ACP Brutus slapped with 21 additional charges, placed on $1.4M bail

– SOCU also charges businessman, police sergeant for conspiracy

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Calvin Brutus made another court appearance on Friday to answer to another 21 charges in connection with a sprawling investigation into alleged financial crimes.
The charges, filed by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), bring the total number of accusations against Brutus to 252, including fraud, misconduct in public office, money laundering, and liability of an officer.
Brutus, businessman Corwin Nicholson, and Police Sergeant Latoya Brumel were jointly charged with conspiracy to commit a felony. SOCU alleged that between December 2023 and January 2024, the trio defrauded the Guyana Police Force (GPF) over $101 million by securing payments for undelivered goods.
Each of them was granted bail of $700,000.

Brutus also faced separate charges of misconduct in public office and liability of an officer, with bail set at $350,000 for each set of charges. In total, he was granted $1.4 million bail for Friday’s court proceedings.
Nicholson also faced seven counts of obtaining money under false pretences and was granted bail of $150,000 per charge. His total bail was $1.05 million.
The investigation into Brutus began in June of this year when irregular financial activities were flagged in his Police Credit Union account. A subsequent probe revealed over $800 million across eight frozen bank accounts held by Brutus, his wife Adonika Aulder, their son, and companies registered in their names. These accounts were allegedly linked to firms supplying goods to the Police Force, which prosecutors claim were never delivered.
The latest charges add to 231 accusations brought against Brutus recently. These include 201 charges filed earlier this week, for which he was granted $10.5 million in bail, and 30 charges in prior proceedings, with bail totalling $6 million. Across all cases, Brutus’s bail amounts now stand at $17.6 million.
SOCU has accused Brutus of misusing his position as Deputy Commissioner of Administration to orchestrate fraudulent procurement schemes. Allegations include directing police finance officers to issue cheques for undelivered supplies such as boots, uniforms, and handcuffs.

In a separate legal move on Tuesday, Brutus filed a $400 million lawsuit against senior officers of the GPF and SOCU, accusing them of misconduct and abuse of power. He claims that between July and October 2024, their actions caused irreparable harm to his personal and professional reputation.
The lawsuit names high-ranking officials, including SOCU Head Fazil Karimbaksh, Deputy Commissioner Ravindradat Budhram, Assistant Commissioner Errol Watts, SOCU Deputy Head Mahadeo Singh, Finance Officer Bharat Persaud, and Deputy Superintendent Frank Harvey, among others.
Another police officer is expected to face charges linked to the same investigation, as SOCU continues its probe into alleged systemic corruption within the GPF.
Brutus is scheduled to return to court on December 18, 2024, January 17, 2025, and January 31, 2025, as the high-profile cases proceed.
As the allegations and lawsuits unfold, the situation highlights potential deep-rooted issues within the force, drawing public scrutiny to the role of high-ranking officials in safeguarding the integrity of the institution.