– and to land job with security firm

Dear Editor

THE New York-based Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy (CGID) on Friday called on Guyana’s Police Commissioner and Minister of National Security to explain how a deportee, who served 20 years in a US jail for murder, was able to secure a police clearance for a security guard licence and gun permit with a false identity, in contravention of the Criminal Offences Amendment Act (2002), and the Prevention of Crimes Act (2002).
The security guard in question, Robert Goodluck, is employed by KGM Security Firm, which provides security for Amazonia Mall, Providence Village, Guyana, the said mall which houses the New Thriving Restaurant and other businesses.

In 1991, Goodluck, whose real name is Robert Wren, was convicted for second degree murder, drug sale and unlawful possession of a firearm in Brooklyn, New York.
He served 20 years in prison from 1991 to 2010, when he was paroled and deported to Guyana. He has since been operating under the name of Robert Goodluck, which the CGID has labelled identity fraud.
The Institute released portions of Goodluck- Wren’s New York criminal record as well as his Guyana Police Force deportee arrival intake form to corroborate its contentions.

Goodluck-Wren and his security colleague, Hash Ramroop, were on duty at the New Thriving Restaurant parking lot on July 8, 2018 when a confrontation broke out between them and Junior Minister of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes.

Broomes, who’s no stranger to death threats, and her staff were visiting the restaurant for dinner. The minister’s driver, a police personnel, removed an unattended sign that prohibited parking in the vicinity of the restaurant’s entrance, and attempted to drive Broomes directly to the entrance.

Goodluck-Wren, armed with a high-powered assault rifle, rushed up, stopped the minister’s vehicle and replaced the signs. An exchange between the driver and Goodluck-Wren ensued, with the minister subsequently exiting the vehicle and removing the signs for the driver to proceed.

The police were called in and the guards were arrested. Broomes told the police that, inter alia, Goodluck-Wren cocked his gun and threatened her. It is against the law to threaten the President of Guyana or a minister of government. The minister also admitted to the police that she pushed down the signs after Goodluck-Wren hurled expletives at her.
Broomes said the guards even followed her into the restaurant where they continued to direct expletives at her. She reportedly told the police that Goodluck-Wren was so aggressive and reckless, that she wondered if he was drunk. She’d even suggested to police officers at the scene at one point that because Goodluck-Wren was armed with such a high-powered weapon, they should administer a breathalyzer test to determine if he was intoxicated.

Police announced on Friday that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has advised that no criminal charges be instituted.

CGID last week criticised the minister for removing the signs, saying it was beneath the dignity of her office, and that she should have called in the police to address the situation.  The Institute subsequently condemned what it called “orchestrated political, sexist, mean-spirited and defamatory attacks on the minister’s character.”

Regards
Rickford Burke