A Brazilian national, who says he only travelled to Guyana to sell his bike, was yesterday denied bail after he was charged with possession of a gun and ammunition.
Ismaildo Mariano Defarie allegedly had a .38 Taurus revolver without being a licensed firearm holder on July 23 at Central Rupununi.
It was also alleged that he had 11 rounds of matching ammunition on the same date, at the same location. Defarie pleaded not guilty to the charges when he was brought before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
According to Prosecutor Vernette Pindar, on July 23, at about 2:45pm, police, acting on information received, went to the home of Francis Xavier and observed the Defarie stooping in the grass under a cashew tree.
Pindar said a search of Defarie revealed nothing but the gun and ammunition were found concealed in a bag some three feet away from where he was stooping.
The court heard that both the accused and Xavier were taken into custody and questioned about the items, which they both denied knowing about.
However, Pindar said that Defarie, through an interpreter at the Police Station, later said the items belonged to him.
According to Pindar, the man said: “Is me gun. I have it for protection.” He was subsequently arrested and charged.
But Defarie, who addressed the court through an interpreter, said yesterday that he knew nothing of the gun and ammunition. He alleged that it belonged to the people in the house, who threw him out.
When asked by the court what brought him to Guyana and if he had ties here, his interpreter, after consulting with Defarie, said the man travelled from his home in Boa Vista to Guyana to sell his motorcycle.
He said that he stays at friends whenever in Guyana. He explained that he came to sell his motorcycle but did not have all the relevant documentation to execute the sale and as a result travelled back to Brazil to collect them.
The interpreter related that it was when the man returned to Guyana that he was arrested.
He said that he did not understand the accusation against him and knew nothing about the items. He maintained that he came to Guyana only to get his motorcycle sold.
The prosecution, however, objected to the accused being granted bail, saying no special reasons were advanced.
A visibly sad Defarie was subsequently informed that he would be remanded to prison. The case was transferred to the Lethem Magistrate’s Court for September 3.
