Hours after the Guyana Police Force (GPF) tried to discredit claims by embattled Sergeant Dion Bascom that he was the person who presented then murder suspect Rondell Bacchus to Criminal Investigation Department (CID) ranks, Bacchus yesterday confirmed the lawman’s story.
Bascom, who has alleged that there has been a police cover up of the murder of Ricardo ‘Paper Shorts’ Fagundes, has made a series of claims, including the bribery of a senior officer to bury the case, and has sought witness protection under the Protected Disclosures Act.
Dismissing Bascom’s claims as “blatant lies” yesterday, the Guyana Police Force yesterday said in a statement that it stands by its position that Bacchus, once deemed a suspect in the murder, was presented to CID ranks at the CID headquarters by his attorney. The GPF also released a photo of Bacchus being interviewed with his lawyer present to support its contention.
Bascom’s attorney, Nigel Hughes, on Friday said after Bacchus was arrested, a video interview was conducted during which he said he was brought into the custody by Bascom. He said the station diary ought to have a record of when Bascom bought in Bacchus. “It was recorded in the station diary,” Hughes said.
Hughes’ account was yesterday supported by Bacchus during an interview broadcast with local reporter Travis Chase.
On April 5, 2021, the GPF issued a wanted bulletin for Bacchus in connection with the execution-style killing of gold dealer Fagundes. Just about an hour after the bulletin was released, Bacchus turned himself in at CID Headquarters, Eve Leary.
He was later released on $100,000 bail after the statutory 72-hours detention period expired.
Bacchus said in the interview that on the night that Fagundes was killed, he was loading wood into a canter on Waterloo Street, Georgetown. He recalled not hearing any gunshots, although the area he was in is in close proximity to Palm Court, outside of which Fagundes was killed.
Asked about how he ended up at CID Headquarters, Bacchus said “When I learnt of the wanted bulletin issued for me, the first person I jumped on my phone and called is my attorney Damien DaSilva. That is the first person I called and tell him that I am going down to Eve Leary with or without him, I am going down there. Then afterwards I jumped on the phone again and I called Bascom, Officer Bascom. I called him and said watch a bulletin issued for me and he come and he picked me up and we go in deh.”
Bacchus’ attorney, Damien Da Silva, when contacted by Sunday Stabroek, confirmed that he met Bacchus at CID but did not take him there.
“Bascom took me in and shortly after my attorney Damien DaSilva arrived there. Bascom picked me up from my house and took me in. My lawyer did not turn me in. Mr Damien DaSilva did not turn me in but he come shortly after and I let him know that I am going there. I never give him details [about] how I am going there with nor who is carrying me there but I let him know that I am going there because a bulletin issue for me.”
Bacchus said that he called Bascom because they are well known to each other. He explained that Bascom is very close friends with one of his stepsons and has been frequenting their home for a number of years now. Bacchus further stated that he called Bascom to escort him to CID Headquarters because of the fact that the latter is a Police Officer.
Bacchus said that he was tested for gunpowder residue and his fingerprints were taken. He said that he provided details of his whereabouts on the night of the murder, before adding that his home was searched but nothing was recovered.
He added that he has no knowledge of the murder of Fagundes and is at a loss trying to figure out why the police are after him.
Bacchus also said that if investigations were done into the claims about his involvement in the murder then police would have figured out that the information was false and baseless.
“Nobody never called me, nobody never approached me at none time at all [to kill Fagundes]…I put duh [crime] life behind my back a long time ago…I am making it clear, I have to defend myself by probable cause and I will defend it by all means necessary because I ain’t waiting on no police to come and defend me,” he warned.
He denied ever being a police informant and also said that the police can never produce evidence to show that he was approached to kill Fagundes.
