A 17-year-old murder case has taken a fresh turn after police filed a new charge against 56-year-old Mailaini Alli, the wife of murdered fuel dealer Ramzan Alli, following what investigators say is new evidence from a prisoner who entered a plea bargain.
Alli appeared Tuesday before Magistrate Teriq Mohammed at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court, where she was charged at common law with the murder of her husband, who was killed in July 2009.
The new charge comes more than five years after Alli was discharged in the same matter. Her attorney, Bernard DaSilva, confirmed that the latest case is based on statements police reportedly obtained from Sadiek Mitchell, a prisoner who had previously been linked to the killing and was alleged to have been Alli’s former lover.
DaSilva said Mitchell recently entered into a plea agreement and is expected to be sentenced in the Demerara High Court next month. The details of the statements he reportedly gave to police were not disclosed in court.
Police had previously alleged that Alli was part of a plot to kill her husband and that Mitchell was paid $7 million to carry out the murder.
During Tuesday’s court appearance, DaSilva also raised concerns about Alli’s health. Medical documents were presented to the court, and the magistrate ordered prison authorities to ensure she receives her prescribed medication while in custody.
The matter was adjourned to September 29, 2026, for disclosure. Ramzan Alli, 50, was last seen alive on July 11, 2009, after leaving his Good Hope, East Coast Demerara home. His body was found the next day in the trunk of a rental car along the Coldingen Railway Embankment Road.
A plastic bag had reportedly been duct-taped over his head, and a post-mortem examination found that he died from asphyxiation.
Police had previously alleged that Ramzan was attacked while he was asleep before his body was placed inside the vehicle.
The investigation initially led to arrests in 2009, but those persons were later released due to insufficient evidence.
The case was reopened years later, and Mailaini Alli was arrested on April 4, 2019, at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport after returning from New York, where she had been living.
She was charged with murder and spent about 20 months on remand. However, in December 2020, following a preliminary inquiry, the Director of Public Prosecutions withdrew the charge, and Alli was discharged.
The defence had maintained that the case collapsed because there was insufficient evidence.
Mitchell was later charged in connection with Ramzan’s murder. Following a preliminary inquiry, a magistrate found that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against him, and he was committed to stand trial at the Demerara Criminal Assizes.
