Weeks after his initial court appearance, Deputy Commissioner of Police (ag) Calvin Brutus on Monday faced an additional 201 financial crime charges and was placed on bail amounting to over $10 million.
This now means that Brutus is currently facing a total of 231 charges.
Neatly decked out in a suit, Brutus, arrived at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court in time for his hearing which was set for 09:00 hrs. He was accompanied by several lawyers.
Based on a request from the lawyers and in an effort to save time, the details of all of the charges were not read individually to Brutus.
Instead, acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty informed the court that there are a total of 201 new charges. All the charges were for the offence of liability of an official, which, essentially, means Brutus is answering for his actions or inactions.
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Brutus is the first person to be charged with this offence by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU).
He was not required to plead to the charges. In fact, the prosecution informed that court that the state will be proceeding with the charges indictable. This means, Brutus will not be allowed to plead to the offences before the trial commences.
In their application for bail, Brutus’ lawyers reminded the court that he was already placed on $6.2 million on the previous 31 charges ranging from misconduct in public office and obtaining money by false pretense to larceny, money laundering and liability of an official.
The charges were laid by SOCU and stemmed from financial crimes relating to hundreds of millions of dollars belonging to the Guyana Police Force.
However, the application was strongly opposed by the prosecution who asked that Brutus be placed on a substantial bail, particularly considering the amount of money involved in the cases.
The prosecutor also reminded that court that the investigation also resulted in frozen bank accounts. Those accounts contain millions of dollars belonging to Brutus and his wife, Adonika Aulder, who is a co-accused in the case.
After listening to both sides, the magistrate imposed bail in the sum of $50,000 per offence. Altogether, Brutus’ bail is $10.05 million.
Brutus is set to appear in court again on January 17, 2025 for these new charges.
Monday was also set for report and statements for Brutus’ co-accused, Aulder; his driver Sergeant, Kevin George and businessman, Asif Zafarally.
However, statements were not available. As such, the prosecution requested additional time and they were asked to return to court on December 18.
On that date, Brutus is also expected to reappear concerning the first 31 charges he faced.
The charges were laid by SOCU following a comprehensive investigation, in line with legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Brutus has, however, maintained his innocence.
Now that the charges are instituted, necessary legal steps will be taken to remove him from office in compliance with the law.
