State withdraws extortion, libel charges against Eleazar, Bess

All criminal charges of conspiracy to extort and libel against journalist Gary Eleazar and businessman, now Chairman of the Forward Guyana Movement, Dorwain Bess were formally withdrawn and dismissed today by Magistrate Fabayo Azore.
A release said that the decision followed a written submission from Police Prosecutor Mandel Moore, advising the court of the State’s decision to discontinue the case.
The charges, which dated back to September 2022, alleged that Eleazar and Bess conspired to extort businessman Afras Mohamed of BM Soat Auto Sales by publishing defamatory material and demanding payment for its removal. Both men have consistently denied the accusations, claiming they were targeted in an elaborate entrapment scheme orchestrated by Mohamed with the assistance of sections of the Guyana Police Force.
Poignantly, the withdrawal came as Magistrate Azore was about to rule on a no-case submission made by Dr. Dexter Todd, lead attorney for Gary Eleazar.
Dr. Todd argued that the prosecution had failed to establish even a prima facie case against his client and that the entire matter lacked merit. He contended that instead of his client, Afras Mohamed and certain police officers should have been the ones under investigation, given what he described as clear evidence of a plot to entrap Eleazar and Bess.
The release noted that throughout the inquiry, the prosecution relied on more than a dozen police witnesses, including senior officers. However, the majority of their testimony was marked by uncertainty and inconsistency—with over 90 per cent of their responses recorded as “I don’t recall.” The State’s star witness, Alex Wayne, who was initially charged alongside Eleazar and Bess but later turned State witness, failed to substantiate his claims under oath. In a desperate appeal, Wayne even invoked divine authority, calling on the Court to call “God as a witness” to validate his new version of events, but provided no concrete or corroborative evidence to substantiate that his new claims were in fact the truth.
Both Eleazar and Bess had contended that they were wrongfully charged and maliciously prosecuted.
Both men have expressed a firm intention to pursue legal action for malicious prosecution and defamation, including against the State and media entities that prematurely published defamatory allegations.