Trio charged with murder arising from the MV Barima tragedy remanded until September

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – A magistrate has adjourned to September 7, the court case in which three people, including the captain of the ill-fated MV Barima , have been charged with murder after the 87-year-old vessel sank on July 18, resulting in the death of 72 people and more than 30 others missing and presumed dead.

Kevin Price, alias ‘KP’, the 40-year-old captain of the vessel; his 42-year-old chief mate, Rondell Dwayne Roberts; and Delon Granderson, a 33-year-old goods superintendent appeared by Zoom before Magistrate Ravindra Mohabir at the Charity Magistrate’s Court.

Price and Granderson were represented by attorney Dexter Smartt along with a team of lawyers, including Dexter Todd. Attorney Everton Lammy-Singh appeared for Roberts.

During the proceedings, the prosecutor Mandel Moore said that he is now in possession of a fiat, the written authorisation permitting him to prosecute the matter.

The magistrate informed the court that the prosecution has provided partial disclosure to the defence and Moore requested that the matter be adjourned to August 31 to facilitate full disclosure.

But the Charity Magistrate’s Court only sits on Mondays, resulting in the magistrate indicating that he would have to adjourned the matter to September 7, the next available date.

Defence lawyers and other legal commentators as well as the Opposition have criticised the decision to file the murder charges against the three men, contending that the search is still continuing and that the Commission of Inquiry appointed by the government to examine the circumstances that led to the worst maritime disaster in Guyana’s history has not started its work.

But the police have maintained that the murder charges were instituted following legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Director of Public Prosecutions Shalimar Hack said she advised that the trio be charged based on the evidence presented, the relevant principles of law involved, case law authorities from the United Kingdom, Commonwealth jurisdictions, the European Court of Human Rights, and public policy considerations.

On Sunday night, family members, friends and residents of one of the men staged a solidarity protest outside his Grove, East Bank Demerara home, saying the 72-count murder charges were trumped up to cover the failures of top government officials.

Several persons held placards outside Robert’s residence, with one saying “we feel that he was wrongfully accused and imprisoned”.

The protestors, who said they were also supportive of the other two charged with the murders, held placards that stated, among other slogans: ‘Transparency and accountability’, ‘Free Rondell, Dellon and Kevin’, ‘Fire the fish-up Bishop’, ‘Float the boat, bring up the evidence’ and ‘Justice for these three men. Families need closure’.

One of the protestors supported the government’s decision to salvage the MV Barima instead of building a memorial site nine miles offshore where the vessel went down.

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