The case against an Imam, Nizam Ali, who was charged with three counts of sexual penetration of a boy under the age of 12 in February 2012, will now be remitted to Magistrate Alex Moore to be re-opened, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) confirmed.

Nizam Ali, known as ‘Mufti’, of Lot 268 Section ‘C 5’ South, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown had been committed to stand High Court trial since 2013.  In a letter dated February 13, 2017, DPP Mrs. Shalimar Ali-Hack remitted the matter to the Magistrate to re-open the case via paper committal. Further, on the same date the DPP issued a directive to the Guyana Police Force to obtain certified copies of the original documents before the re-opening of the paper committal.

Subsequent to the first preliminary inquiry held before Magistrate Moore, it was discovered that originals documents which were tendered during the PI had gone missing from the depositions. The DPP has also forwarded a report to Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ali on the position of this matter.

The Imam’s pretrial hearings were held in-camera at the Sparendaam Magistrates’ Court. After perusing the evidence brought before him during the preliminary inquiry, Magistrate Moore found that there was sufficient reason to send Ali for High Court trial. The decision came in 2013.

The scholar was released on bail and the case was not called up at the Demerara Assizes. It is alleged that between December 2011 and January 2012, Ali allegedly engaged in sexual penetration of a boy under the age of 12.

The acts were allegedly committed while he was in a position of trust, being a religious teacher and knew or could be reasonably expected to have known of the trust in relation to the boys. The boys had been attending Arabic and Koran classes.