A Police corporal was charged with three counts of money laundering when he appeared at the Leonora Magistrate’s Court on the West Coast of Demerara (WCD) on Thursday.
Represented by Attorney-at-Law Dexter Todd, Corporal Rawl Richards Haynes of Hydronie, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) was brought before Magistrate Zamena Ali Seepaul, a statement from the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) has said.
Two of these charges had similar particulars; to wit that on April 7, 2020, with the aim of concealing or disguising the illicit origin of the cash, he converted $7,000,000 and $1,000,000 respectively for part payment of properties located at Lots 284 and 285 Block 8 Tuschen, EBE, knowing or having reason to believe that the sums of money were the proceeds of crime.
According to the particulars of the last charge, with the aim of concealing or disguising the illicit origin of the cash, on August 22, 2019, he converted $2,900,000 for payment of one Toyota Allion motorcar, PYY 357, knowing or having reason to believe that the sum was the proceeds of crime.
Rawl Richards Haynes was not required to plead to these indictable charges, which are in contravention of Section (3) (1) (a) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act.
In March 2021, Corporal Haynes, along with retired Assistant Commissioner of Police Kevin Adonis and Police Sergeants Michael Corbin and Jermaine Fraser, was charged by SOCU with conspiracy to defraud the Guyana Police Force (GPF) of $19M. Corporal Haynes, who had been under SOCU’s radar since 2020, was also charged with the offence of larceny by public officer.
These charges were laid after it was discovered by the GPF that millions of dollars were fraudulently stolen in conspiracies allegedly between several senior and junior officers. Hence, the cases were referred to SOCU for investigation and prosecution. Several senior and junior officers were charged and placed before the courts for several fraud-related offences and conspiracies to defraud the GPF.
According to SOCU Head, Assistant Police Commissioner Fizal Karimbaksh, the Police Corporal did a number of substantial cash-based transactions. On April 7, 2020, Corporal Haynes purchased a property at Lot 285 Block 8, Plantation Tuschen, EBE for $13M, and on the same day, he purchased a portion of land situated at Lot 284 Block 8 Plantation Tuschen, EBE for $2M. These properties are situated next to each other.
SOCU pointed out that official documents suggested that the properties would be transferred to Haynes upon completion of court proceedings which are presently pending.
The Head of SOCU noted that Haynes purchased two motorcars between August 2019 and February 2020, and SOCU currently has a restraining order on one of the vehicles. (G1)
