Latest update January 20th, 2025 4:00 AM
High Court bars Brutus and wife from US trip
…Court hears of 240 pending financial charges
Kaieteur News – Assistant Police Commissioner (ag) Calvin Brutus was denied a request to travel to the United States with his pregnant wife, Adonika Aulder, for medical care when he appeared at the High Court on Friday.
Assistant Police Commissioner (ag) Calvin Brutus and wife, Adonika Aulder involved in the 240 pending charges in financial crimes
Amid the on-going investigation into Brutus and his family by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), the officer made an application to leave Guyana today and return by October 27, 2024.
Brutus, accompanied by his lawyer, Earl Daniels, appeared before Justice Gino Persaud, who denied the application.
Justice Persaud cited the 240 pending charges against Brutus, involving allegations of financial impropriety totalling approximately $800 million.
The court also refused the application on the grounds that Brutus had not applied for permission to leave Guyana from the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Additionally, the court expressed concerns regarding Brutus being a potential flight risk, given that while he was overseas in August and his 42-day leave had expired, he returned to Guyana subsequent to his leave expiring.
During the court proceedings, Attorney Daniels told the judge that due to the nature of Brutus’ request to accompany his pregnant wife to the USA for urgent medical treatment, he promised the court that he will return to Guyana.
He further stated that Brutus was unaware of the allegation put against him by SOCU stating, “My client has not been called by SOCU to answer the allegations of money laundering or financial impropriety so far…my client learnt of the information through social media.”
In relation to Brutus’ possibility of being at flight risk, Daniels informed the court that after his vocational leave expired, Brutus made application for administrative leave. He also noted that the couple have substantial amount of assets within the country emphasizing that they would not leave their assets behind.
The lawyer also noted Brutus’ wife is expecting their child in March 2025, and if the requested travel is denied, she could be forced to wait until May 2025 for her next medical appointment.
Justice Persaud requested substantial evidence regarding Aulder’s medical needs, specifically documentation detailing her conditions and complications. However, Daniels was unable to present these documents during the proceedings.
Deputy Solicitor General Shoshanna V. Lall strongly opposed the travel request. She responded to Daniels’ claims about SOCU’s attempts to contact the applicants, stating, “Your honour, our instructions are that SOCU has made every effort to locate the applicants; it has been very difficult to bring them into questioning.”
However, the court was notified that Brutus resides nearby Fazil Karimbaksh, who is the head of SOCU. In light of this information, Justice Persaud questioned the difficulty of SOCU locating Brutus. In response, Lall noted that SOCU cannot forcibly question the officer.
According to a press release issued by the Attorney General’s Chambers, the State also outlined its objections on several legal grounds, stating that the breadth of the ongoing investigation and the gravity of the impending charges warranted the denial of Brutus and Aulder’s travel request.
They argued Brutus, is required to seek and obtain leave from the Permanent Secretary before he can leave the jurisdiction, in which he failed to do so.
“No such request was made or approval obtained for Mr. Brutus to leave the country as he wishes from 19th October to 27th October, 2024…Brutus having skipped that step before invoking its jurisdiction,” the AG’s Chambers said.
Additionally, Lall argued that Brutus and his wife provided no evidence whatsoever that the alleged medical treatment his wife seeks is not available in Guyana and failed to demonstrate any special circumstances justifying their travel to the U.S., especially in light of the serious charges looming over them.
The State further highlighted the public interest at stake, noting the significant scrutiny surrounding Brutus.
(High Court bars Brutus and wife from US trip)
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