Trial of former rice board members begins

The trial of the six former Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) members, including two opposition parliamentarians, who are charged with failing to record entries for funds amounting to over $250 million in total in the agency’s general ledger, began yesterday.

On trial are Jagnarine Singh, former GRDB General Manager; Prema Roopnarine, former Deputy Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Agriculture; Ricky Ramraj, agricultural consultant; Badrie Persaud, business consultant; Dharamkumar Seeraj, the General Secretary of the Rice Producers Association and a PPP/C MP; and Nigel Dharamlall, also a PPP/C MP.

The joint charge against the six accused related to the sum of $77,333,199 for the period between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2012.