Charge against driver accused of stealing COVID-19 booklets dismissed

A city Magistrate has dismissed a theft charge against a man who had been accused of stealing over five dozen COVID-19 immunisation cards from the Health Ministry.
Police had alleged that 31-year-old Mark Samuels of South Ruimveldt, Georgetown, who worked for the Health Ministry as a driver, stole the cards in August 2021.
It was alleged that between August 22 and August 23, 2021, at Brickdam Street, Georgetown, he broke into the vaccination centre of the Ministry of Health, and stole 66 COVID-19 vaccination cards valued at $1014.

Samuels, who retained lawyer, Dexter Todd, had initially pleaded not guilty. When the case came up on Monday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, Principal Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus dismissed the charge for want of prosecution.
Todd had always maintained that the alleged stolen cards were not found on his client’s person or at his home. The prosecution had contended that during the period mentioned in the charge, a female nurse discovered that the lock on the cupboard in which the vaccination cards were stored was broken.
Upon checking, the healthcare worker noticed that the items were missing and alerted her supervisor, who lodged a report at the Brickdam Police Station. The prosecutor said that Samuels was caught on CCTV entering the vaccination centre.
In recent times, several Health Ministry workers, including those providing healthcare services, have been either charged with stealing or forging COVID-19 booklets.
In August 2021, 27-year-old Avinash Ramaherwar, who was a driver attached to the West Demerara Regional Hospital, was charged with stealing a dozen of the booklets. He was also charged with forging an official document.
Then in October 2021, two nurses attached to the One Mile Health Centre, Wismar, Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), were charged with forging COVID-19 vaccination books. They were released on $200,000 bail.
Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony has continuously warned that persons found forging and selling the vaccination cards will face serious consequences. (G1)