- Ramsaroop
says he’s been framed
Police said yesterday
that they had unearthed
three hidden cameras
during Monday’s search
of the apartment of a
young woman who was a
tenant of Alliance For
Change Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) Peter
Ramsaroop.
The raid was conducted as
police probe allegations
that the party’s CEO may
have been filming the
woman without her
knowledge.
Ramsaroop has vehemently
denied the allegations,
which he claims are
politically motivated to
tarnish his image.
A police statement issued
yesterday said that one of
the ‘covert’ cameras
was hidden in a clock on
the wall, giving a
panoramic view of the
apartment.
According to the police
another was hidden in a
radio in the bathroom and
a third was focusing on
her bed.
The raids were conducted
at Ramsaroop’s Forshaw
and New Garden Streets,
Queenstown property and at
his Land Of Canaan
Offices, on Monday.
Police also released
statements that were
submitted to them by
Ramsaroop and his former
tenant, 19-year-old Nicole
Ming.
In her statement, Ming
said that she rented the
apartment about two months
ago from Ramsaroop.
She alleged that about a
week ago, Ramsaroop asked
if she would be going out,
as technicians had to
enter the apartment to
check the telephone wires.
She said that she declined
to leave her room unlocked
as he had requested.
Ramsaroop allegedly said
that he would check to see
if he found the spare keys
to the apartment.
In her statement, Ming
said that she was unaware
if Ramsaroop had entered
her bedroom.
According to the police,
on her return, she
allegedly observed an
instrument on the wall
with a light flashing.
“She also stated that
about two weeks ago she
had replaced a battery in
the clock in which one of
the cameras was found and
the camera was not affixed
at that time.
She said that she
complained that Mr. Peter
Ramsaroop may have been
recording her,” the
statement said.
“The police became
suspicious that Mr.
Ramsaroop may be in
possession of pornography
and may be distributing
pornography and
consequently obtained
warrants to search his
apartment as well as his
office at Land of Canaan,
East Bank Demerara.
At the time he was
overseas and upon his
return on May 17, 2010,
the police who seized two
computer hard drives and a
digital video recorder
from his apartment
executed the warrants in
his presence. They also
seized two computer hard
drives from his office.”
“Mr. Peter Ramsaroop
denied the allegations of
possession and
distribution of
pornography and indicated
in a written statement
that he once used the
apartment to house an
office for his employees
when he installed cameras
and did not remove all of
the cameras when he rented
it to Nicole Ming. He is
currently on $20,000 cash
bail pending
investigations.”
Speaking to Kaieteur News
yesterday, Ramsaroop again
insisted that there were
several old electrical
wires that were installed
when he used the
Queenstown premises as his
office.
There were also motion
detectors in the building,
but these were not hooked
up to any monitoring
system.
The AFC Executive said
that the electronic
equipment was installed
when his firm, RoopGroup,
was operating from
Queenstown. However, he
said that an old motion
detector was left in the
apartment.
According to Ramsaroop,
Ming was aware of the
existence of the motion
detector prior to her
moving into the apartment.
“From the time I rented
the apartments, I did not
install any cameras or
motion detectors,” his
statement said. “I am
not transmitting from my
home or anywhere else.”
Ramsaroop confirmed that
he had asked Ming for
access to her apartment to
allow technicians to check
the phone wires. However,
he insisted that he did
not enter Ming’s
apartment.
Ramsaroop had alleged on
Monday that the
allegations against him
stemmed from recent
remarks he had made
against a leading
political figure.
He said that he recently
asked Ming to vacate the
premises after learning
that she was closely
associated with President
Bharrat Jagdeo.
Ramsaroop, who is being
represented by opposition
leader Robert Corbin, said
that he is to return to
CID headquarters today.
When interviewed by
reporters, Ramsaroop said
that all cameras on the
premises were already
there.
He said that he asked the
police to trace the wires
to see if they led
anywhere.
The AFC official said that
he intends to file a
counter-claim against
Ming.
“I intend to file a
complaint to the police,
accusing her of setting me
up.”
AFC co-leader Raphael
Trotman has also claimed
that party members are
being deliberately
targeted.
He described the
allegations against
Ramsaroop as a pattern of
harassment, which is
“the dark, ugly side of
politics in Guyana.”
Wednesday,
May 19, 2010
