05/01/2023
Police Corporal slapped with Three Counts of Money Laundering Charges after two years of investigations by SOCU.
Motor car restrained
Rawl Richards Haynes, a Police Corporal of Lot 2 Hydronie East Bank Essequibo was on Thursday 5th January 2023 charged with three counts of Money Laundering, in contravention of Section (3) (1) (a) of the Anti Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act Chapter 10:11. The matters were heard at the Leonora Magistrate’s Court where he appeared before Magistrate Zamena Ali Seepaul and was not required to plea to the indictable charges. Two of charges had similar particulars which stated that on the 7th April 2020 he converted the sum $7,000,000 and $1,000,000 Guyana dollars respectively for part payment of properties located at Lots 284 and 285 Block 8 Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo respectively, knowing or having reason to believe that the said sum of moneys is the proceed of crime with the aim of concealing or disguising the illicit origin of the cash. He was granted bail in the sum of two hundred thousand dollars ($ 200,000) on the two charges and the matters were adjourned to 2023-01-17
The other charge read that he on the 22nd August 2019 he converted the sum of 2,900,000 for payment of one Toyota Allion motor car # PYY 357, knowing or having reason to believe that the said sum of moneys is the proceed of crime with the aim of concealing or disguising the illicit origin of the cash. He was granted bail in the sum of $ 100,000 and the matter was transferred to the Wales Magistrate’s Court for 2023-01-25. He was represented by Attorney at Law Dexter Todd.
In March 2021 Haynes along with Retired Assistant Commissioner of Police Kevin Adonis, Sergeants, Michael Corbin and Jermaine Fraser, were charged by SOCU with conspiracy to defraud the Guyana Police Force of $19 million dollars, and he was also charged with the offence of Larceny by Public Officer. This was after it was discovered by the Guyana Police Force that millions of dollars were fraudulently stolen in conspiracies allegedly between several senior and junior officers. Hence the cases were referred to the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU) for investigation and prosecution. Several senior and junior officers were charged and placed before the courts for several fraud related offences and conspiracies to defraud the Guyana Police Force. Rawle Haynes has been under the radar since 2020.
According to the Head of SOCU Assistant Commissioner Fizal Karimbaksh, the Police Corporal did a number of substantial cash based transactions. He said on 7th April 2020 Haynes purchased a property at Lot 285 Block 8, Plantation Tuschen East Bank Essequibo for the sum of thirteen million ($13,000,000 M) Guyana dollars and on the same day he also purchased a portion of land situated at Lot 284 Block 8 Plantation Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo for the sum of two million (2,000,000) Guyana dollars. These properties are situated next to each other. Official documents suggested that the properties would be transfer to Haynes upon the completion of court proceedings which are presently pending. The Head SOCU Mr Karimbaksh went on to say that Haynes purchased two motor cars between August 2019 and February 2020 and currently SOCU has a restraining order on one of the vehicles.
