As the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the alleged plot to assassinate President David Granger continues, it has been revealed that the man (Andrif Gillard) who reported to police that businessman, Nizam Khan- was the mastermind behind the assassination claims, may have concocted the story in an act of revenge.
At Wednesday’s CoI hearing, Detective Corporal Jermaine Laundry – on instructions from Ian Chang, Attorney at Law for the Guyana Police Force (GPF)- read a statement which was taken from Gillard’s former landlord, Luanna Walker on July 19, 2017.
The woman’s six paged statement explained that at one time, Gillard operated a taxi service on a plot of land which was not his.
She said, Gillard complained to her that his friend, Nizam Khan, had assisted the owner of the property in their court case- which resulted in them winning- with the intention of buying that very land for his [Khan’s] own use.
Gillard’s former landlord said that his anger towards Khan resulted in him expressing his desire to frame him [Khan] in such a way that people would be inclined to believe him [Andriff] since the duo were such good friends.
“I then told Andriff not to do that [and asked] if is not Nizam [who] helped him with his business? I tell him don’t do that,” Laundry read in the woman’s statement.
She woman’s statement said that due to her close relationship with Gillard’s reputed wife, at one time, when the couple were having personal problems, she [Gillard’s reputed wife] had disclosed that her reputed husband was making preparations to “do something” to Khan.
The former landlord-who claimed she once rented a business on her property to Gillard but was forced to have him evicted- due to the nonpayment of rent- said she first learnt that the man had went ahead with the scheme against Khan from Facebook posts and a media report on television.
On March 29, Andriff Gillard reported that his neighbour Nizam Khan offered him $7M to kill President David Granger. In June, President Granger decided to launch a CoI into the alleged plot to assassinate him and named Paul Slowe as Chairman of the Commission.
Inspector Prem Narine, last week testified that he received a call from Commissioner Seelall Persaud instructing him to place Nizam, his brother Imran, and Gillard on bail. Imran and Gillard were arrested on the same night allegedly for disorderly behaviour and threatening language respectively.
Narine told the Commission that, had it not been for Persaud’s intervention, he would not have sent the Khan brothers away.
Commissioner Persaud who subsequently took the stand, explained that he had received a call from Imran Khan informing him that he had been placed on $20,000 bail for disorderly behaviour, but he had no money to pay the bail.
He said the Guyana Police Force has a policy to not hold anyone for longer than necessary, and not for minor offences like the one Imran was charged for, the Force processes and releases on bail at the earliest time possible.
“I was making a suggestion; I was giving an opinion. It wasn’t my intention to ensure he [Nizam Khan] go on bail. I had a concern with how the policy of the Force was being implemented,” he told the CoI.
Persaud revealed that, during a cellphone call, he suggested that Imran Khan be sent on his own recognisance and Nizam Khan be placed on bail. However, he said, had that course of action been taken, he would have been breaching a policy of the Force and he would have been disciplined.
Persaud said his friendship with Imran Khan does not extend into any business relations, and for the record, he has no private or joint business ventures with Khan.
The Commissioner also sought to discredit talks that a thorough investigation into the matter had not been done.
Meanwhile, Attorney at Law, Christopher Ram has invited Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan to take the stand.
The request was made on Wednesday by businessman, Imran Khan’s attorney who noted that Ramjattan’s testimony would be pertinent to the CoI as he is responsible for the Guyana Police Force.
The final report of the COI is expected to be handed over to the President on August 18.
