Heard about ‘infidelity’ by wife who was detained as a suspect
PROSECUTION witness Mrs. Budhai yesterday claimed that she was held as a suspect to the killing of her businessman husband, Mahadeo Budhai, although “I had no knowledge about the killer and how my husband met his death.”
In answer to cross-examination by defence counsel Mr. Basil Williams,  Mrs. Budhai said that while she once had a male visitor at her home named ‘Solo’ ,whom she had to put out from her home, she and her husband were on friendly terms, and that she did nothing to harm him nor to bring about his death.
She told Williams in answer to a suggestion that she did not have a plan to take up residence in the United States; but in answer to a further question, she admitted that her two adult daughters were in that country, and that she had applied for a visa for she and her husband to spend their vacation there. She admitted that her plan was to spend their vacation in the U.S. and return home.
In answer to further questions, the woman denied that the man named ‘Solo’, who would visit her home where she and her husband carried on a business, had been the cause of a bad relationship between herself and husband.
She also disagreed with counsel  that ‘Solo’, who is now dead, used to visit the home whenever he liked and declared that it was she who had put him out of the home and not her husband, who counsel alleged had cut him behind the ear, causing him to remove.
Mrs. Budhai of Providence, East Bank, Demerara, testified that by means of a torchlight, and with two men, she was able to  identify her  husband in  her  bushy backyard on the night  of 24th November 2005. He was lying face down in the sand.  When he was turned on his back, she observed that sand was on his face and he appeared to be dead.
The woman said that she did not see any bandage around the mouth of the deceased, but one of the men who had turned around the corpse on the instructions of the wife said that he had seen a silver tape placed around the mouth and which he had removed.
Mrs. Budhai described the accused who used to work with her from time to time as a peaceful individual.
According to her, her husband had no enemies.
In answer to further questions by the defence counsel, Mrs. Budhai said that since her husband died she had developed the property to include more apartments.
The woman said that she could remember giving one statement to the police, but she could not remember whether she had signed the statement. She told the judge and jury that during the investigations, the police had detained her and kept her in custody at La Penitence Police Station.
Conducting the case for the prosecution are Miss Rhondel Weever and Miss Latchmie Rahamat.
The hearing continues today before Justice Roxanne George and a mixed jury at the Demerara Assizes.