Miss Guyana denies threatening pageant director
MISS Guyana 1999, Morvinia Sobers, said Police yesterday invited her to give a statement following claims that she had threatened pageant director Sri Yoogeandra. But at a press conference she called on the issue, she denied threatening the man. Yoogeandra could not be immediately contacted for a comment on the issue. At the press briefing at the Subryanville, Georgetown home of a member of the Miss Guyana/Universe committee, Sobers said she gave a statement at the Kitty Police Station yesterday and insisted she never used threatening language to Yoogeandra. Her lawyer, Mr. Basil Williams, who accompanied her, said the briefing was to deal with what he called the "denigration", "castigation" and "haranguing" of the reigning Miss Guyana, particularly since her return from representing Guyana at the Miss Universe pageant in Trinidad and Tobago last month. Sobers, in an opening statement, said while she and the pageant director has had no confrontation, he has allegedly been making unpleasant statements about her. She said while she had not gone public before, the time was opportune following the latest incident which warranted Police action. According to Sobers, before her departure and even on the day she left for Trinidad, she has had to deal with repeated alleged "verbal" abuse and threats from Yoogeandra about his "taking away" the Miss Guyana crown. Miss Guyana, in training for a job as a flight attendant with the new GA 2000 airline, claimed the Pageant Director seemed bent on making life uneasy for her during her reign. Sobers said she had cause to telephone Yoogeandra requesting her examination certificates which she had given to him. But she claimed he insisted he would hand over the documents only after she returned the Miss Guyana crown and sceptre presented to her when she won the title on the night of March 20 last. Since winning the Miss Guyana title, Sobers said she has got $10,000 of $20,000 which Yoogeandra gave her as payment for an appearance at a Johnson and Johnson function at the Le Meridien Pegasus. Sobers said she is still to receive a part of her prize as the winner of the Miss Guyana pageant - a four-year scholarship at the University of Guyana or $300,000 cash. But she said that since Yoogeandra claimed she does not have the academic qualifications to enter the university, she has made repeated requests to have the money instead. All attempts have been futile, she told reporters. Sobers said she was being told that no sponsor has come forward to guarantee the cash prize and Yoogeandra does not have the money to pay this. (WENDELLA DAVIDSON) 
|