Six attorneys have been issued fiats to prosecute a number of high profile matters, including the Omar Shariff case, and will be working closely with the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU).
Reading yesterday from a prepared statement, Attorney General Basil Williams SC told reporters during a press conference that the six persons were appointed by Cabinet. The fiats, he informed, were issued by Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shalimar Ali-Hack, to prosecute the case against Shariff, the former permanent secretary of the Ministry of the Presidency and his reputed wife Savitri Hardeo. The couple earlier this week faced a charge of failing to comply with a court order made in October last year. Shariff was sent on leave to facilitate a SOCU investigation related to tax evasion. Previously, the two were taken to court on another charge but this has since been deferred. Shariff’s services have since been terminated.
Williams stated that the Shariff case was the “maiden trial” for the team whose members could only prosecute matters with the concurrence of the DPP, except where a private criminal matter is filed.
He said that in addition, members of the team are assisting SOCU “in its preparation of cases to be prosecuted.”
When asked later how government decided on the persons to make up the team, Williams said he could not discuss internal matters of Cabinet, but these persons “are well qualified.”
The Minister of Legal Affairs declined to confirm a list of names printed in the Guyana Chronicle as being the special prosecutors for the Pradoville 2 case. However, three of the attorneys he named were on that list. Patrice Henry, who he described as a “solid police prosecutor for many years,” is the special prosecutor in the Shariff case. He also named Trenton Lake, who he said was on attachment with the DPP and Compton Richardson, who he referred to as a “giant in prosecutions.”
In response to a question on his level of confidence in these persons to handle these matters, Williams said, “I am not sure what you mean if I am confident… we have people who are willing, who are available and who have the skill set.”
He said it must be recognized that the 23 years of PPP rule were “brutal years. They were brutal on the legal profession because a lot of people could not afford to pursue their livelihood…” He questioned whether this government could have confidence in the lawyers used by the previous administration.
He said that even within his ministry there were problems with confidentiality in matters involving the PPP. “These are the challenges that we have been confronted with and these are challenges we will overcome and the country will be a better place,” he stated.
Pradoville 2 prosecutors
Several weeks ago, the Guyana Chronicle had identified Henry, Richardson, Lake, Michael Somersall, Hewley Griffith and Lawrence Harris as the chosen special prosecutors. This revelation came two days after Minister of State Joseph Harmon had said that the names would be disclosed at a post-Cabinet press briefing the following day.
At that briefing, Harmon declined to provide the names despite his earlier promise. It was Harmon who had first disclosed to this newspaper that special prosecutors had been chosen. Williams, when approached, had declined to provide the names.
Asked yesterday, he said that in the Shariff case though all six have been given fiat by the DPP, “it might not necessarily mean that all six will be working on that. They are also assisting the head of SOCU in preparing prosecutions and we have also identified persons from abroad who would come in in certain matters.”
Asked whether the names mentioned were specifically for the Pradoville 2 matter, he responded “I’m not saying anything. I’m saying that when the time comes we will make this disclosure.”
Since the names were publicized persons in the legal fraternity as well as observers have expressed surprise at the choices. They said that one would expect that anyone chosen to handle such serious matters would be very experienced.
Williams told reporters that these matters need to be handled cautiously and he mentioned Aeshwar Deonarine, former GPL Deputy Chief Executive Officer who had managed to leave Guyana before he could face charges. Williams stated that government also had to look at measures to ensure that persons who have filched taxpayers’ money and state assets are not “given a heads up so that they can flee the country. We could tell you that billions of dollars are out there and that’s why we are onboarding SARA in Parliament and that Bill is gonna be a very effective Bill…,” he said
A special investigation of the Pradoville 2 housing project, which was part of a larger probe of the financial operations of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA), was conducted by accounting firm Ram & McRae.
The investigation revealed that the allocation of the land was a clandestine arrangement that was handled personally by former housing minister Irfaan Ali and it was concluded that a criminal case for misfeasance could be made against the PPP/C Cabinet members including former president Bharrat Jagdeo who benefited.
