By Abena Rockcliffe-Campbell
After fighting for the extradition of Marcus Bisram, it appears that the State is wholly unprepared to bring any compelling evidence that he coerced, procured and commanded five persons to murder Faiyaz Narinedatt in 2016.
During an interview with this news agency, Bisram’s lawyer, Sanjeev Datadin said there is no case against his client, and at the conclusion of the proceedings, he intends to sue the State as well as the Prosecutor for the matter, Stacey Goodings, in her personal capacity. “We believe we have enough evidence for this,” the lawyer stated.
Datadin contended that the State has been fighting repeatedly and has been stating frequently that they have all the evidence while labeling his client as the mastermind. “All the while, there are laws which state very clearly that things that could be prejudicial should not be allowed and the Director of Prosecutor, Shalimar Ali-Hack has not done anything and they still can’t get a trial started.”
As for the State Prosecutor, Datadin said that he is utterly disappointed in her behaviour, while reminding that she had asked for three weeks to serve statements. The lawyer, in alarm, noted that this is a simple process which just involves making copies of all the statements taken from witnesses. He said that disclosure of this information to the defense is mandatory under law and remains flabbergasted that the State which fought for Bisram’s extradition is so ill-prepared.
Datadin also took issue with a petition that was filed earlier today to have Magistrate Alex Moore removed from the case. The petition was made to Chancellor Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards.
Datadin said he understands that the petition was made on the presumption that the Magistrate appears to be in favour of Bisram. He said that nothing could be further from the truth. The lawyer said that the very Prosecutor’s actions resulted in proceedings of the matter being delayed more than once but there was no call for her removal.
Datadin also told the Guyana Standard that the Magistrate indicated in open court that he would treat with the case expeditiously since the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) had ruled that when it comes to the peculiar facts of the case, the Prosecutor must take all steps to ensure it proceeds quickly and without the delay. Unfortunately, this ruling is being disregarded the lawyer said.
The Attorney-at-Law added, “The Magistrate has been guided by the CCJ’s ruling. At a Paper Committal, all statements to the police and State were put in writing. We told the court they can accept all statements and videos and pictures they want to introduce. We said there would be no objection from us. We just want to cross examine one witness which we will take one hour to do and then make submissions that there is no case to answer.”
Datadin bemoaned the fact that he is unable to move forward due to the outrageous delays he outlined.
CASE HISTORY
Narinedatt was beaten to death by a group of Bisram’s friends when he allegedly slapped the US-based Guyanese who kissed him in the dark at a party Bisram held in November, 2016 at Number 72 Village, Upper Corentyne.
The carpenter’s body was then pushed into the trunk of a car, taken to the Berbice public road, dumped and run over to make it appear as if it was a hit-and-run.
The gruesome killing of the father of two was reportedly ordered by Bisram, who flew to the US soon after.
At the time of Narinedatt’s murder, the police in Berbice treated his death as a road accident since Bisram was a close friend to the senior lawmen in that community, contributing significantly to a number of stations in that division. He was even recognized by the police for his contributions.
It was only after the dead man’s family met with the then Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum in Georgetown and begged for ranks from the Major Crimes Unit to intervene, then a thorough investigation was done.
In fact, from the inception, there was someone at the party who had witnessed everything. It was this person that led investigators to question five of Bisram’s friends which later resulted in confessions.
These men have all been charged. They are Orlando Dickie, Radesh Motie, Diodath Datt, Harri Paul Parsram, and Niran Yacoob. The accused have all identified Bisram as the mastermind in the murder.
In a statement to the press this morning, Narinedatt’s relatives said they support the professionalism being displayed thus far by the State Prosecutor while noting that she has conducted herself with “dignity, civility, courtesy and a sense of fair play to bring justice” to those involved in the case.
