Nine months after he was dragged before the Courts and slapped with 16 counts of trafficking in persons, businessman and airline pilot, Orlando Charles has been freed of the charges.

The Bartica Magistrates’ Court found that the charges were without merit and there was no evidence to support the charge of trafficking in persons against the pilot.

In May 2023, the Guyana Police Force issued a wanted bulletin for the pilot, which caught him by surprise and forced him to issue a statement denying any link to trafficking in persons.

The Police based the wanted bulletin and charges on complaints by some foreign workers who claimed that they were owed money by the pilot for work done.

But Mr. Charles denied the accusations and said he never hired the workers and were definitely not involved in any trafficking of them. He also said he played no part in transporting the workers to Guyana or holding them against their will.

The presiding Magistrate at the Bartica Magistrates’ Court found no evidence to support the charges and therefore dismissed all of the charges. Charles was represented by Attorney Sanjeev Datadin.

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