Four witnesses testified on Monday in the first trial against former Assistant Commissioner of Police Calvin Brutus, who is facing one count of Misconduct in Public Office and 221 counts of Liability of Official.
The trial commenced before Acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
Brutus is charged with one count of Misconduct in Public Office, contrary to common law, and 221 counts of Liability of Official, contrary to Section 85 of the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act 2003.
It is alleged that Brutus, while serving as Assistant Commissioner of Police and performing the duties of Deputy Commissioner (Administration), used the authority of his office to create the opportunity for his wife, through businesses connected to her, to defraud the State of large sums of money. It is further alleged that, in January 2024, he instructed Senior Superintendent Bharrat Persaud to submit to him 221 payment vouchers relating to those businesses and that the vouchers were never returned to the Police Finance Office.
The first witness to testify was Lashawna Canzius, a clerk attached to the Deeds Registry and the custodian of records at the Commercial Registry. Her testimony related to the business registrations for Triple A Depot, a business owned by Brutus’ wife, Adonika Aulder, and South Quata Contracting and General Supplies Inc.
The second witness was Sergeant Lerone Wilkinson, an investigator with the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU). He testified that on September 19, 2024, he visited the Commercial Registry’s Business Names Department, where he obtained the business registration documents for Triple A Depot and South Quata Contracting and General Supplies Inc. He said he took the documents to SOCU, where copies were made. Both documents were tendered and admitted as exhibits.
The court also heard from Raymond Cummings, Registrar General of the General Register Office within the Ministry of Home Affairs. Cummings testified that on July 29, 2024, he received a request from the Head of SOCU for the marriage certificate of Brutus and Aulder. Following a search of the registry’s database, the marriage certificate was located, printed, and forwarded to SOCU.
The fourth witness was Senior Superintendent Bharrat Persaud, Finance Officer of the Guyana Police Force. His testimony focused on the functions of the Police Finance Office, the procurement and payment process, and how payment vouchers were generated, processed, and stored.
Persaud also gave evidence regarding transactions involving Triple A Depot and South Quata Contracting and General Supplies Inc., as well as the allegation that Brutus requested the 221 payment vouchers connected to those businesses be submitted to him.
Following Persaud’s testimony, the matter was adjourned to October 8, 2026, for the continuation of the trial.
The State is being represented by Attorney-at-Law Darin Chan and Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Natasha Backer. Brutus is represented by Attorneys-at-Law Yuborn Allicock and Dominick Bess.
The matter is one of several cases before the Magistrates’ Court stemming from a 2024 Special Organised Crime Unit investigation into alleged financial irregularities within the Guyana Police Force.
