The prosecution yesterday closed its case against the three police officers who were charged with forging several questionnaires for the learner drivers’ theoretical examination in 2018.
Ryan Gray, Shenese Fraser and Alfred Parks are before Principal Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus, who is presiding over the trial.
The 12 charges against Parks allege that on April 12th, 2018, at the Felix Austin Police College, he conspired with others to forge questionnaires for persons who did not sit the examination.
Gray faces 20 charges which allege that on April 12th, 2018, with intent to defraud the public, he conspired with persons to commit a misdemeanour, that is to say, he uttered questionnaires, knowing them to be forged, in that they were not written by the persons listed.
Meanwhile, the 18 charges brought against Fraser state that on April 12th, 2018, with intent to defraud the public, she conspired with persons to commit a misdemeanour, that is to say, she uttered questionnaires, knowing them to be forged, in that they were not written by the persons listed.
When the matter was called in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court Three yesterday, Prosecutor Adduni Inniss closed her case against the trio. The magistrate subsequently adjourned the matter until February 28th, when she is expected to hand down a ruling on whether or not the trio will have to lead their defence.
In 2018, the Guyana Police Force had announced that the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) had launched an investigation into “seemingly massive irregularities” in the examination after a report was made to then acting Commissioner of Police David Ramnarine by a senior pastor, who received complaints from a colleague who invigilated the examination.
A statement from the police force had explained that while a total of 174 persons registered to write the examination, only 106 presented themselves on the day in question. However, 207 scripts were subsequently received at the conclusion of the examination, 155 of which were completed.
