Beauty queen charged with husband’s murder

Guyanese beauty queen Carolan Lynch has been charged with murdering her husband, Swiss House Cambio boss Farouk Razac, who was discovered dead on his bedroom floor last Monday.

A special prosecutor is to be assigned to conduct the preliminary inquiry into the matter.

Lynch was arraigned Friday before Magistrate Gordon Gilhuys at the Georgetown Magistrate's court. She was not required to plead. Lynch's attorney Nigel Hughes said his client was distressed and in a state of mourning added to which, she has been the target of vicious speculation by the print and electronic media.

The reigning Mrs. South America was remanded to prison until Thursday. Habeas corpus proceedings, which had been set for the High Court Friday morning, were put off as the police took Lynch to court to answer the capital charge.

The 33-year-old mother of one, who was first taken to the courtroom dressed in short pants, a bright pink armless top and black slippers had to be taken back to the court lock-ups to change. She returned to the courtroom in a black long-sleeved dress with a black and white belt and a white beaded chain with a cross. Lynch wept in the dock as her lawyer spoke on her behalf.

The particulars of the charge allege that on May 7 at Georgetown she murdered her husband Farouk Razac.

Razac was found dead in his Ireng Place, Bel Air Park home on Monday morning with a wound to his head and marks around his neck. An autopsy revealed that he died of asphyxiation due to possible ligature strangulation. According to information, Lynch told police that she left her house around 8 am on Monday to take her child to school. When she returned the physical trainer had arrived and she was preparing to go through her exercise routine. However, she realized that Razac who normally left for work between 6 am and 7 am had not come downstairs. It was then that he was discovered. He would have been taken to the hospital around 8.45 am.

The police's statement on the matter on Monday said Lynch said she discovered the businessman crouched on the floor. Blood was oozing from his mouth and his hands were around his neck. It added that a television set, which is usually at the foot of the bed, was found on the floor. The police said Razac was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The statement added that further examination of his body revealed a small wound on his head and marks around his neck and that a doctor opined that he might have died before arriving at the hospital.

Malicious

Representing Lynch along with Mark Waldron, Hughes told the court that since his client's arrest she has been targeted by the media. The attorney said that there was no evidence against her and he hoped the conduct of the preliminary inquiry would not be subject to delays. He asked for an early commencement so that his client can "expose the malicious nature of the charge."

He added that he hoped that during the PI, the magistrate would advise the media that the content of the PI cannot be recorded. He said that there were a lot of inaccuracies being peddled in the press. He asked that Lynch be afforded the same courtesy like everyone else who is presumed innocent.

He said he understood that a special prosecutor had been assigned to helm the PI and he asked for a date for the attorney to identify himself.

Police prosecutor Desiree Fowler also asked for an early date.

Hughes also made an application for Lynch to attend the funeral service for her deceased husband and to be given time to speak with her to seek further instructions, since he said her being taken to Berbice would make it difficult for him.

The magistrate denied the application made by the attorney saying that he did not want to get into the administration of the police and suggested that Hughes approach the DPP to engage the police to have his client remain in Georgetown so he can be given further instructions. He wrote the lawyer's application on the jacket and told an inspector who he said would convey the information to his superiors.

While Lynch was seated in the courtroom waiting to answer to the charge, a small crowd assembled outside the court waiting to get a glimpse of the woman they called, "We queen". As she made her way out and proceeded to a minibus that was waiting to whisk her away the crowd made its support known.

The media was at full strength at the court and as Lynch was making her way out of the courtroom, pandemonium broke out. The attention was apparently too much for one supporter and she lashed out at the media.

"Is de paparazzi kill Princess Diana! Leave Carolan alone. We ain't want de same thing happen to she. Y'all should get enough pictures of her by now!" the woman said.

Lynch has been making headlines both abroad and at home. She was crowned Mrs. South America last year and was later charged jointly with her now deceased husband for unlawful possession of arms and ammunition.

They were on trial for unlawfully having in their possession four 9 mm magazines, one Beretta automatic pistol and 120 rounds of 9 mm ammunition at their Ireng Place, Bel Air home on November 10 last year. They were to make another appearance in court on May 17. One witness who testified in the trial stated that during the raid at the businessman's house, Razac had said that he was keeping the weapon that was found to combat wanted man Rondell 'Fineman' Rawlins.

When Razac first appeared in court he was granted $1 million bail while his wife who appeared a day after him was first refused bail but subsequently placed on $500,000 bail in the High Court. The charges were first read indictably but were later taken summarily.

Lynch will now face the charge alone and will return to court next Thursday for both matters.

Statement

Just before she was whisked away from court by the police, Lynch released a hand-written statement to the media. She declared her innocence and said that contrary to press reports Razac did not have a US$1M insurance policy. She said that her eight-year-old daughter had not seen or heard from her mother since her father died.

She said she was sure that the police and the authorities were aware of how many people wanted to kill her husband and asked why she was the only one who was charged. (Stabroek News)