Assassination allegation
Investigators have been asked by the Legal Advisor of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to obtain the phone records of persons at the centre of the alleged assassination plot against President David Granger, according to Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum.
He told reporters on Wednesday afternoon that investigators had returned the case file to the Force’s Legal Advisor earlier in the day, but were told to obtain further evidence.
“She has indicated to us that the investigators need to obtain the telephone records of two individuals, so that is currently ongoing,” he disclosed when asked by Guyana Times for an update into the probe.
According to the Head of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), he has since contacted the phone companies and indicated to them the urgency of obtaining those records.
“I spoke to the telephone company and I indicated to them the urgency (of getting the records by the end of the day),” he noted. Blanhum added that the Department would then do its analysis and resubmit the case file to the Legal Advisor this morning.
Recommendations
Nevertheless, the Crime Chief pointed out that investigators have been taking the necessary steps to ensure the probe was expedited. In fact, he disclosed that the investigators have made certain recommendations based on their findings during the probe. However, he opted not to get into details about what those recommendations were.
Guyana Times understands that the statements submitted by the complainant and the alleged witness, who was supposed to corroborate the assassination plot, do not coincide; hence, the Legal Advisor had previously advised that a confrontation be held to make certain clarifications. This was done on Tuesday.
This newspaper was told that during the confrontation, the alleged witness told investigators that the complainant had contacted him and offered him a sum of money to give a statement to the Police claiming that he was present when the two businessmen contacted him (complainant) about shooting the President.
According to sources, the complainant had only made the monetary offer after he informed the Police of the assassination plot. The statements from the confrontation were submitted to the Legal Advisor on Wednesday morning.
Monetary offer
Furthermore, this publication was previously told that the complainant allegedly owed some businessmen, whom he accused, in excess of $8 million.
Independent investigations revealed that the man failed to repay the money and was confronted by his creditors. Based on his inability to repay the money and more so, out of fear of what the men were capable of doing, he levelled the allegation against the businessmen.
Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud told reporters last Friday that the Force’s Legal Advisor would have to determine whether there was substance to the allegation or if it was just a ploy to create mischief, and based on her findings, the Police would take the appropriate actions.
The Top Cop had pointed out that if the allegation was indeed true, the guilty parties involved could be charged for treason, but if it was a mischievous act, the person who made the allegation could be charged for providing false information to the Police.
TV interview
The investigation into the alleged plot to shoot the President was first brought to light by Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, at last Thursday’s post-Cabinet press briefing.
Shortly after news broke of the investigation into the alleged assassination plot against the Head of State, the complainant, a well-known barber of Grove, East Bank Demerara (EBD), appeared on a local private television station to relate his story.
In that interview, the barber revealed that he was offered $7 million and given a “long black gun” by a businessman to carry out the job of assassinating the President, but he had declined the offer.
Reports indicate that he subsequently filed a complaint with the Police. The investigation has been ongoing for approximately three weeks. (Vahnu Manikchand)
