A 29-year-old East Canje, Berbice was on Wednesday sentenced to death for the murder of 45-year-old Samantha Benjamin, a US-based Guyanese. Justice Sandil Kissoon handed down the sentence after Imran Ramsaywack, also called “Coolie Boy” and “Kevin Jones”, was found guilty by a 12-member jury. Ramsaywack denied the murder charge which stated that between March 25 and March 26, 2015, he murdered Benjamin at Buxton, East Coast Demerara (ECD). The prosecution’s case contended that the now-convicted man murdered Benjamin at her Middle Walk, Buxton home and dismembered her body. The…
Read MoreAuthor: TIMES INT'L
Oily…
…deal by PNC A whole lotta eyebrows were raised when Granger sole-sourced Dr Mark Bynoe to head the Energy Department. Granger’s energy advisor complained that the post was supposed to be advertised. The man was an “Environment and Resource Economist” and had been in charge of Caricom’s Climate Change Centre!! It’s as if there weren’t other options – you had the eminently qualified Dr Vincent Adams with 3 decades’ experience with the US Department of Energy!! Ah…but he was from the AFC! He was fobbed off to the Environmental Protection…
Read MoreState to deliver the good life
We hope with the official launch of the campaigns, the major parties will make their position clear on the role of government in the development of the economy. Do we continue with the neo-liberal “night-watchman” state we accepted with the IMF’s Washington Consensus in 1989? Or do we accept the latter’s changed position of the present, where they took heed of the collapse of the model in 2008 and proposed the more interventionary state model from the Far-Eastern example of Japan, South Korea et al? With the imminent coming of…
Read MoreIn search of…
…legitimacy Reacting to a stinging critique of the PNC under Granger degutting of the Foreign Service, one long-standing defender of Burnham, Bacchus, took offence at the former PPP Minister of Foreign Trade’s comment: “Those of us who lived through the Burnham dictatorship would easily discern the similarities in the diplomatic gallivanting and opportunistic forum shopping between the then Burnham dictatorship and the extant Granger caretaker administration.” The interlocutor – the wife of a prominent trade unionist – retorted, “There was no “diplomatic gallivanting” of the Forbes Burnham administration. His foreign…
Read MoreGuyana Police ramping up efforts to curb rising road fatalities
With the high instances of road death recorded in recent months, Police Commissioner Leslie James is of the belief that motorists and other road users need to change their attitude for there to be a reduction in minor, serious and fatal accidents. Guyana’s road carnage has increased in recent time, with as many as 12 persons losing their lives within seven days. While the Police Force has a major role to play in keeping the roadways safe, the Top Cop said the attitude of motorists is a major factor. “This…
Read More“Bruckup” awaits sentencing for 2017 nightclub murder
Shawn Harris, called “Shawny” or “Brukup”, a mason formerly of Lot 40 Bougainvillea Park, East Bank Demerara (EBD) and Lot 131 Pike Street, Kitty, was on Monday found guilty of the murder of Sunil Singh, who was knifed to death during a row outside the Blue Martini Nightclub in 2017. Harris had initially pleaded not guilty to the charge which stated that on February 5, 2017, he murdered Singh. However, he was convicted of same before Justice Jo Ann Barlow at the Demerara High Court after deliberations by a 12-member…
Read MoreIndian, Ghanaian election experts to arrive early January – GECOM Chair
In a bid to boost its technical and oversight capacity to hold elections, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) will be taking on two advisors with experience in running elections in India and Ghana, courtesy of the Commonwealth Secretariat. This is according to Chairperson of GECOM, Retired Justice Claudette Singh, during a press briefing. She explained that the two men will serve as Senior Electoral Advisors to herself and the Secretariat. The advisors are Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan and Dr Syed Nasim Ahmad Zaidi. Dr Afari-Gyan is a Ghanaian academic, political scientist…
Read MoreBritish firm paid US$300,000 to audit US$460M Exxon pre-contract costs
Having finally secured someone to audit ExxonMobil’s cost oil claims, Energy Department Director Dr Mark Bynoe has announced that the company, IHS Markit, has already begun its work. Bynoe made the announcement during a press conference at the Department of Energy’s new office in Brickdam, Georgetown on Monday. He explained that the contract, to the tune of over US$300,000, will be for a four-month duration. “The contract for the firm to complete the cost recovery audit, the historical cost, was signed. The contract was awarded to IHS Markit and the…
Read MoreMinibus driver, conductor in viral video face several charges
A minibus driver and conductor who were caught on video endangering the lives of their passengers on November 15, 2019 were slapped with several charges and appeared at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court. Jermaine Waldron, 27, the conductor, of Haslington, East Coast Demerara (ECD) and Trevin Bobb-Semple, 28, the driver, appeared before Magistrate Fabayo Azore. Bobb-Semple denied the charges of operating a tinted motor vehicle; untidiness; failure to control said motor vehicle; breaching the condition of his road service licence; and dangerous driving. He was placed on G$100,000 bail and his…
Read MoreExxon, BP & Shell among traders vying to sell Guyana’s oil
…Energy Dept defends secrecy The Energy Department has released the names of the traders it invited to vie for Guyana’s oil, though details of the negotiations are likely to be limited until they are concluded as the Department said the “commercial sensitivities” of the companies must be respected. This was explained by Energy Department Director, Dr Mark Bynoe and newly contracted Crude Marketing Specialist, Virginia Markouizos. The pair were asked why the Guyanese public only became aware of plans to sell Guyana’s crude using the on the spot method, through…
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