Attorney-at-Law and People’s National Congress/Reform (PNC/R) Member, James Bond was slapped with three charges for conspiracy on Thursday along with similar charges to former Special Purpose Unit (SPU) Head, Colvin Heath-London; ARKEN Group Inc. Managing Director, Jermaine Richmond and businessman Eddie Doolal.
Three of the men except Heath-Lindon appeared before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. Bond was charged with conspiracy to defraud the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan. Bail application was granted at $50,000 for each charge and Bond is expected to return to Court on April 19, 2021.
Outside the court, one of Bond’s lawyers, Darren Wade said: “I looked at the charges and I think they are foolish because any law student would tell you that a Company has its legal personality from the shareholder so I don’t understand how they could form such a charge.”
He said the State of Guyana was added as the sole shareholder of NICIL which is “very unusual” in such a case. He further explained that even if the State is the sole shareholder of NICIL, it is nonetheless independent of the Company.
“There’s a Caribbean Court of Justice that came out of GRA that made it clear that even if you work with one of these ‘State companies or shareholder companies’ you don’t work for the State. Whatever land was there was not vested in the State, the lands will have to be vested in NICIL which has its own legal personality separate from the State,” Wade said. Bond was also represented by Attorney-at-law, Patrice Henry.
Not far from the court, several persons came out in support of Bond. Bond declined to comment to the media but has denied accusations that he received payment from two businessmen for underhand land transactions.
The first offence states that Bond, Heath-London and Richmond, between August 1, 2017, and November 30, 2020, conspired together with others to defraud the NICIL and its Sole Shareholder, the Government of Guyana of property interest in land.
These were namely the grant of a lease of lands known as Plot A1, A2, A3, A4 Plantation Peters Hall, East Bank Demerara, without the necessary Board and Cabinet approval to do so and for purposes other than that of NICIL.
The second offence states that Heath-London and Bond, during the same period, conspired together and with others to defraud NICIL and its Sole Shareholder, the Government of Guyana of property interest in land, namely the grant of a lease lands known as Plot A17, A18, A19 Plantation Peters Hall, EBD without the necessary Board and Cabinet approval to do so and for purposes other than that of NICIL.
The third offence states that Heath-London, Bond and Doolal, conspired together and with others to defraud NICIL and its Sole Shareholder, the Government of Guyana of property interest in land, namely the grant of a lease of lands known as Plot A7, A8, A20 Plantation Peters Hall, EBD without the necessary Board and Cabinet approval to do so and for purposes other than that of NICIL.
Heath-London, Doolal and Richmond each received $100,000 bail on each charge.
