ATTORNEY GENERAL and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, has said that a total breakdown of coordination in the justice system here allowed convicted drug trafficker Barry Dataram to flee the jurisdiction in a bid to escape imprisonment.Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle on Saturday, Williams said that during the initial stage of his trial, Dataram was granted bail by former Chief Justice Ian Chang after he was refused bail in the lower court; and once this was done, there should have been an immediate alert in the system, with the immigration, police and prison services activating surveillance mechanisms.

TOOK ADVANTAGE
He said it is clear that this was not done, and when Dataram realised that he was going to be jailed, he took advantage of a weak system and escaped.

“Luckily, our neighbour (Suriname) again was able to come to our rescue, and I must commend them for their efforts,” Williams said.

Noting that this administration intends to restore the rule of law here, Williams said efforts would be made to strengthen coordination among agencies in the justice sector to ensure that there will be no recurrence of what had happened with Dataram.

At the time of Dataram’s escape, President David Granger had said that while he would not lay blame at the feet of any agency or individual, the drug convict’s flight from Guyana was something which could have been avoided.

“Mr. Dataram is a person of interest. He is a well-known character in Guyana, and I would expect that even though the judicial branch is separate, there should be a greater level of alertness on the part of the magistracy in the judiciary in matters like this; and I don’t regard it as a failing on the part of law-enforcement agencies, but it is definitely an error which ought to have been avoided.

“The danger posed in having somebody who is now a convict out there out of the jurisdiction is going to be harmful to our national interest; so I would urge the law-enforcement agencies to alert their counterparts in neighbouring states.”

COMMENDATION
Acting Police Commissioner David Ramnarine, in a statement issued on Saturday, after Dataram had been recaptured, commended “the excellent collaboration between local law enforcement units and our counterparts in Suriname” in recapturing Dataram.

The police commissioner said the recapture represented the best efforts at collaboration, “and sends a clear message that with the use of science and technology in law enforcement, and (with) personnel who are consummate professionals, the public interest is well served.”

Back in 2006, the Government had signed onto a US$25M Inter-American Bank loan for the modernisation of the Justice Administration System in Guyana. The goal of the programme entailed enhancing the investment climate and rights’ enforcement in Guyana through improved public sector governance. To achieve this goal, the operation had sought to help the Government of Guyana strengthen the accountability and administrative efficiencies of service delivery in the justice sector, enhance linkages and coordination among justice sector institutions, and improve access to justice. It is not clear if all the components of the programme had been implemented.

HISTORY
On April 16, 2015, at Dataram’s 661 Silver Dam, Fourth Avenue, Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara residence, 33 parcels of cocaine were found in an upstairs bathroom, while 180 pieces were found in a blue baby tub and 92 pieces were found in a black garbage bag in the downstairs dining room. A further 142 pieces were found in a freezer with shrimp in the outer yard area. The cocaine amounted to 129.230 kilogrammes.

Dataram was charged, and in late September was found guilty by Magistrate Judy Latchman of being in possession of a quantity of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. But prior to the magistrate handing down her decision, Dataram and Boodnarine fled the jurisdiction while on bail. In his absence, he was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment and fined one hundred and sixty-four million, two hundred and sixty-eight thousand dollars (Gy$164,268,000). However, the charge was dismissed against his common-law wife and two others who were also charged.

Dataram was recaptured in neighbouring Suriname on Friday, and has since been brought back to Guyana to face a five-year jail term for drug trafficking.

WANTED
Dataram has been on the radar for drug trafficking for close to a decade. He first came to public notice in dramatic fashion when alleged drug dealers from Venezuela abducted his wife Sheleza Dataram and daughter Keana Datram on December 8, 2007 at Ruimzeight, West Coast Demerara with intent to cause them to be secretly or wrongfully confined.

Dataram was also at one time wanted by United States authorities for allegedly conspiring to import more than five kilos of cocaine into that country.