HGP Nightly News – Prosecutors opened the financial misconduct trial of former Assistant Commissioner of Police Calvin Brutus on Monday by laying out what they say is a paper trail connecting the Guyana Police Force’s procurement system to businesses owned by his wife.
The case, being heard by acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty, centres partly on 221 payment vouchers that prosecutors allege Brutus requested while performing the duties of Deputy Commissioner of Police for Administration. The documents, according to the prosecution, were never returned to the Police Finance Office.
Brutus has denied wrongdoing.
On the first day of testimony, Special Organised Crime Unit prosecutor Darin Chan led evidence concerning two businesses, Triple A Depot and South Quata Contracting and General Supplies Inc., owned by Brutus’ wife, Adonika Aulder.
Both companies conducted business with the police force while Brutus, 46, served as acting Deputy Commissioner for Administration, the court heard.
Senior Superintendent Bharat Persaud, the force’s Finance Officer, testified that millions of dollars in payments to the companies passed through the GPF’s procurement and payment system during that period.
His evidence placed the office held by Brutus at a critical point in the approval chain.
Persaud told the court that, shortly after becoming Finance Officer in October 2021, he received a written directive from Brutus setting out the force’s procurement procedures. Purchases of goods and services required the approval of the Deputy Commissioner for Administration, he said.
Before processing a payment, the Finance Office had to confirm that the necessary approval was attached. Any submission without it was to be reported.
Persaud said he was also required to prepare weekly reports listing the vouchers processed by his office.
Requests originated at the Quartermaster Stores and moved through a series of checks, he explained. Procurements valued between $250,000 and $1.5 million required approval from the Ministerial Tender Board. Contracts above $1.5 million and up to $15 million went before the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board.
Submissions were also expected to include quotations, business-registration records and compliance certificates from the Guyana Revenue Authority and National Insurance Scheme.
Once the documents reached the Finance Office, Persaud said, he checked them for Brutus’ approval, usually represented by the initials “CB.”
After Persaud signed a payment voucher, it was sent to Brutus before going to the Ministry of Home Affairs. From there, it required the Permanent Secretary’s approval before being entered into the Integrated Financial Management and Accounting System.
That process is central to the prosecution’s case. Prosecutors allege that Brutus used the authority of his office to create opportunities for companies connected to his wife to obtain large sums of public money.
The defence has yet to cross-examine Persaud.
The prosecution also called Commercial Registry Clerk Lashawna Canzius, who produced records showing that Aulder owned Triple A Depot and South Quata Contracting and General Supplies Inc.
Registrar General Raymon Cummings tendered a certified copy of the marriage certificate for Brutus and Aulder, formally establishing their relationship for the court record.
SOCU investigator Sergeant Lerone Wilkinson testified that he obtained the registration documents for both businesses from the Commercial Registry on September 19, 2024. The records were admitted into evidence.
Brutus faces one count of misconduct in public office and 221 counts of liability of an official. The charges form part of a wider SOCU investigation into the alleged misappropriation of approximately $800 million from the police force.
The prosecution alleges that, in January 2024, Brutus instructed Persaud to submit 221 payment vouchers connected to the two businesses directly to him. Those vouchers were allegedly not returned.
Prosecutors further contend that Brutus diverted public funds for personal gain while carrying out the duties of Deputy Commissioner for Administration.
About $300 million has reportedly been linked to properties and other assets owned by Brutus and his wife. Another $500 million remains frozen in bank accounts held by the couple, their businesses and their son, according to the prosecution’s case.
These allegations have not yet been proven in court.
Brutus has maintained that the money under scrutiny came from personal savings and financial gifts accumulated over the years.
He is charged alongside Aulder, Police Sergeant Kevin George, Latoya Brummell and businessman Asif Zafarally in separate proceedings arising from the investigation. The charges include alleged money laundering and other offences connected to the suspected diversion of State funds.
Brutus remains on bail totalling more than $16 million. He and his co-accused are required to lodge their passports with the court and report periodically to the police.
Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Natasha Backer is also appearing for the State. Attorneys Yuborn Allicock and Domnick Bess represent Brutus.
The trial is scheduled to continue on October 8, 12 and 13, when Persaud is expected to be cross-examined.
Brutus, an attorney-at-law, was first charged in October 2024. The Police Service Commission dismissed him from the GPF in February 2025, ending a career of more than 25 years.
