– following Charrandass’ threat to sue for slander

PUBLIC Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan said he is prepared to defend the Guyana Police Force’s decision to launch an investigation into an alleged case of bribery and gold smuggling involving ex-government Member of Parliament Charrandass Persaud.
Persaud, who migrated to Canada immediately after voting against his government, has reportedly vowed to file lawsuits against the Public Security Minister and Police Commissioner Leslie James for slander.

“I am taking Leslie James and Khemraj Ramjattan to court. They are making all kinds of slanderous statements against me, so they will be served with a slander suit. Let us see where they are going to go, first thing and very soon.

“Ramjattan also has no right to publish my immigration documents. How can he, as Minister of Security, do that? He will know when I take him to court, because he is using his authority to satisfy his personal benefit,” Persaud reportedly told the Stabroek News.
In response, Ramjattan said he is prepared to defend his position on the matter. “We have basically what is required for a defence,” Minister Ramjattan told reporters.

Last month, Persaud admitted to advancing discussions on the purchase of US$1M in gold. Persaud said he had approached the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs official Errol Ross for assistance in acquiring the gold, not for him, but for his clients.

“One of my clients wanted to buy gold, I negotiated, I went to enquire about price,” he said, while adding that he and Ross had extensive discussions via whatsApp on procurement of the gold. But the public security minister said the former MP has not been totally honest as he discredits (Charrandass) his story.

“Charrandass was never any big lawyer that has clients that deal with gold. All the clients that deal with gold got their big clients in Georgetown,” he posited. Minister Ramjattan said to date Persaud cannot name the clients for whom he “needed” the gold to purchase.
“He took obviously pieces of silver to do what he did, and he wanted to transfer it over to Canada by that means and that is why he wanted to convert the money into gold and use an exporter to export it with him… that was trickery,” Minister Ramjattan said.

He said any person good in character would not have “run away like fugitives, never.”
The public security minister added: “I remember having a problem with the PPP, I indicated to them my position and I stayed and they expelled me, and I didn’t run to Canada. I stayed right here. I formed my own party,” he said.

Police Commissioner Leslie James said Persaud is under investigation for gold- smuggling, while noting that authorities will seek to have him extradited from Canada if necessary. The top cop also said that the investigations are progressing.

Noting that Persaud is innocent until proven guilty, the commissioner said that he has interviewed several gold dealers thus far. He said the investigations are being undertaken in an impartial manner.