‘Dion Bascom dishonest’
Acting Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken, and Crime Chief (ag) Wendell Blanhum
Acting Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken, and Crime Chief (ag) Wendell Blanhum

– Top Cop, Crime Chief ‘push back’ against allegations

THE Guyana Police Force, on Wednesday, presented evidence to show that Police Sergeant Dion Bascom, made several false claims on social media about the investigation into the murder of Ricardo Fagundes known as” Paper Shorts”.

Seeking to definitively clear the air, Acting Police Commissioner, Clifton Hicken, accompanied by Crime Chief (ag) Wendell Blanhum, presented a detailed PowerPoint presentation during which they individually addressed specific claims made by Bascom and compared it against evidence gathered by the investigators.

The issues raised by the duo included the circumstances surrounding the arrest of Rondel Bacchus as a suspect in the murder, allegations that a “device” had identified Mark Richmond also known as “Shop Man” as having been at the scene of the crime, and Bascom’s denial that he had leaked information to the press.

“Dion Bascom is not being honest and is manufacturing false or concocted information out of malice against members of the Guyana Police Force,” Blanhum said.
Last Thursday night Bascom posted a live video on social media, which he later deleted, naming several persons in wild allegations about the murder investigation. The deleted video and other subsequent videos and a Facebook post were made following his arrest days earlier during a Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) raid of a home in Norton Street, Georgetown.
In the now deleted Facebook video, Bascom claimed that he believed his detention had to do with his work on the murder investigation.

A popular gold dealer and biker, 42-year-old Fagundes was gunned down on Main Street, Georgetown, on March 21. A close associate of convicted drug dealer, Roger Khan, Fagundes was shot more than a dozen times.

After deleting the video, Bascom made a written post, and other videos. However, the GPF in a statement had noted that it is not without significance that Sergeant Bascom found himself personally compromised during an exercise carried out by CANU and that his public statement immediately followed that incident.
Bascom made allegations against businessman Azruddin Mohamed, his security personnel Mark Richmond, and Superintendent of Police Mitchell Caesar. They have since written to Bascom about initiating legal proceedings against him for defamatory statements.

Clarifying issues surrounding the arrest of Bacchus as a suspect in the murder, and the allegations by Bascom that Richmond was also involved, the police noted that it was Roger Khan, through his attorney, who had approached the police and claimed that Bacchus was one of the suspects that was seen on a CCTV footage which captured Fagundes’ murder. It was also Khan who reached out to the police saying that he had information that Richmond was the driver of the getaway car seen at the crime scene.

Blanhum explained to members of the media that following Khan’s claims, checks were made for Bacchus, who was previously convicted. A wanted bulletin was subsequently issued for him on April 6 and he later turned himself in to the police, in the company of his lawyer, and not in the company of Bascom, as was claimed.
The police noted that the evidence contradicts claims by Bascom that he was the one that fingered Richmond in the crime.

“Bascom’s claim that ‘he brought the information about Mark Richmond to the police’ is easily debunked as a deliberate falsehood and malicious in nature,” Blanhum said.
Blanhum alleges that Bascom’s preoccupation with going after Richmond did not have much to do with Fagundes murder but was more due to Bascom’s association with a businessman that had qualms with Richmond’s employer.

“After the search at the residence for Mark Richmond, Bascom allegedly informed one of his superiors that a popular businessman from Essequibo was using him [Bascom] to go after Mark Richmond who is known to him. Investigators have knowledge that Bascom and the said businessman are close friends,” Blanhum said

“Dion Bascom’s claims that no further action was taken in relation to Mark Richmond are clearly misleading and false since it was he who told investigators that it was a businessman from Essequibo who had a personal problem with Mark Richmond’s employer. He further indicated that the businessman wanted to use him.”

The police also refuted claims that there was a device, which was used at the crime scene to detect that Richmond had been present at the scene on the night of the murder. Bascom claimed in his video that this occurred while he was present during assessments of the crime scene after the murder. Blanhum, however, said that the evidence does not corroborate this.
“The GPF does not have any device to identify criminals at a crime scene as was falsely claimed by Bascom. Further, the GPF’s Technical Officer has vehemently denied these claims by Bascom, as he maintains that Bascom was never at the crime scene with him. Dion Bascom is not being honest in this regard and is manufacturing false or concocted information out of malice,” Blanhum said.

As it pertains to claims by Bascom that he did not leak information to the press, the police presented a Whatsapp message from a journalist, which confirmed that Bascom was his source.
Blanhum further noted that contrary to suspicions of a cover up of Fagundes’ murder, the GPF is in fact currently being assisted by an internationally recognised law enforcement agency in conducting the Fagundes murder probe, while several foreign experts/investigators also visited the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters and provided assistance to local police.

Meanwhile, items recovered from the crime scene were also sent overseas for analysis.
Bascom is currently at home on sick leave, which he has been on since the he went public with his allegations.

When questioned about Bascom’s future in the police force, Commissioner Hicken noted that Bascom’s public statements are in breach of the Code of Conduct of the Police Force, and as such disciplinary action in keeping with the procedures of the force will be activated.

He added that the force is first awaiting a response from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) regarding a file sent by the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), which had investigated Bascom’s claims.

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