Five accused plead ‘not guilty’ as Berbice carpenter’s murder trial gets underway

Five men on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to their involvement in the 2016 murder of Berbice carpenter Faiyaz Narinedatt.

Orlando Dickie, Radesh Motie, Diodath Datt, Harri Paul Parsram and Niran Yacoob appeared before Justice Navindra Singh at the Berbice High Court.

The men denied that between October 31 and November 1, 2016 they murdered Narinedatt.

The state is represented by special prosecutor, attorney Latchmie Rahamat, and State prosecutor, Nafeeza Baig.

A 12-member jury was empanelled to commence hearing evidence in the case on Wednesday.

During the period in question, Narinedatt was beaten and left for dead on the road at Number 70 Village, Berbice, a short distance away from the home of businessman Marcus Bisram who has since been acquitted of the murder.

Police claimed that the men placed Narinedatt’s lifeless body into the trunk of a car and dumped it on the public road before attempting to run it over to make it appear to be an accident.

Police had initially implicated the Guyanese-American Businessman after he fled to the United States of America but was extradited to Guyana and charged with Narinedatt murder.

However, on June 1, 2020, he was freed of the charge by a Magistrate due to the lack of evidence.

The Director of Public Prosecution, Shalimar Ali-Hack ordered the magistrate to commit Bisram to the High Court to stand trial for the indictment.

He later moved to the Georgetown High Court, where Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall ruled that his incarceration was unlawful and ordered that he be released.

On May 31, 2021, the Court of Appeal granted an order filed by the DPP, and overturned the orders granted by High Court Judge.

Bisram later moved to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) to appeal this decision.

The Trinidad-based Court ordered that the decision made by the Magistrate to dismiss the murder charge against Bisram be restored.

It was also ordered that Bisram may not be committed for trial only on the evidence led before the Magistrate.

However, Justice Saunders said that nothing prevents the DPP from re-arresting and charging Bisram if fresh evidence is found.