Demerara Waves Online News- Guyana Riding on the Crest of Truth
Last Updated on Friday, 16 June 2017, 0:32 by Denis Chabrol
PPP Parliamentarian, Dharamkumar Seeraj
The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) late Thursday night said the United States has revoked visitor visas from two of its parliamentarians and several other persons on fraud-related charges.
The two PPP legislators -Dharamkumar Seeraj and Nigel Dharamlall-, according to the PPP recently received letters from the Consular Section of the US embassy in Georgetown “informing them that their non-immigrant visas have been revoked.
“The letters further state that the Consular Section is now in receipt of information which it did not have at the time that the visas were granted,” the PPP said in a statement. The PPP said Seeraj and Dharamlall have since asked the American embassy to provide the information that led to the revocation of their non-immigrant visas. “They have instructed their attorneys -at-law to write to the Consular Section of the said Embassy requesting the new information which it has received.” The PPP said it would pursue that matter as far as is possible.
PPP parliamentarian, Nigel Dharamlall.
The Opposition party said similar letters were received by the other persons who were slapped with what that party called “fabricated charges” in relation to Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB).
The PPP suggested that the visas were revoked before the court determined whether they are innocent or guilty. “All the persons charged have pleaded not guilty to those charges and therefore, are presumed innocent until proven guilty.”
The others whose US visas have been revoked are former General Manager of the Guyana Oil Company, Jagnarine Singh; Badrie Persaud; Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Prema Roopnarine and PPP Organiser, Dhanlall Dhanraj.
They have all been accused of omitting from the general ledger of the Guyana Rice Development Board a total of GYD$362 million while they were board members of that entity between 2012 and 2015.
They are on GYD$500,000 bail each pending the hearing and determination of the case.