Nizam Khan, the man accused of offering $7 million to his neighbour and friend Andrif Gillard to assassinate President David Granger may have been framed
Corporal Jermain Laundry reading the landlady’s statement to the CoI
according to a statement from Gillard’s former landlady, Louanna Walker. Detective Corporal Jermain Laundry read the statement when he was recalled to give evidence before the Commission of Inquiry (CoI).
Corporal Laundry took the statement on July 19, 2017.
Walker said she knew Gillard for over six years and about three years ago, she opened a salon and rented a barbering station to the accuser. She related that during that time she had to make several reports to the Police Station because Gillard would not pay her the rental fee.
“He was living opposite me and he told me he was moving from where he have a taxi service and move to another property which is not too far from where his taxi service was at Diamond main road. He told me that he get a new place and if I want open a salon at the same property and pay him a rent and I told him no, I don’t want any salon in Diamond,” the statement read.
“I then asked him why he was moving from where he was and he told me it was a long story and I then ask he why and he told me that the people who he was renting the taxi service from, a man help them to win the matter in the court which he had with them and he has a short time to move off the property… he told me that a man name Nizam,” Walker said in her statement.
She said that she would have seen about two or three times when he came by the salon for Gillard to cut his hair and that Gillard would have accused Khan of paying to have him and his taxi service kicked out off that location.
“I then ask Andrif how he know that and he said “I does know anything I want to know, when I done with he I gon give everybody thing fuh talk.” I then told Andrif that he must not do Nizam nothing because he must remember he get a son and he told me he don’t have to beat nobody he will lost him away in jail. I then said to Andrif how you mean you gon lost he away in jail, what you gon to do him, you gon plant something on him or set he up with a gun and he said no. He said I got better things to do when I done with he everybody gon believe because people know me and he is friends and when I done plan I gon go and say that he pay me to kill (President) Granger. I then told Andrif not to do that,” Walker told the Police.
She explained that the conversation took place while Gillard was in her yard. The statement added that after Walker saw the allegations on Facebook and in the media, she thought it would have blown over, but it did not.
“I heard of the CoI and I decided to speak to my lawyer who told me to go to the Police. I was not forced nor coached to make this statement and I have nothing against Andrif,” she concluded.
The alleged plot was hatched in June 2015, but Gillard reported the matter to the Police on March 29. The Police Legal Adviser, Retired Justice of Appeal, Claudette Singh has since advised that the evidence was tenuous and that investigations should continue.
The businessman earlier this week denied offering Gillard money to kill President Granger. However, in the past Guillard had borrowed monies but never repaid him in full.
Lawyers for the Guyana Police Force and Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud have sought to discredit the allegation and prove that investigators had investigated the report sufficiently, instead of being tardy and unprofessional.
The CoI continues on Friday with Nizam Khan’s brother, Imran, taking the stand and Assistant Commissioner David Ramnarine and Inspector Prem Narine being recalled.
