Former Finance Minister, Winston Jordan was on Tuesday freed of a misconduct in public office charge which alleged that he sold state property way below market value to BK Marines Inc.
The charge was dismissed by Senior Magistrate, Leron Daly at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts after she upheld a no-case submission made by Jordan’s lawyers.
The former minister of South Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was charged back in December 2021, and was placed on bail in the sum of $3 million.
He was not required to plead to the indictable charge which alleged that while serving as Finance Minister under the APNU+AFC coalition government, and being the concerned Minister for the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), between February 26, 2020 and July 31, 2020 at Main Street, Georgetown, he willfully misconducted himself by acting recklessly when he signed NICIL Order, No. 50 of 2020. That order transferred and vested in BK Marines Inc., Mud lots situated at North Cummingsburg, Georgetown, being over 2.553 acres, by paying $20,260,276, for a property valued over $5B and being sold at a price that was grossly undervalued.
On Tuesday, when Jordan’s trial was set to commence via paper committal; Senior Magistrate Daly ruled on the no-case submission that was made on behalf of Jordan by his lawyers Roysdale Forde, S.C and Dawn Cush.
Jordan’s lawyers contended that their client is not a “Public Officer” as alleged by the State. As such, they argued that the prosecution failed to prove a critical element of the charge.
The magistrate ruled that the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence to establish that the former minister met the criteria of a “Public Officer,” adding that Jordan was appointed as a minister. Senior Magistrate Daly then discharged the case against Jordan, resulting in him being freed of the charge.
The charge was brought against him by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), an arm of the Guyana Police Force (GPF).
