ACP Brutus withdraws High Court motion against Govt, Police officials

One day after being slapped with several financial crime-related charges, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Calvin Brutus, on Friday withdrew a constitutional motion he had filed in the High Court against several state agencies.
In the legal document that was filed earlier this month, Brutus had claimed victimisation and political interference in the investigation against him, among other things. He had named the Attorney General, the Minister of Home Affairs, the Police Service Commission, the Commissioner of Police (ag) and the Special Organised Crime Unit as respondents in the legal proceedings.
However, on Friday, Brutus, through his lawyers – Attorneys Earl Daniels, Yuborn Allicock and Domnick Bess – wrote the High Court to indicate his intention to discontinue the matter.
“The Applicant wholly discontinues and withdraws this proceeding against the Respondents…,” the document seen by the Guyana Times detailed.
The Notice of discontinuance and withdrawal was shared with the various respondents.

The move to withdraw the motion comes on the heels of Brutus threatening to make certain disclosures during the High Court proceedings. The senior cop is at the centre of a major financial crime investigation which stemmed from the alleged discovery of over $800 million in assets under his control, both in properties and bank accounts shared with his wife, the former Adonika Aulder.
On Wednesday night, Brutus told reporters outside his home that all the evidence on why he is being targeted would be revealed when the constitutional motion is heard in the High Court.
Brutus had made these remarks on Wednesday evening shortly after members of the Guyana Police Force’s (GPF) Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team, who had descended on his residence in the Police headquarters compound at Eve Leary, had left.
The police officer had told reporters that he was concerned about the “level of force” displayed.
“I intend to vigorously defend these matters because there’s clear evidence that what is happening is a matter of manipulation of evidence, and fabrication of evidence just to make a case against me. I intend to defend all the evidence that is made,” he indicated.
In response to Brutus, Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday challenged Brutus to come forward with whatever secrets and/or evidence he has to expose about those involved. The senior cop had named the Vice President as one of the Government officials who had directed that he be removed from the Deputy Commissioner of Police post he was holding within the GPF – something which Jagdeo denied. “Anything that he has and he wants to let out, let him let it out… I think it’s a form of blackmail. He thinks maybe there will be fear in some quarters of the Government that he could say something that is compromising to us and [the Police] would relent on ensuring that justice is served. He gotta be thinking again, if that’s the case.
“Whatever he has to let out, he could let out. He could say whatever he wants. We have no fear of whatever he wants to say, so let him say it. I will deal with it later. I will deal with it at the appropriate time,” VP Jagdeo declared.
Several months of investigations by the SOCU – the white-collar arm of the Police Force – culminated on Wednesday when the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) advised that the Police go ahead and institute the 240 charges of fraud and money laundering against Brutus.
On Thursday, Brutus appeared before Magistrate Faith McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, where he was slapped with 30 charges and placed on $6.2 million bail.
The charges are related to money laundering, and misconduct in public office, among others. He is expected to face additional charges when he returns to court next month.
Brutus, who was not allowed to plea, to the charges read to him, is mandated by the court to post bail at $500,000 each for two money laundering charges, $500,000 each for two larceny by public officer charges and $500,000 each for two charges relating to Obtaining money by false pretense.
Additionally, Brutus is mandated to pay $1.2 million for four charges relating to misconduct in public office and $2 million for 20 charges of liability of official. Brutus’ wife Adonika Aulder and his driver Sergeant Kevin George were also charged. Also charged was businessman Asif Zafarally. The trio were granted $500,000 bail each.
Brutus and the others are expected to make their next court appearance on November 18, 2024.