The murder case against three men charged over the sinking of the MV Barima will go ahead. On Monday, October 19, 2026, Suddie Magistrate Ravindra Mohabir rejected a defence application to halt the proceedings, ruling that they are not an abuse of process.
The accused are Captain Kevin Price, 40; Chief Mate Rondell Dwayne Roberts, 42; and Delon Granderson, 33, a goods superintendent with the state-run Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD). Police said the murder charges were laid on the advice of the Director of Public Prosecutions. The three appeared virtually and were further remanded to prison.
What the defence argued
Attorney Dr Dexter Todd, who represents Price and Granderson, argued that the Shipping Act lays down its own mechanism for investigating marine accidents, and that a presidential Commission of Inquiry already under way meant the matter should not be before a magistrate. Everton Singh-Lammy represents Roberts.
The prosecution countered that nothing in the Shipping Act stops the DPP, whose powers come from the Constitution, from bringing a murder charge and pursuing a paper committal.
Magistrate Mohabir sided with the State. “It is not an abuse of process,” he ruled, according to HGPTV. He said the court’s job is to decide whether there is enough evidence to send the accused to trial.
What happens next
Paper committal proceedings begin on November 16, 2026, at the Suddie Magistrate’s Court. Demerara Waves reports that the court is expected to decide on December 14 whether the men will stand trial before a High Court judge and jury.
Families still waiting for answers
The government-run ferry sank off the Essequibo Coast on July 18. Figures presented in the case put the toll at 73 dead and 30 unaccounted for, with 76 survivors, HGPTV reported.
The ruling comes as the Commission of Inquiry into the disaster faces growing criticism. Region One families told Kaieteur News they have been shut out of the hearings in Georgetown, where live streaming is banned. The Alliance For Change has called for the ban to be reversed, saying the people of Guyana “deserve a process they can see, scrutinise and trust.” The commission’s secretariat has not publicly explained the restriction in detail.
As three crew members and a T&HD employee face prosecution, the question families keep asking remains open: who in the PPP/C administration will answer for the condition and oversight of a state-owned vessel?
Sources
- Demerara Waves: Magistrate rules that murder case against MV Barima captain, others must go ahead (Oct 19, 2026)
- HGPTV: Magistrate rejects bid to halt MV Barima murder case (Oct 19, 2026)
- Kaieteur News: No livestream, no updates – Barima families say shut out of CoI hearings (Oct 19, 2026)
- Guyana Chronicle: Prosecutor hands over reply in MV Barima murder case; ruling set for October 19 (Oct 13, 2026)
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