“I never turn myself into no police station when my name called in a murder case. Back then [Mitchell] Caesar and them had to be looking for me. Their information is what had to find me,” he said. Bacchus said that it was Superintendent of Police Mitchell Caesar who arrested him for the 2008 murder of Akbar Alli. Bacchus was sentenced to 16 years, 8 months imprisonment for the murder of Alli and three years for an armed robbery as well as one year each for unlicensed possession of a gun and ammunition charges. The sentence was handed down by Justice Navindra Singh after Bacchus pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter. The time was to be served concurrently and time was deducted for the time he spent in pre-trial custody from the sentence.
Throughout the interview, Bacchus maintained his innocence as well as the fact that he did not know Fagundes.
After criticising Hughes for his assertions and request, the GPF statement said how Bacchus arrived at the station “is of no material importance” to the ongoing murder investigation
It maintained that it was Roger Khan, through his lawyer, who made claims that Bacchus was one of the suspects captured on CCTV footage of the shooting of Fagundes.
The statement said the police then made checks at the prison, since the last information the police had on Bacchus was that he was in prison and a senior prison official indicated that he had since been released.
“As stated, checks were made for Rondell Bacchus as a matter of urgency and when these proved futile, the police issued a wanted bulletin on April 06, 2021 for him. A mere hour after the wanted bulletin was published, Rondell Bacchus turned himself in to the police in the company of his lawyer and not in the company of Dion Bascom who made such claims,” the statement said.
The GPF statement came in wake of a news conference on Friday where Bascom and Hughes said they were still awaiting a response from President Irfaan Ali on his request for witness protection.
Bascom has also revealed that he has been asked by the GPF to report “immediately” for duty, although he is on sick leave.
‘A magical task’
Among the claims made by Bascom in his initial live video was that he was one of the officers who arrived at the scene following the shooting of Fagundes.
According to Bascom, he and other officers were able to track the phone used by the prime suspect and the calls he made before and after the shooting. However, during Wednesday’s press conference, Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum had said the force did not have any equipment which can carry out the functions cited by Bascom.
The GPF yesterday also reiterated that it does have not possess any device that can triangulate the position of suspects using cellphones as is being claimed by Bascom and his lawyer.
“It is important to firmly state that there is no equipment existing anywhere in the world in 2022 that could achieve such a magical task,” the force in its statement.
According to Bascom, he and other officers were able to track the phone used by the prime suspect and the calls he made before and after the shooting. “….They use everything and destroy all the evidence but they forget how… technology does wuk,” Bascom said during the live feed.
During a press briefing on Friday, attorney Nigel Hughes, who is representing Bascom described Blanhum’s denial of the force having such equipment as a “startling” revelation. He said during the 2002 crime wave, specialised equipment was bought into the country to allow the force to “triangulate” and “pinpoint” the specific location of a person. “Mr Blanhum perhaps may not have been in the force or not sufficiently high up in the force to recall when Commissioner Henry Greene himself confirmed that the police had that equipment and capacity,” he said.
Hughes said maybe the equipment was “misplaced” from then to now.
Back in August 2009, then Commissioner of Police Henry Greene had unveiled a ‘spy machine’ which consists of a laptop computer and receiver which was seized from convicted drug trafficker Roger Khan in 2002.
It is believed that this is the same device that is being referred to by Bascom and Hughes.
The police yesterday challenged and dared Hughes to provide evidence that the device being referred to by Bascom indeed exists.
It also maintained that at no point was Bascom ever present at the crime scene on official duty. “And any such claims made by Bascom are blatant lies,” the police said.
Bascom recently went public following his arrest in connection with a drug bust, decrying what he described as mistreatment that he and other ranks have faced while serving the Guyana Police Force.
During a live Facebook video, which has since been removed, Bascom made damning allegations regarding the stalled Fagundes murder probe, saying he believed his life was under threat and that his arrest was part of the conspiracy to initiate his killing and that there was a cover-up by police of the slaying. Although threatened with lawsuits by businessman Azruddin Mohamed, his bodyguard Mark Richmond and Caesar if he did not recant his claims, Bascom has stood by them.
The GPF’s Office of Professional Responsibly (OPR) had launched an investigation into Bascom’s allegations and its findings were forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice.
