–against GBTI 8 in ongoing GRDB fraud probe

COME January 4, 2019 Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) Prosecutor Patrice Henry will have to reply to a no-case submission in the case against eight directors of the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI).

The eight, all accused of failing to comply with a production order issued by acting Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire, are: GBTI Directors Edward A. Beharry, Suresh Beharry, Kathryn Eytle-McLean, Richard Isava, Carlton James and Basil Mahadeo; Company Chairman Robin Stoby, and Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Shaleeza Shaw.
The octet is being placed before the courts as a result of an ongoing SOCU investigation into a US$500M fraud at the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB).

The GBTI directors are represented by Ian Chan, Roger Yearwood, Nigel Hughes, Steven Fraser and Edward Luckhoo.
The attorneys on Tuesday made a no-case submission to the court, to which the chief magistrate called upon the prosecution to reply.

The defendants are jointly charged with failing to comply with a production order issued by the acting chief justice and served by a marshal of the High Court to produce certain named documents within seven days to SOCU head, Assistant Commissioner of Police Sydney James.

It is alleged that they contravened the order without reasonable cause. SOCU, as part of its probe into the US$500M GRDB fraud case, had moved to the court to obtain an order instructing the GBTI to produce all the required documents to aid in the investigation.