By Mark DaCosta- The murder of Ricardo Fagundes, alias “Paper Shorts,” has taken another turn, with fresh developments in the five-year-old case raising questions about the intersection of justice and politics. The Guyana Police Force has issued a wanted bulletin for Satrohan Rajkumar, widely known as “Depo,” in connection with the March 2021 execution-style killing outside a Georgetown nightclub.
Simultaneously, three men previously detained in relation to the homicide—Udoh Kanu, former manager at Mohamed’s Security; auto dealer Amarnauth Ramsook; and Mark Richmond, a former security guard—have been released on $1 million station bail each.
The latest chapter began with the detention of Richmond, who voluntarily presented himself at Criminal Investigation Department Headquarters on July 8 after police enquiries at his residence the previous day. His initial 72-hour detention expired on July 11, but police successfully applied for an extension without, according to his attorney Damien DaSilva, notifying the defence.
Justice Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus upheld an extension granted by Justice Sunil Scarce, permitting Richmond’s continued detention until July 14. DaSilva criticised the decision as unconstitutional, arguing that his client had faced “no eyewitnesses, no forensic evidence, no surveillance footage—nothing.” He also described Richmond’s conditions of detention as “deplorable.”
Richmond’s release, alongside that of Kanu and Ramsook, was accompanied by circumstances that did little to quell public suspicion. Family members gathered outside CID Headquarters alleged that police transferred Richmond from Eve Leary to Regional Division 4 “A” Headquarters to avoid journalists waiting outside. “They just brought him here and dropped him off as a distraction to avoid the media,” relatives told reporters, expressing relief at his release.
The political dimensions of the investigation have become increasingly pronounced. Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed, who previously employed Richmond and Kanu, has described the renewed investigation as politically motivated. In a video statement, Mohamed alleged that President Irfaan Ali ordered Deputy Crime Chief Mitchell Caesar to reopen the case in retaliation for his exposure of the President’s alleged 150-acre farm, a controversy the Opposition has dubbed “Farmgate.”
“I discovered and exposed President [Ali’s] 150-acre megafarm, worth more than $5 billion,” Mohamed said. “This exposure has thrown the President into a state of desperation and panic… causing him to manufacture total fabrications… and attempt to manipulate the system.”
Mohamed also alleged that investigators sought to pressure auto dealer Ramsook into changing an earlier statement to identify Richmond as the purchaser of the white Toyota Fielder allegedly used in the murder. According to Mohamed, Ramsook had previously provided documentation showing the vehicle had instead been sold to Shemroy Omar Stewart, whom Mohamed identified as a security guard associated with convicted narcotics trafficker Roger Khan. Mohamed also released an audio recording purportedly featuring Ramsook’s son, who claimed CID officers and a senior People’s Progressive Party/Civic official pressured Ramsook to sign a false statement. Those allegations have not been independently verified.
Fagundes was gunned down on March 21, 2021, shortly after leaving the Palm Court nightclub on Main Street, Georgetown. Reports indicate he had stepped outside after receiving a telephone call when two gunmen emerged from a heavily tinted white Toyota Fielder and opened fire, shooting him more than 20 times before fleeing. The vehicle was later found burned along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway.
The investigation remained stalled until August 2022 when Detective Sergeant Dion Bascom publicly alleged that senior police officers had accepted bribes to suppress evidence implicating Richmond and the Mohamed family.
Those allegations prompted the Government to seek assistance from the Regional Security System (RSS). A former Detective Chief Inspector of the Metropolitan Police reviewed the investigation and concluded there was no evidence of corruption or any deliberate cover-up by Detective Superintendent Mitchell Caesar or other investigators. The report described Bascom’s bribery allegations as hearsay lacking supporting evidence, though it noted inconsistencies in statements provided by one of Fagundes’s close associates on the night of the murder.
The latest developments have renewed debate over both the pace of the investigation and its political implications. With Rajkumar now wanted, Richmond, Kanu and Ramsook released on bail, and competing narratives surrounding the investigation, the murder of Ricardo Fagundes remains one of Guyana’s most high-profile unresolved criminal cases.
