–for trafficking, exploiting Venezuelan women

A BRAZILIAN hotelier and a miner were on Friday remanded to prison for the alleged trafficking of two Venezuelan women for employment.

They are Christina Rodriquez Gomes, 32, owner of Ola Hotel on Charlotte Street, and Arnold Melville, 50, of Eteringbang, on the Cuyuni River.

The two charges against Gomes read that between November 4 and 28, 2018 at the Ola Hotel on Charlotte Street, she engaged in the trafficking in persons by harbouring two Venezuelan women by means of abuse of position for the purpose of labour exploitation. She was not required to plead to the two indictable charges.

It is also alleged that between the same dates and location, Gomes, while being the employer of the two women, for the purpose of trafficking knowingly confiscated their immigration travel documents, to which charges she pleaded not guilty.

Her attorney, Siand Dhurjon during his application for bail, told the court that incident started about three weeks ago when his client needed cooks at the hotel for her Latino customers.

He said that the two alleged victims applied for the posts, but were later hired as maids and were paid $12,000 weekly.

Dhurjon contended that there are even pay slips to prove these claims, in addition to CCTV footage showing that the two women were not held against their will, and that they came and went freely at the hotel.

“This problem came about over a dispute between Gomes and the two women,” the attorney told the court.

Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield, however, was opposed to Gomes being released on bail on the grounds that she is not a Guyanese national, in spite of her attorney explaining that she has been living here for over 11 years, is married to a Guyaneses, and has a 10-year-old son.

Melville, meanwhile, was charged separately for the said offence, in that between November 4 and 28, at Eteringbang, he assisted Gomes in engaging in the trafficking in persons by recruiting and transporting the two women by means of deception for the purpose of labour exploitation.

He, too, was not required to plea to the two indictable charges, and was represented by attorney-at-law Clyde Forde.

Mansfield objected to the father of two being released on bail on the grounds that he transported the women to be trafficked.
The chief magistrate remanded him to prison until March 19, 2019 when he will appear at The Kamarang Magistrate’s Court, and Gomes until January 3, 2019.