With no case-submission upheld, Police prosecutor accused of ‘ducking’ sentence warrants walks free

A serving member of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), Sergeant Shawn Gonsalves, who was charged in April of this year for conspiring to obstruct the course of justice, walked out of court a free man on Tuesday after the charge against him was dismissed.

Sergeant Gonsalves, 35, a father of three, of Tuschen Housing Scheme, East Bank Essequibo, had been on trial for the offence before Magistrate Sunil Scarce at the Diamond/ Golden Grove Magistrates’ Courts.

When the matter came up on Tuesday, Magistrate Scarce upheld the no-case submission made by Sergeant Gonsalves’ lawyer, Bernard Da Silva at the close of the prosecution’s case.

As such, the Magistrate accordingly dismissed the charge against the Police Sergeant and informed him that he was free to go. Sergeant Gonsalves had been out on self-bail pending the hearing and determination of his trial which lasted for about six months.

He had initially pleaded not guilty to the charge which stated that between July 23, 2021, and November 27, 2021, at, Diamond, East Bank Demerara, he conspired with persons unknown, to obstruct the course of justice, in that, he caused the disappearance or falsely executed two sentence warrants in favour of Vishal Munilall of Houston, EBD.

The sentence warrants were issued by Magistrate Annette Singh who presides at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. A sentence warrant is an order of the court that directs a Police rank to arrest and bring a person before the court, such as a person who is charged with a crime or convicted of a crime but failed to appear for sentencing.

Police officers executing the sentence warrants arrested Vishal Munilall, 34, on November 27, 2021. He was also arrested on allegations that he and another man obtained money by false pretence from another man back in 2017.

As such, he was escorted to the Golden Grove Police Station, EBD. While there, he requested a telephone call to his Attorney-at-Law, which was granted. Shortly after, 25-year-old Kulwantie Munilall, also of Houston, EBD, visited him and gave him a package.

Vishal Munilall then requested to speak to the investigating officer, and in the presence of another Policeman, he gave the investigating officer $700,000 to forego investigation/prosecution against him.

The ranks immediately told them of the offence committed and cautioned them in accordance with the Judge’s rule.

The following month, Vishal Munilall, Kulwantie Munilall and Dehodary Odit, 26, of Gordon Street, Kitty, Georgetown were charged with the offence of corrupt transaction with an agent and released on bail. Vishal Munilall and his older brother, Vickram Munilall, 37, were also charged separately with obtaining money by false pretence from a man.

Cash bail was granted to them.

Ranks of the Golden Grove Police Station, EBD had reportedly given information to Sergeant Gonsalves about investigations into a corrupt transaction with an agent and other offences against Vishal Munilall, Odit, and Kulwantie Munilall.

The prosecution had accused Sergeant Gonsalves of “ducking” the two sentence warrants in favour of Vishal Munilall to avoid him from being arrested. During investigations, the prosecutor said that Sergeant Gonsalves denied the allegations.

However, while under close arrest, he allegedly confessed to a Police Inspector about his involvement in the crime, the prosecutor had submitted.

As such, a file was prepared and sent to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) which recommended that Sergeant Gonsalves be charged.

After the Policeman was implicated in the crime, he was stripped of his prosecutorial duties and posted to the Tactical Services Unit (TSU).