A government letter claims that the police are prosecuting the Mohameds for extradition
Almost everyone was of the view that insurance companies were independent. They are in the business of making money. At one time they had agents going almost door to door seeking business. They offered policies ranging from whole of life to funeral benefits.
In the United States my sister took out a death insurance policy on my mother. The reason was that there would be money to take care of her funeral. It so happened that the insurance became void if the person lived beyond eighty-five, which my mother did.
My sister did not read the fine print.
In Guyana, it is compulsory for a road user to have insurance. And given the increasing number of cars, the insurance companies jostle for clients.
It was therefore surprising to hear that Azruddin Mohamed did not have vehicular insurance. It is a crime to be driving without vehicular insurance. The reason is that in the event of an accident there is insurance to cover the cost of the eventuality.
It wasn’t a case of Azruddin trying to be smart. It turned out that no insurance company would sell him a policy for some vehicles that he had.
This was strange since there is no limit to the cost of the policy. The more expensive the vehicle the higher the premium.
It turned out that no insurance company would provide coverage for Azruddin. There have been cases where some companies balked at offering coverage for some properties especially if the insurance companies believed that fires were being used to collect money.
Azruddin was not known to be crashing cars at the drop of a hat so that the companies would have any reason to be wary of offering him coverage.
It turned out that the insurance companies were acting on the directive of the government. They had offered him coverage before the sanctions imposed by the United States. They must have held on to the belief that because of the sanctions they should not do business with him.
There is no recollection of the insurance companies making any such announcements. The commercial banks over reached when they closed the accounts of people who were associated with the Mohameds.
The United States that imposed the sanctions said as much. Whether that situation has been rescinded is not clear. What is clear is that the Central Bank did some business with Mohamed. The government also did. It sent a $20 million Bank of Guyana cheque to the Mohameds.
The business of the motor vehicle insurance was not public knowledge until Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo voiced his anger when Azruddin Mohamed drove up to Parliament in his Lamborghini. Jagdeo vented his spleen on Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken.
Jagdeo had knowledge that there was no insurance coverage for the vehicle. Later the police followed Azruddin’s wife and impounded her vehicle on the grounds that it was not covered by an insurance policy.
Public opinion is that the insurance companies were directed to forego any vehicular insurance for the Mohameds. So much for their independence.
If private insurance companies can be made to forego their independence, then imagine the situation of other independent organisations like the state boards.
Already there is the belief that the judiciary that was supposed to be independent often appears to be compromised. There was the case of a judge, Jainarayan Singh, who ruled against the government. He was never confirmed.
When he retired he went to court for his benefits only to find that his benefits were limited since he was never confirmed in the position he held when he retired. He was punished for ruling against the government.
Justice Yonette Cummings was never confirmed as Chancellor despite the agreement of the Opposition Leader. Recently it was said that she chose early retirement. One can only wonder if her benefits were treated in the same manner as Justice Jainarayan Singh.
Another issue involves the appointment of three Jamaican lawyers to prosecute the Mohameds for extradition.
By way of a letter the Office of the Finance Officer wrote to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs seeking approval for payment to Kings Counsel Terrence Williams, Herbert McKenzie and Celine Deidrick.
Mr. Williams told reporters on Monday that he was acting in the interest of the United States. This led many to believe that the United States was prosecuting the Mohameds. But this letter stated that the prosecution is being done by the Guyana Police Force.
The letter from the Office of the Finance Officer to the Permanent Secretary in the Home Affairs Ministry states, “The administration of the force has consulted with Honourable Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs who advised that the Guyana Police Force seek the legal services of a team of experienced attorneys to represent the Guyana Police Force in the extradition proceedings in the Courts of Guyana.”
The letter continued, “Mr. Terrence F. Williams KC, Mr. Herbert McKenzie, and Ms. Celine Deidrick, all Attorneys at Law, were consulted and their services were obtained to represent the Guyana Police Force in the extradition proceedings.”
The United States appears to have no involvement of the extradition process. However, Mr. Williams said that he was representing the United States government when in fact he was representing the Guyana Police Force.
The Guyana Government is paying him US$62,558. It is not stated whether this sum is for the entire team plus Guyanese Glenn Hanoman.
