Police have signalled that the owner of the house targeted during elections night unrest at Sophia last year along with two others will be charged with unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition but their attorney Anil Nandlall says the timing is suspicious and they will fight the charges.
In a statement yesterday, Nandlall said that he represents Bibi Farida Prasad, of 589 Section C, South Turkeyen Sophia, Greater Georgetown, and Narine Khublall and Poonadai Khublall both of 588 Section C, South Turkeyen. He said on Tuesday, his clients were informed by a Sergeant Flatts of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Turkeyen Police Station, that they will be charged with the offence of unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition for which they do not hold a licence in respect of May 11th, 2015.
Nandlall recalled that his clients came to national prominence after their properties at the aforementioned locations, which were used by the PPP/C as a command centre for electoral activities in respect of the May 11th, 2015 National and Regional elections, were stormed, vandalized, looted and eventually burnt to the ground by a large unruly mob of persons on that night. Nandlall noted that his clients jointly suffered over $30 million in losses and damage. They wrote to President David Granger requesting compensation but to date, no satisfactory response has been received in respect of their request, he said.
The attorney outlined the actions taken by his clients following the incident and said it is extraordinarily difficult to understand the basis of the criminal charges which the trio now have to face. “The fact that they have come exactly one year after the incident excites even greater suspicion. My clients have been the victims of both political mayhem as well as gross violation of their statutory duties and incompetence at the hands of the Guyana Police Force (GPF),” Nandlall said.
“They now feel that they are being persecuted and the criminal justice system is being used as an instrument of oppression against them. They do not discount the possibility of political interference as well,” he asserted.
The attorney declared that the “bizarre” charges will be strenuously challenged and “when dismissed, malicious prosecution proceedings will be filed against those who instituted them as well as their superiors.” He said the State will also be sued for the damage and losses which his clients suffered on May 11th, 2015 due to the negligence of the police.
Nandlall had previously recalled that his clients had lodged a complaint with the police’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) because when the mob gathered outside of their premises, the police arrested the trio, handcuffed them and took them away to the Turkeyen Police Station, informing them that their premises are now under “police protection.”
He said the premises were only handed back to his clients on May 18th, 2015. “It was during the period that the police had possession of the premises, eyewitnesses confirmed that in the presence of the police, the mobs stormed my clients’ properties, looted, destroyed and burnt same to the ground. Several vehicles, some owned by my clients, and which were parked in front of their premises, were also vandalized and burnt,” the attorney said.
He added that eyewitnesses’ statements were submitted to OPR detailing that the police did nothing while the mobs were removing his clients’ properties, including household appliances, and motorcycles. He said fire was set to his clients’ premises, Molotov cocktails, bricks, bottles and other missiles were launched openly – all in the full view of the police with no actions taken by them.
The attorney said Prasad is and has been licenced to possess a .32 firearm handgun since 1998. Narine Khublall is a member of the South Turkeyen Community Policing Group, is the Chairman of Division C “2”of Community Policing and is also the Vice- Chairman of the National Community Policing of Guyana, he said. Nandlall added that Khublall has held these positions for a number of years. By virtue of these positions he is authorised and licenced to possess a shotgun, the attorney said.
He recalled that on May 11, 2015, prior to taking the trio into custody, the police requested that they surrender possession of their respective firearms and ammunition. According to Nandlall, the police requested copies of his clients’ firearm licences which were handed over, duly examined and handed back to his clients.
“Both of my clients’ firearm licences were valid and in force. In fact, at no time whatsoever over the last year, until May 10th, 2016, did anyone make any allegation that my clients had in their possession, firearms and ammunition without licences. Indeed, since May 12th, 2015, Bibi Farida Prasad’s .32 Taurus pistol was returned to her but without the ammunition. However, the weapon assigned to Narine Khublall, which is the property of the State was never returned to him,” Nandlall said while expressing concern about the charges.
