ACP Brutus gets $6.2M bail on financial crime charges

– wife, 2 others also charged

Assistant Police Commissioner (ACP) Calvin Brutus appeared on Thursday before Acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty in her Georgetown court and had several charges related to fraud and money laundering read to him.
Brutus was not allowed to plead to the indictments because they were laid as indictable matters.
The Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU) has said that on January 11, 2024, Brutus allegedly instructed a Superintendent of Police to prepare and issue two cheques valued at $6.4 million and $7.4 million from the Guyana Police Force’s (GPF) Central Welfare Fund to purchase goods that were never supplied.
Further, on January 31, 2024, he instructed the GPF’s Finance Officer to submit 221 payment vouchers to him to procure goods from his wife’s business, but these vouchers were never returned.
Again, on November 16, 2023, the Finance Officer was instructed by the ACP to prepare a cheque to the tune of $20 million to purchase police regulation shoes for the Quartermasters stores, but those were never supplied.
In addition, several other charges related to purchase of lands were read to Brutus. Although SOCU had filed in excess of 200 charges against this serving member of the GPF, only 30 were dealt with on Thursday.
In light of these charges, Brutus was placed on bail in the sum of $6.2 million. He was granted $1 million bail on each of the two counts of money laundering charges, two counts of larceny by a public officer, and two counts relating to obtaining money by false pretence.
Additionally, he was ordered to post $1.2 million bail on four charges relating to misconduct in public office and $2 million for 20 charges of liability of official.
Bail was posted hours after the court hearing, and he will return to court on November 18, 2024, to face the remaining charges.

Other charges
The ACP’s wife, Adonika Aulder, was slapped with two counts of money laundering, and was granted $1 million bail. SOCU alleged that during December 2023, Aulder withdrew the sums of $243 million and $180 million from two separate Republic Bank accounts registered to her businesses, and these sums allegedly were derived directly or indirectly from the proceeds of crime.
Further, Brutus and Sergeant Kevin George have jointly been charged for allegedly withdrawing $22 million from the Guyana Police Force’s (GPF) procurement office on January 9, 2024.
It was revealed that George never made himself available for questioning, but his lawyers did indicate that SOCU seized the defendant’s vehicle containing his passport and Identification Card, among other documents.
In addition, businessman Asif Zafarally and Brutus have jointly been charged for allegedly withdrawing $71 million from the Guyana Police Force’s Consumer Cooperative Society for goods that were never supplied.
Sergeant George and Zafarally have each been placed on $500,000 bail, and have been instructed to report to Superintendent Mahadeo Singh every second Friday of the month until the determination of their matters.

Investigation
The investigation began in July 2024, when Brutus was placed on administrative leave after suspicion arose regarding financial irregularities. Initially linked to the Police Force’s Credit Union, the investigation quickly expanded following information provided by the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU).
The assets of Assistant Police Commissioner Calvin Brutus include $300 million in properties and $500 million across joint bank accounts with his wife. As a result, all of these accounts have been frozen, except his salary account.
As part of the case, it has been revealed that Brutus received monetary gifts from two individuals. These gifts included US$10,000 as a wedding present and $1,000,000 as a Christmas gift in 2023.
After the completion of the investigations, SOCU had approached the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on the way forward. On Wednesday, the DPP gave SOCU the green light to move forward with the charges.
This led to highly armed police ranks turning up at the ACP’s apartment to initiate an arrest, but he was not at home.
Meanwhile, speaking with the media after the ranks left, Brutus said the heavily armed ranks told him that they were at his house to execute a search warrant.
“But I invited them, not just the person whose name is on the warrant. So, they weren’t really too keen or interested, because they left. But I’m concerned about the level of force displayed here tonight. There’s no indication that I’m a flight risk. If I was a flight risk, then there are many options other than going to the official ports to get out of the compound. These routes that you can use.”
He added: “I intend to vigorously defend these matters, because there’s clear evidence that what is happening is a matter of manipulation of evidence, fabrication of evidence, just to make a case against me. I intend to defend all the evidence that is made…I’m concerned indeed for my safety and family. Yes, I’m concerned about it.”
He said the ranks did not say what they were searching for, nor was he informed.
“They didn’t specify, neither did they show me the warrant. No document was produced.”
He also said that he would continue to reside at the same location.
Last week, Brutus filed an application in the High Court in which he claimed victimisation among other things. The respondents are SOCU, the Government, the Commissioner of Police, and others.
On Friday last, he also moved to the High Court to seek permission to leave the country to take his pregnant wife for medical attention overseas. However, the court rejected the application, stating that the court could not accept medical documents presented without proper evidence, and underlined the lack of sufficient justification for the trip.
Further, the judge ruled that the application was premature, as Brutus had not yet requested permission from the Permanent Secretary of the Home Affairs Ministry, a mandatory step for public officials.
Weighing in on the matter, Attorney General Anil Nandlall indicated that Brutus would make history as the highest-ranked officer to be implicated in a high volume of fraud. He noted that the cop, who is on administrative leave, will be relieved of his position once charged.
“Brutus will go down in history as perhaps the highest-ranked officer of the Guyana Police Force to be implicated in this volume of fraud. I believe that he will go down in the Caribbean as an officer of such rank to be implicated in this level of criminality,” Nandlall said on Tuesday evening.
The AG added, “Obviously, when the charges are instituted, steps will have to be taken by the relevant agencies, and in compliance with the relevant legal processes, to remove Mr Brutus from office.”
Nandlall said completion of the investigation contradicts comments by the Opposition that Brutus would be sheltered, and the probe would be dropped.
“Now they have seen the gravity of the situation and the amount of monies implicated and the number of charges and the Government did no such covering up, they still are critical of the Government. I don’t know what else they expect or what else they want from the Government,” the AG said. (Trichelle Sobers)