Bail for cops charged with pilfering gold money

The three policemen charged with stealing millions they retrieved from suspects held for the robbery and murder of gold dealer Dweive Kant Ramdass yesterday petitioned the High Court for bail and were granted pre-trial liberty by acting Chief Justice Ian Chang.

Attorneys-at-law Nigel Hughes and James Bond appeared for the men and successfully petitioned for bail. The men, Cadet Officer Kevon Denny and police constables Gordon James and Leyland Fraser were said to have been released sometime in the afternoon.

The charge of simple larceny was initially read to the trio, but was later withdrawn and a charge of larceny by public officers was instituted when they appeared before Magistrate Fazil Azeez at Vreed-en-Hoop earlier this week- they pleaded not guilty to the new charge and were further remanded.

It is alleged that on August 20, at Schoonard, West Bank Demerara, the policemen all attached to the Leonora Police Station took $5.8M from Shawn Ageda, of which they stole $4.3M from the said Shawn Ageda. The money is said to be the property of Azeem Baksh.

Three Coast Guards, Sherwyn Harte, Delon Gordon and Deon Greenidge were charged with the murder of Ramdass between August 20 and August 22 at Caiman Hole, East Bank Essequibo. Ramdass was on his way to Bartica with the money in a box to conduct business for his employer when he was taken off a boat he was in at Parika by three ranks in a Coast Guard vessel. The vessel left with the man heading in the direction of Bartica and that was the last time he was seen alive.