Police obtains phone records of complaint, witness

Assassination allegation

Investigators probing the alleged assassination plot against President David Granger have obtained phone records of the persons involved, as ordered by the Guyana Police Force’s Legal Advisor.
Last week, Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum told Guyana Times that when they returned the case file to the legal advisor on Wednesday morning, she requested that the records be obtained.

Acting Police Commissioner David Ramnarine confirmed on Saturday that those records have since been obtained from the local phone companies. It is unclear, however, whether the file has been resent to the legal advisor since Ramnarine opted not to divulge any further information when prompted by this newspaper. Nevertheless, he noted that the probe is “on going.”
Meanwhile, the Crime Chief had also disclosed last week that investigators have made certain recommendations based on their findings during the probe. However, efforts made by this newspaper to contact him for further clarification on this pronouncement and for general updates on the probe have been futile.
This publication understands that the stories submitted by the complainant and the alleged witness, who was supposed to corroborate the assassination plot, do not coincide; hence, the Legal Advisor had previously advised that a confrontation be held to make certain clarifications. This was done on Tuesday.
Moreover, this newspaper was told that during the confrontation, the alleged ‘witness’ told investigators that the complainant had contacted him and offered him a sum of money to give a statement to the Police claiming that he was present when the two businessmen contacted him (complainant) to assassinate the President.
According to sources, the complainant had only made the monetary offer after he informed the Police of the assassination plot. The statements from the confrontation were submitted to the legal advisor on Wednesday morning.
Furthermore, this publication was previously told that the complainant allegedly owes some businessmen, whom he accused, in excess of $8 million.
Independent investigations revealed that the man failed to repay the money and was confronted by his creditors. Based on his inability to repay the money and more so, out of fear of what the men are capable of doing, he allegedly levelled the allegation against the businessmen.
Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud told reporters last Friday that the Force’s Legal Advisor would have to determine whether there is substance to the allegation or if it is just a ploy to create mischief and based on her findings, the Police will take the appropriate actions.
The Top Cop had pointed out that if the allegation is indeed true, the guilty parties involved could be charged for treason, but if it was a mischievous act, the person who made the allegation could be charged for providing false information to the Police.
The matter involving the alleged plot to assassinate President David Granger was first brought to light by Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, at last Thursday’s post-Cabinet press briefing.
Shortly after news broke of the investigations into an alleged assassination plot against the Head of State, the complainant, a well-known barber of Grove, East Bank Demerara (EBD), appeared on a local private television station to relate his story.
In that interview, the barber revealed that he was offered $7 million and given a “long black gun” by a businessman to carry out the job of assassinating the President, but he had declined the offer.
Reports indicate that he subsequently filed a complaint with the Police, prompting the investigation which has been ongoing for over three weeks.