–Judge cites “astonishing” lack of evidence in claim filed by attorney Darren Wade

The High Court has dismissed a $400 million lawsuit filed against Chinese construction firm Sinohydro Corporation over the death of 20-year-old Kareem Powley, who perished in a 2021 motorcycle accident along Mandela Avenue, Georgetown.

In a ruling handed down on Monday, October 27, 2025, High Court Judge, Justice Nicola Pierre, threw out Statement of Claim 2024HC-DEM-CIV-SOC-141, describing the case as one built on “an astonishing lack of evidence.”

The claim, filed by Attorney-at-Law Darren Wade on behalf of the estate of the deceased—represented by Powley’s mother, Althea Pollydore—had sought damages in excess of $400 million against Sinohydro Corporation and the Government of Guyana. Wade alleged that the fatal crash was caused by the company’s negligence during ongoing road construction works.

Sinohydro was represented by Attorneys Jerome Khan and Narendra Singh, while the Government of Guyana was represented by the Attorney General.

According to reports, Powley was the pillion rider on a motorcycle driven by his best friend, Joshua Mentore, on June 27, 2021, when the incident occurred.

Police investigations revealed that Mentore was speeding when he swerved to avoid a car, ran off the road, and collided with a pile of gravel on the shoulder before coming to a stop some distance away. Powley died at the scene.

The claimant alleged that Sinohydro had left the gravel pile unmarked and unlit, and that this amounted to negligence.

The Ministry of Public Infrastructure (now Public Works) was also accused of failing to maintain a safe roadway, as the government entity with ultimate responsibility for public infrastructure.

According to information from Jerome Khan & Associates,  Justice Pierre ruled that the evidence presented did not support these claims. The court noted that the driver of the motorcycle, Joshua Mentore, was not called to testify, even though he had been charged with causing death by dangerous driving in connection with the same incident.

Significantly, the judge pointed out that Mentore was represented by the same attorney, Darren Wade, in the Magistrates’ Court, where Wade had successfully secured his client’s bail. Justice Pierre remarked that Wade later switched sides to represent the victim’s estate in the High Court, a move that raised questions of conflict of interest.

The defence team argued that the gravel was not on the roadway but rather on the road shoulder, and that the collision occurred because the driver swerved to avoid another vehicle. They also highlighted police measurements showing that the motorcycle travelled 39 feet before hitting the gravel and that Powley’s body was found 96 feet away—indicating excessive speed as the primary cause.

Justice Pierre ultimately concluded that even if there had been a breach of duty by leaving unmarked gravel on the shoulder, it was “not the cause of the accident or death.”

The court therefore found Sinohydro Corporation and the Government of Guyana not liable and ordered that costs be paid by the claimant to both defendants.