In the run up to the 2015 elections the talk was about the level of corruption that existed in Guyana. The people were so riled up that they called on the new government to jail all those found guilty of corrupt practices.
There were probes into land deals that saw some political leaders acquiring property that many could only dream of. Ordinary people suddenly became filthy rich and the ordinary man could only sit and talk.
There were probes and there was some police action. People like Bharrat Jagdeo, Dr Roger Luncheon, Anil Nandlall, and Irfaan Ali found themselves on the other side of the law. Jagdeo faced a private criminal charge in Berbice but not for one moment was he detained by the police.
Irfaan Ali faced 18 fraud charges and appeared in court but never for one moment was he required to spend time in police custody. The same could be said for Anil Nandlall.
Many people employed by the Guyana Rice Board were placed before the courts. One of them was a Deputy Permanent Secretary.
It must have been a respect for people’s liberty and a firm adherence to the tenet that a person is innocent until proven guilty that none of these people ever spent a night in the police lockups.
When they appeared in court they were released on their own recognizance. One person was asked to post substantial bail. That was former Minister Jennifer Westford. She was charged with larceny of public funds. But even she was not required to spend a night in jail.
The government changed this year but for some, memories don’t leave. I could imagine the festering anger on the part of Bharrat Jagdeo, Anil Nandlall, Irfaan Ali and the others at being challenged to defend their innocence. They simply could not wait to grab the reins of power to exact their revenge.
The first thing that happened was that they got some people to file private criminal charges against those elections officials who participated in the March 2 elections. Even with the private criminal charges the courts set bail that made some people shiver. Forget about recognizance.
Volda Lawrence was a Minister of Health; that mattered not. She was asked to post substantial bail on each charge she faced.
Clairmont Mingo was the Region Four Returning Officer. The angry horde tore into him like hyenas. And they got the police to do what they themselves would have liked to do if only they had the authority to. The Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, was not spared.
What brought the glaring witch-hunt to the fore was the fact that the state then filed charges similar to those filed by the private sponsors. The charges brought by the police mirrored those brought by the private citizens.
So people were charged twice for the same offence. The courts also doubled the punishment. The courts always say that bail is to ensure one’s appearance in the courts.
In this case although the parties were on bail, some having sped a few days in the prison cells, they court imposed even more bail. It seemed as if the courts were being instructed by the state or that the magistrates simply did not want to rock the boat.
There were other targets. People had their contracts terminated for no other reason than they were perceived to be supporters of the coalition. Vincent Adams was terminated because, according to the president, he was a member of the Alliance for Change.
The icing on the cake was the detention of Colvin Heath London. He was head of the Special Projects Unit. He had nothing to do with NICIL until this year but Anil Nandlall still seething from the criminal charges brought against him, called on the police to arrest Heath London.
There is nothing to charge Heath London with but the aim is to ensure that they lock him up, even if only for a few days. So Heath London is in custody answering mundane questions. Even his interrogators were not sure about what they wanted to know.
The police proceeded to hold him for three days. Acting on the instructions of the people who hold the reins of power the police were advised to seek an extension of the time for them to keep Heath London in custody.
The intervention of attorney at law Nigel Hughes put a spanner in the works so Heath London was released on bail set at $200,000. He was asked to return for further questioning. He has not been charged.
The exercise is seen as an attempt to destroy Heath London’s reputation.
The saga does not end there. Attorney at Law James Bond was also taken into custody. The state is alleging a conspiracy to defraud. Where the coalition had a healthy regard for people’s liberty the Irfaan Ali administration has no consideration.
