The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has recommended that a policeman be criminally charged in connection with the murder of well-known businessman Mohamed F Khan while another should face departmental charges for his role in the crime.
Stabroek News was reliably informed that last week, police sent a file to the DPP’s Chambers located at Eve Leary with respect to three persons – a retired Assistant Commissioner of Police (ASP) and two policemen. They were all detained and questioned after a murder accused implicated them in the murder of the businessman.
The Chambers in a short press release yesterday said that the file was received last Thursday and was returned to the Guyana Police Force earlier in the day with the recommended advice.
When contacted late yesterday Crime Chief Leslie James told Stabroek News that the file had been received. He confirmed that advice was being sought with regards to multiple persons. He later said that charges were recommended. Asked for more information on the charges he responded “I would prefer to just say charges were recommended”.
This newspaper has since learnt that it was recommended that a police sergeant be charged with conspiracy to commit murder. The DPP also recommended that another police sergeant be charged departmentally with neglect of duty. There was insufficient evidence to recommend that charges be instituted against the ASP, this newspaper was told. The police were also advised to conduct further investigations and the specific information required was indicated in the file which was returned.
According to reports, police swung into action a few weeks ago after alleged hit-man Lennox Wayne called “Two Colours” began implicating persons. Wayne alleged that he was framed for the murder of teenager Ashmini Harriram on July 10 last year. It was after an intense police investigation that Wayne was caught and placed before the court on September 8 last. Wayne and his alleged accomplice Melroy Doris who was also charged were arrested days earlier.
It is suspected that MFK disappeared on August 9 last after visiting a lawyer’s office and was subsequently murdered. The ASP was said to have telephoned Khan on the day he was last seen. Wayne has reportedly given a statement to police detailing everything that he knows about Khan’s murder.
Khan was reported missing last October by a friend on behalf of relatives. He had travelled from his home in Venezuela where he lived with his wife and their children to meet with his attorney and to look after some business in the interior.
On September 22 last a decapitated corpse was found at Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara. The corpse was also missing one leg from the knee down and a foot from the other leg was apparently severed at the ankle. The head which was in a plastic bag was found nearby.
It was Khan’s wife who positively identified a belt and pants found on the corpse as being her husband’s property. A mark was also found in the stomach area of the corpse and it was believed to be from a gunshot wound Khan sustained during a failed execution attempt months earlier. The pathologist could not confirm if the mark was a gunshot wound, given the decomposition of the body. The cause of death was inconclusive.
Subsequently samples were sent to a lab in Trinidad for DNA testing. In March they returned with a positive match.
