adding that they will not be allowed to tarnish his party’s image.

The acting Top Cop, Clifton Hicken, and his Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum, had held a press conference on Wednesday calling Bascom’s accusations of a corrupt Police Force false and malicious.

While reportedly attempting to debunk the accusations, they named Roger Khan as the person who had tipped them off about suspects Mark Richmond and Ronald Bacchus allegedly being involved in the ‘Paper Shorts’ murder.

The high ranking-officers even accused Bascom of working for an Essequibo businessman who was using him to victimise Richmond.

Mohamed in a Facebook post said that accusations levelled against him by the cop is an attempt “by his competitor in the gold business to tarnish his reputation.” Mohamed also sought to accuse the competitor of setting up individuals to take the fall for crimes and participating in illegal activities himself.

Meanwhile, Bascom at a press conference held on Friday by his attorney, Nigel Hughes, admitted to being acquainted with the Essequibo businessman but denied that the individual was using him to victimise Richmond and Mohamed.  He maintained that he had first learnt of Richmond after one of his superiors, Mitchell Caesar – a police superintendent he accused of accepting a $30M bribe to destroy evidence in the case – instructed him to arrest the suspect.

The issue between Bascom and his superiors began in February this year after Kaieteur News had reported that an arresting officer was threatened by a suspect called “Shop Man” in the Fagundes’ murder and police were doing nothing about it despite a report was lodged. The officer was later taken off the case and transferred to another location but the Crime Chief, Blanhum, had told Kaieteur News that it had nothing do with the media report.

He had claimed that the rank was promoted and because of his ascension in the Force, he was transferred.

Bascom, months later, in a Facebook live accused his bosses at CID of taking a bribe to cover-up ‘Paper Shorts’ murder. He’d identified himself as the officer who was threatened by the suspect and later transferred.

He also revealed that when the Kaieteur News report surfaced, the Force had accused him of leaking information to the media which he denied and still continues to deny.

However, it is the details that Bascom gave about the Fagundes’ murder investigation to support his claims of an alleged cover-up that raised eyebrows.

Bascom alleged that with the use of technology, investigators were able to place one of the suspects, Mark Richmond at the crime scene. Phone records, he had further alleged, show that the suspect was in contact with Mohamed during and after the time of the murder. When this information was handed over to his superiors, Bascom further claimed, they did not act on it.

Blanhum has since confirmed that Richmond was listed as a suspect in the murder and that the senior ranks at CID were aware that he had allegedly threatened Bascom.

Blanhum, had, however, denied that the Force was given or in possession of evidence implicating Mohamed or the suspect in the crime. He even denied that police have in their possession an equipment to provide that kind of evidence.

Bascom, during the press conference on Friday, maintained what he had said and confidently related to the press that he has evidence to back up his allegations.

More allegations were also brought to Kaieteur News’ attention that detectives were tipped off by an informant about a suspected get-away driver in the hit but police never made any attempts to arrest the individual.

The individual later landed in hot water after he was remanded for the illegal possession of gun and ammunition. It is unclear if detectives had ever questioned the suspect or if he remains behind bar.

As relates to the investigation into the murder of ‘Paper Shorts’, police have claimed that they had received international assistance and are currently awaiting overseas analysis on evidence collected from the crime scene.

Fagundes was riddled with more than 21 bullets moments after stepping out from a popular bar on Main Street, Georgetown.

CCTV cameras had captured his shooters emerging from the back of a tinted white Toyota Fielder.

Police were able to trace the car from North Road to Main Street prior to the shooting. They also believe that it was the car that was discovered burnt out at Swan along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway moments after ‘Paper Shorts’ was murdered.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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