Lt Col faces court-martial over stolen AK-47s

Lieutenant Colonel Tony Ross of the Guyana Defence Force faced court-martial proceedings on Monday for his part in the theft of 30 AK-47 rifles and five pistols from the GDF storage bond at Camp Ayanganna, Thomas Lands.

Ross, who was commander of Ordnance Corps during the period the weapons were stolen, is the first senior officer to be charged. Fourteen weapons have been recovered so far.

Warrant Officer John Peters, who was also court-martialed and found guilty on two counts of negligence of duty, was sentenced to 12 months in army jail.

In a press statement Wednesday, the GDF said it continued to address issues relating to the disappearance of the weapons. According to the army, Ross is charged with five counts relating to negligence and prejudicial conduct associated with the disappearance of the weapons. The GDF statement said Ross was being represented by Attorney-at-law Leslie Sobers, while attorney-at-law Gary Best is representing the interest of the GDF.

At Monday's hearing, the defence, according to the army statement, objected to the constitution of the court, but at Tuesday's hearing, it was ruled that the court was in accordance with the Defence Act. The trial continued Thursday.

Only last week, the GDF disclosed it had sentenced a rank who had been court-martialed following investigations into the disappearance of the weapons. In a statement last week, the army said the warrant officer was sentenced to 12 months’ detention and reduced to the rank of private, having been charged with three counts of conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline contrary to Section 75 of the Defence Act, Chapter 15.01. "However one of these charges was dismissed," the GDF said. The court martial for Peters, who was in charge of the bond, was convened on Wednesday, April 11, 2007. Attorney-at-Law Vic Puran represented Peters, while Best represented the army. The court martial concluded its deliberations on May 29, 2007 and found Peters guilty of the remaining two charges. The GDF said that at the end of the trial Puran acknowledged the fair conduct of the court martial and the verdict handed down. The award handed down by the court was subsequently confirmed by the Chief of Staff.

Most of the weapons recovered so far were retrieved from criminals connected to the Buxton-based criminal gang. It was anticipated that another senior officer would have been court-martialed following information that the officer's cellular phone was used to place a call informing the army where three of the missing weapons were.

The three weapons were later recovered at Rising Star, West Coast Berbice last year November. The matter was to be a subject for discussion at the level of the Defence Board. (Stabroek News)