Guyanese Online

Main suspect: Regan Rodrigues

[Guyana Times – 30 July 2014 -By Michael Younge ]  Ex bodyguard of former Attorney General, Anil Nandlall and Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) employee, one of the two men who have been arrested in connection with the murder of former soldier and political activist, Courtney Crum-Ewing has finally broken his silence to maintain his innocence.

Rajput Narine, speaking during snippets of an exclusive interview with the Evening News aired on Television Guyana Channel 28 on Wednesday evening (29 July), said that he never participated in the planning, organization or execution of Crum-Ewing who was cut down in a hail of bullets at Diamond, East Bank Demerara back in March this year. The main suspect, Regan Rodrigues, who has been arrested for Crum-Ewing’s murder after police conducted a raid at his home and apparently found a pistol which matched the one used to kill the activist, has recently alleged that Narine contracted him to do a “hit” on social and political activist Mark Benschop.  

Rodrigues” aka “Grey Boy”, also told the investigators that a second hit, once the first was completed, would have been Crum-Ewing but he decided to share the information with Benschop after turning down a $3M dollar offer on that individual’s head. But Narine recounted a totally different story on Wednesday explaining that he never knew “Grey Boy” personally and was never part of any plot to assassinate Benschop or Crum-Ewing. “I am surprised at these allegations”, he stated before saying that he never participated in any criminal activity in his past as he “is not a person like that”.

Asked whether he knew Crum-Ewing before his death, Narine responded “I never knew him. I never saw him. I never met him before.” He maintained that the allegations made by “Grey Boy” were false and an attempt on the part of the known criminal to frame him and implicate him in the mix of things with the hope of securing some plea deal with the police and Government. Asked what his relations to “Grey Boy” were then, the ex-law enforcement officer then explained that they did not share a personal relationship or friendship. “I know of him. He lives like about 8 houses away from my in-laws them and while I am in and out…going to work (and) going about my business, they hang out in gangs…and while passing I does just raise my hand and go my way….no conversation…no, talking…no communications otherwise..” he remarked.

Pressed further as to why the known criminal would want to implicate an apparently unknown, law-abiding citizen in such a high profile crime, Narine opined that Rodrigues knew that he worked with Government and was also aware that he had “links” to persons associated with the former PPP/C Government. He went recounted that the main suspect in Crum-Ewing’s murder would have seen him in the company of some officials in the security sector in their neighbourhood and therefore could have concocted with others a plot to frame him and implicate him in what he insisted was a politically-driven situation. Narine said that since being arrested by police on Wednesday last, he was interrogated and questioned by different persons but maintained his innocence and lack of knowledge about Crum-Ewing’s murder and the claimed assassination plot on Mark Benschop.

He told the Guyana Times that he was profiled and had his fingerprints taken by the police after consultation with his lawyer Glenn Hanoman explaining too that the police have been dealing with the case in a professional manner. “I gave them all…full cooperation in terms of their investigation…”, the Government worker said. According to him, police arranged a confrontation between him and “Grey Boy” where the main Crum-Ewing suspect maintained that he was contacted by Narine to carry out a hit on the two political activists. He is expected to return to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) today upon the request of the lawmen as he has so far been unable to provide a statement about matters that he insists he has no knowledge about.

Nandlall connection

Meanwhile, Narine’s statements to this publication also backed up the account by former Attorney General Anil Nandall in relation to how the two came into contact following Crum-Ewing’s murder. While Nandlall was a Government Minister and became embroiled in a notorious telephone recording with a local journalist, which went viral Crum-Ewing had been protesting outside of his office calling for his resignation. Nandlall said that he hired Narine to be his bodyguard after Crum Ewing’s murder and never knew before. After just four days of service, he became dissatisfied with Narine’s service and terminated him.

“I never knew him. I never met him before..I knew that he is the Minister became everybody knows the names of the cabinet and govt ministers and they does see them on publication but personally I never knew him or met him before. I never spoke to him expect for when he came back from the US. My brother called me and tell me to support him in terms of providing security for him and that was the only time I met with him…to discuss the security aspect”, he said during the interview.

He was baffled at the allegations and connections that some are seeking to make explaining that he is not a political being.

“I know in time that people will find out that I am innocent. I am concerned that the lies told by “Grey Boy” and others have put my life in danger and that of my family. It has tainted my character and now the whole country…the whole world is looking at me…”, he said holding back tears from his eyes. Asked what message he wanted to send to those probing the case and the general public, Narine said, “I am not responsible for this gentleman’s assassination and I’m not responsible for any allegation made against me to plot to assassinate anyone. The allegations made against me are not true. I feel this allegations made against me is not just an allegation. This is a political motive and I am asking the relevant authorities to go do their investigations properly and to find the true killer of Mr. Crum-Ewing…and try not to implicate ordinary people like that…This is damaging my character”.