Magistrate Geeta Chandan sent a police officer on self-bail yesterday when he appeared before her at the Blairmont Court on a simple larceny charge.

The court heard that between October 3 and 4, Rasheed Yusuf, 35, of 241 Dindyal Street, Rosignol stole one silver BMX bicycle valued $6,000 belonging to the state of Guyana.

The magistrate sent Yusuf to sign his own recognizance after Police Prosecutor, Sergeant Satrohan Dayaram indicated that he was not objecting to bail. He asked that Yusuf be sent on his own bail as he is a “serving member of the Guyana Police Force.”

Defence counsel Joel Persid Edmond submitted, “it is an interesting phenomenon that my client was arrested for some money – $200,000 – that was missing and a gun.” He said the man’s wife was arrested along with him and he was surprised to hear that “all he was charged for is a bicycle.”

The lawyer questioned whether any other charges were forthcoming and when the prosecutor responded in the negative, he said “the police deliberately charged my client to cover up for the wrongful imprisonment.”

He further said that there was no issue of a missing bicycle. Yusuf is scheduled to return to court on January 28 for trial.