FORMER general manager of the El Dorado Trading, Neville Chandrawattie called “Sunil,” who was on trial for the 2007 murder of gold dealer, Dharamchan Mangra, was, on Wednesday, freed after Justice Jo-Ann Barlow upheld a no-case submission made by his attorney, Siand Dhurjon.

Chandrawattie of Sparta, Essequibo Coast, was on trial at the Demerara High Court for the capital offence which alleged that, on April 21, 2007, at Port Kaituma in the North West District (NWD), he murdered Mangra.

After state prosecutor Lisa Cave closed her case, Dhurjon, in a no-case submission, called for the indictment to be dismissed on the grounds of insufficient evidence.

As such, the judge upheld the submission and stated that the state had failed to establish a prima facie case against Chandrawattie for the offence of murder. She then ordered the jury to return a formal verdict of not guilty.

Prosecutor Cave told the court that based on the directions of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Shalimar Ali-Hack, S.C., the state will be appealing the judge’s ruling.

According to reports, in 2007, Chandrawattie was employed by Tamesh Jagmohan, the owner of El Dorado Trading. He, along with others, had, on that day, planned a robbery.

During the course of the robbery, Mangra was shot and killed. He was also robbed of $3M in gold and cash. Chandrawattie was tied up by his co-accused as part of the planned robbery.  The matter was reported but no arrest was made.

However, on November 8, 2013, the said business place encountered another robbery during which 96 ounces of gold valued at $22M, and $71M in cash, all the property of Jagmohan, were stolen.

During an investigation into the 2013 offence, Neville was questioned. He allegedly admitted that he had planned both robberies. He was arrested and charged for his role in both crimes.

In 2016, during the trial into the 2013 robbery, Chandrawattie pleaded guilty and was sentenced to serve five years imprisonment.