Rickford Burke says police force part of plot to frame him

Last Updated on Sunday, 25 September 2022, 22:43 by Denis Chabrol

Outspoken New York-based anti-government activist Rickford Burke on Sunday denied claims by an accused extortionist that he has anything to do with a Faceboo0k page and website styled Guyana News Network on which a number possibly defamatory posts were made.

“The people being coerced by the Police to speculate and make these statements live in Guyana. They have never been in my presence. I have never seen them in my life. None of them has ever spoken to me about an article. One I have never heard of before! I therefore wish the Police good luck in their audacious attempt to frame me, all the way in New York, just to attempt to silence me. ,” he said in a statement.

Mr Burke was hours later reacting to a number of claims in a Guyana Police Force news release that were allegedly made by journalist Gary Eleazar that he had written content over a period of time which was sent to Mr Burke by email and material was added before publication.

Mr Burke questioned the police force’s motive for designing a crime then seeking to create a mastermind.

Police said on Sunday, they conducted an audio-video interview with Mr Eleazar on Sunday, he implicated Mr Dorwain Bess and Mr Burke in the publication of defamatory content on the Guyana News Network’s Facebook page and website. According to investigators, Mr Eleazar claimed that Mr Bess told him that a businessman was evading taxes on imported vehicles and he later wrote the article and sent it to Mr Bess.  Mr. Eleazar, according to the police force,  said Bess sent the article to Mr Burke and several paragraphs were added before it was posted on the Guyana News Network Facebook page and website. Eleazar  alleged that Mr. Bess told him that the article in question, was to threaten the businessman because of $100,000,000 that he had lost while they were in business.

The police news release said that Mr Eleazar and former Kaieteur News reporter Alex Wayne were being investigated for defamation, but issued pictures of the duo holding name plates with the offence “extortion” written on them. Police Force spokesman Mark Ramotar, in responding to media enquiries, said they were being held for extortion and “there might be others (offences) which I cannot confirm at the moment.”

For his part, Mr Burke described police references to him as a “false claims and speculation.” “The intent is to “try” to associate my name with a scandal to give the public the impression that I was involved in something unlawful,” he said.

Mr Burke made it clear that “I do not manage a website.”

The Guyana Police F0rce, in its account, said Mr Eleazar told investigators that he had also sent five articles “targeting” the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) , Anand Sanasie, Global Petroleum and others to Mr Bess and and to Mr Burke, who posted the content to GNN’s website and Facebook page.

While Mr Burke denied any association with the GNN Facebook page or website, he admitted knowing that police has been for several months making inquiries about whether he was associated with that publication which has has published his shows and writings like other media houses have done.

He  said the PPP government is once again using the Police to target their personal and political opponents, and using Cybercrime laws to suppress free speech.