The Demerara High Court trial of businessman Mark Grimmond and alleged contract killer Chatterpaul Singh has come to an abrupt end.
The virtual complainant, Dwayne Grant, informed the court that he no longer wished to proceed with the allegation.
Grant’s unexpected withdrawal resulted in the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) formally discontinuing the murder-conspiracy charge against both men, effectively bringing the years-old case to a close.
According to reliable sources, the parties reportedly reached a financial settlement, prompting Grant’s decision to abandon the complaint.
The case had already progressed significantly.
Grimmond and Singh were arraigned before Acting Chief Justice Navindra Singh in the Demerara High Court, where they pleaded not guilty once the indictment was read.
A jury had also been empanelled to hear the evidence.
Prosecutors alleged that between April 1, 2018, and June 7, 2019, the two defendants conspired with others—both known and unknown—to murder Grant in Georgetown.
They were committed to stand trial in December 2019 after a magistrate, conducting the preliminary inquiry, found sufficient evidence for the matter to proceed to the High Court.
Before the trial commenced, both accused had been granted $500,000 bail each as they awaited the hearing and final determination of the case at the Demerara Criminal Assizes.
