Misconduct charges withdrawn against Ashni Singh, Winston Brassington

The misconduct in public office charges against Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh, and Head of the Gas-to-Shore Taskforce, Winston Brassington, yesterday had charges withdrawn against them.
The two high-ranking Government officials were charged on May 8, 2018 for allegedly selling State lands without first obtaining a valuation and selling the lands way below their value under the Bharrat Jagdeo administration.

The charges were filed by the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU) under the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) coalition.
However, yesterday when the matter was called in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, the SOCU special prosecutor informed the court that the organization no longer wishes to proceed with the charges against the two officials.
As such, six charges were withdrawn against Singh and Brassington.

The first charge had alleged that Singh, being and performing duties of Minister of Finance, and Chairman of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), a company owned by the Government of Guyana; and Brassington being and performing duties as the Chief Executive of NICIL, on May 14, 2011 at 126 Barrack Street, Kingston, Georgetown sold a tract of land being 10.002 acres of Plantation Turkeyen, East Coast of Demerara, property of the State of Guyana, for the sum of $185,037,000, without first having procured a valuation of the said property from a competent valuation officer.

It is further alleged that Singh and Brassington on December 30, 2008 at the same location, by way of Agreement of Sale and Purchase without due diligence, sold to Scady Business Corporation a 4.7 acres tract portion of Plantation Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara for $150M knowing that the said property was valued at $340M by Rodrigues Architects Associate, a competent valuation officer.
The last allegation against the two stated that Singh and Brassington on December 28, 2009, at the same location, by way of Agreement of Sale and Purchase, acted recklessly when they sold to National Hardware Guyana Limited a tract of land at Plantation Liliendaal, Pattensen and Turkeyen, situated on the East Coast of Demerara, being 103 acres, being property of the State of Guyana for the sum of $598,659,398 (VAT exclusive) without first procuring a valuation of the said property from a competent valuation officer.

After they were charged, Singh and Brassington had challenged the legality of charges noting that their positions specifically excluded them from being considered or described as ‘public officers’ under the Constitution of Guyana.
However, on November 25, one year after the charges were challenged, Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George-Wiltshire dismissed the challenge and ruled that the duo must return to the Magistrates’ Court and face the charges.