A Better Hope goldsmith, whose jewellery was seized at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) on Tuesday because it was valued over US$10,000, has filed a $10M lawsuit against the government on the claim that his fundamental rights and freedoms were breached
In a constitutional motion filed by attorney Anil Nandlall on Thursday on behalf of Richard Ramjit, it was stated that the man was questioned by numerous officers and held for four hours before his gold and silver necklace and wrist band were seized by ranks of the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU). Ramjit, in an affidavit in support of the case, said he was repeatedly accused by security officers of smuggling gold which he denied. He was then told that the jewellery was being seized because it was valued at approximately $4M, which is in excess of US$10,000 ($2M) which is the threshold at which seizures can be made under amended anti-money laundering laws if there is no declaration to customs.
The CANU ranks would have been working in accordance with the mandate of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), which was set up to detect crimes related to
