Activists reiterate calls for Mayor, Town Clerk to be sanctioned

City Hall sex scandal

By Vahnu Manikchand

Rights activists have once again staged a “mini-protest” outside the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC), reiterating calls for Mayor Patricia Chase Green and Town Clerk Royston King to be sanctioned for allegedly trying to cover up the rape of a 15-year-old boy, who was detained for loitering.
It was alleged that on August 15, 2017, a Lance Corporal attached to the City Constabulary was caught having sex with the teen, and the incident was covered up for some two months until it was reported in October.
Shortly after, the alleged perpetrator, along with a Corporal who witnessed the act

and reported it, was dismissed but then reinstated before being sent on paid administrative leave, pending the outcome of the probe after the matter was handed over to the Police.
However, activist Jonathan Yearwood told reporters during the three-man protest on Thursday that the Mayor and Town Clerk needed to be arrested and charged as an accessory after the fact since they reportedly knew of the incident and did nothing.
“As citizens when you know a crime has been committed, it is our duty to report it. Therefore, the Town Clerk, the Mayor and the Legal Affairs Committee have all been negligent in their duties as officers of the Council and as citizens of Guyana. They are leaders in this City of Georgetown and they should be setting the example and certainly not try to sweep it under the carpet,” he stated.
In addition, to accusing the Mayor and Town Clerk of trying to cover up the incident by now taking action against the alleged perpetrator from the inception, Yearwood went on to point out, they also failed to report the matter to the relevant authorities when it was first reported.
“No report was made to the Police; no report was made to the Child Care and Protection Agency. All of them are guilty of negligence and I am saying that they should be penalised and the penalty that I’m looking forward to is for them to be dismissed from their jobs. We must set examples that senior people in organisations, people with responsibilities must take responsibility for their actions and if that means they get fired, so be it,” he posited.
However, Mayor Chase Green has since denied having any knowledge of the incident until it was reported in the media. However, Chief Constable at the Constabulary, Andrew Foo, had claimed that he informed both the Mayor and Town Clerk of the incident within hours of it being reported to him.
Corporal Quacy Baveghens was the one who reportedly witnessed the act and reported it to Foo. Baveghens, who has been sent on administrative leave for failing to report the matter in a timely manner, has lamented that he is being punished because the alleged perpetrator is friends with the Mayor and Town Clerk.
Meanwhile, activist Don Singh has stated that the protest action would continue until the authorities at City Hall were held accountable for the role they allegedly played in trying to cover up the matter.
“The Minister of Communities should step in and sanction them in one way or the other; ask for them to be removed while a proper investigation is being done by his Ministry or any other thing because this just can’t continue. We can’t just stand by and then we will see another rape or abuse because City Hall is a microcosm of the entire Guyana, where adults commit heinous acts against kids and it’s just washed away, and they call a ‘higher up’ and after a period of time, it’s just gone. But we’re saying no, we will be here every Thursday to let it not die,” Singh noted.
Another rights activist, Akola Thompson, also criticised the City Council for neglecting the welfare of citizens. “City Hall just seems to have a very bad attitude with regards to protecting victims, poor people, everything,” she opined.
The activists will continue the protest every Thursday at 12:00h.
Meanwhile, the Police have since submitted the case file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), but have been told to clarify specific points before any recommendations for charges could be made.