Nandlall asks DPP to review charges against Singh, Brassington

Former Attorney General, Anil Nandlall is asking the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to review charges against Former Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh and former Chief Executive Officer of the National Industrial, Commercial and Investments Limited (NICIL), Winston Brassington.

The former government officials were charged with ‘Misconduct in public office: Contrary to Common Law,’ on April 12 by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) for selling several plots of land on the East Coast of Demerara to National Hardware Guyana Ltd, Scady Business Corporation and to Multicinemas Guyana for prices under the market value.

In a letter submitted to the DPP, Shalimar Ali-Hack on Tuesday, Nandlall, on behalf of Brassington and Dr. Singh, asked the DPP to “review the said charges for the purpose of specifically considering whether the particulars of the offences disclose any offence at law, more particularly, the offences for which the accused persons have been charged.”

The letter went on to ask that “if not, I further invite you to consider exercising the powers vested in your office…to discontinue the said charges, forthwith.”

Nandlall alleged that the charges are based on “malice, mala fides, ulterior or sinister motives and vendetta and/or from charges that cannot reasonably yield conviction,” noting that the DPP’s office bears “a constitutional responsibility” to protect the citizenry against the institution of such criminal charges.

The two men are required to appear before Chief Magistrate Ann Mclennan on May 07 to answer to the charges. This followed a request by Special Prosecutor Michael Somersault to give the men who currently reside overseas, three weeks to make themselves available.