Good Hope arms trio likely to be charged after holidays
Stabroek News
December 28, 2002
The three men found with the cache of arms and electronic interceptor equipment at Good Hope, East Coast Demerara will not be charged until after the holidays, sources say.
Stabroek News understands that the Police are in the final stages of tidying up their investigations and could be in a position to lay charges against Haroun Yahya, Sean Belfield, a policeman, and Shaheed Khan after the holidays.
Khan, Belfield and Yahya were each released on $500,000 bail by a High Court Judge on December 4, after the Police failed to institute charges against them as the Court had been informed by a State Counsel would have been done earlier that day.
At a recent press conference, Home Affairs Minister Ronald Gajraj said that thorough investigations were being done by the police.
At the hearing in the High Court, Khan did not indicate the he is fugitive from justice. A warrant for his arrest is extant in the US for being in unlawful possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute.
Stabroek News understands from sources close to the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) that the DPP had advised that the three be charged with illegal possession of arms based on the information then in the possession of the Police. However, the sources say it is not unusual for the Police to refine the statements as had been done in this case to ensure that the evidence supports the charges being laid.
Stabroek News understands that the DPP’s Chambers has indicated its willingness to look again at the statements taken from the members of the army patrol that detained the three men and to offer any other advice necessary.
The police failure to charge the men has attracted criticism from the PNCR, the WPA and many letter writers to this newspaper.
