Former health ministry Diamond drug bond employees charged with money laundering

Two former employees of the Ministry of Health’s Material Management Unit (MMU) Bond were Friday charged with three counts of money laundering that police said was linked to their alleged theft and sale of COVID-19 test kits.

Chief Magistrate, Faith McGusty granted GY$100,000 bail to 29-year-old Kerron Webster of 344 Middle Street, North Cummingsburg after he was arraigned on one count of money laundering. His case comes up for report on 6 December, 2024. He was not required to plea to the indictable charge.

Twenty-six-year-old Terrence Williams of 123 Farm, East Bank Demerara, who is serving a three-year sentence for being in illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition that allegedly has a direct connection with the money laundering cases he is now facing, did not appear in court for arraignment on two counts of money laundering. His matters were postponed to the 22 November, 2024, and 9 December, 2024, for the charges to be read to him.

“The duo had unrestricted access to the pharmaceutical and testing kits from the bond. They misused their authority and stole a quantity of the items mentioned above which they sold and used the proceeds of the crime to enrich themselves,” the Guyana Police Force (GPF) said.

The GPF’s Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), which is tasked with investigating financial crimes, said it is “currently pursuing forfeiture of the duo’s properties.”

A summary of Webster’s charge reads he ‘knowingly or having reasonable grounds to believe that the property in question whether in whole or in part directly or indirectly represents proceeds of crime, converts, transfers, or uses the property in question knowing or having reasons to believe that the said property is the proceeds of crime with the aim of concealing or disguising the illicit origin’.

SOCU indicated that information surfaced that Messrs Williams and Webster, while being employees of the MMU stole a quantity of pharmaceutical and Covid-19 testing kits from the facility.

Police alleged that they went to the MMU and during a search, they found one .38 pistol, several matching rounds of ammunition, along with GY$4,580,000 and US$5,760.

The GPF said SOCU conducted a parallel money laundering investigation and a special audit of the Drug Bond found that GY$343,808,000 worth of drugs and testing kits were unaccounted for.