On August 6, 2026, governing party parliamentarian James Bond faced heated public backlash from opposition activists and residents of Melanie Damishana, Guyana, while addressing widespread anger over murder charges filed against three crew members of the sunken vessel MV Barima, which left 72 passengers and crew dead and more than 100 people total dead in the disaster. The three accused are 40-year-old Kevin Price, a resident of Melanie Damishana, 42-year-old chief mate Rondell Dwayne Roberts from East Bank Demerara, and 33-year-old goods superintendent Delon Granderson from West Coast Demerara. Residents have raised fierce objections to the charges, arguing they are premature, legally unfounded, and lack proof of intent — a core legal requirement for a murder conviction. In a tense public confrontation marked by constant jeers and repeated boos from the crowd, Bond, a trained attorney who switched affiliation from the opposition People’s National Congress Reform to the governing People’s Progressive Party Civic ahead of September 2025 general elections, acknowledged that the charges against his fellow villager Price have caused him personal distress. Even so, he defended the legal process that led to the charges. Explaining the procedural background, Bond noted that investigators completed their probe and submitted the case file to the Director of Public Prosecutions, which ultimately authorized the murder charges by applying international case precedent to the local incident. He pushed back against critics questioning why charges were filed at all, drawing a parallel to routine unlawful death cases: just as a driver who causes a fatal crash through dangerous operation is immediately taken into custody and charged, those linked to the MV Barima disaster must face formal legal process per Guyana’s rule of law. Addressing demands for clarity on whether the three crew members premeditated the deaths of the 72 victims, Bond stated he could not speak to the accused’s state of mind. “I was not in [Kevin Price’s] mind. I was not on the vessel. I don’t know enough facts to form a view. I would not even dare go there,” he told the assembled crowd. Prime Minister Mark Phillips has already publicly stated he does not believe the crew intended to kill anyone, a contradiction that has further fueled public skepticism of the charges. As the legal process moves forward, Bond noted that the accused have clear avenues to challenge the DPP’s decision. “If you disagree with whatever decision an administrative or judicial person has made, there is recourse in the law,” he explained. “The accused’s legal team can request a High Court judicial review of the DPP’s charging decision, at which point the prosecution will be required to defend the legal basis for the charge in open court.” Prosecutors have not yet completed full disclosure of all evidence related to the charges to the defense, a procedural step required before the case can move to trial. Bond also addressed the ongoing official Commission of Inquiry convened to investigate the disaster, noting that while the three accused have the legal right to remain silent during commission proceedings, he believes testifying would work to their benefit. “In my estimation, them speaking to the Commission of Inquiry would help them,” he said. To support the commission’s investigative work, the Guyanese government has launched a public tender seeking a specialized firm with forensic evidence preservation capabilities to salvage the wreckage of the MV Barima from its resting place.
Booed James Bond says MV Barima’s captain, others can challenge murder charges
