Toshao, who refused Ramotar’s visit, arrested for alleged rape

Last Updated on Friday, 20 February 2015, 22:14 by GxMedia

The Moco Moco Village Chief, who prevented President Donald Ramotar from visiting his Rupununi community at short notice, was Friday afternoon arrested as part of a probe into alleged rape of a minor.

Police said they received a report that the Amerindian village leader allegedly raped a 14-year old girl who lives at Moco Moco. They said the report was made by a Schools’ Welfare Officer.

Thirty-two year old Mark George told Demerara Waves Online News that he was innocent and that he would refuse to give police a statement until his lawyer arrives at the Lethem Police Station on Saturday.

He strongly believed that his arrest was politically motivated after he refused the Guyanese leader’s visit on Tuesday because Moco-Moco would not have been prepared. “Yeh, yeh I think so…I get a strong feelings is something linked to that,” he said when asked whether he believed that his arrest was related to the refusal of Ramotar’s visit.

The Toshao was approached on Monday, February 16, 2015 by an activist of the ruling People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC), telling him that Ramotar had intended to visit the following day.

The village leader said that it was merely the hasty arrangements which he blamed squarely on the PPP activists in the region.He said a letter of apology was already being crafted to dispatch to the Office of the President (OP) regarding the truncated visit. George reiterated that it was the short notice which resulted in the community not being able to accommodate the president.