Dear Editor,
Reference is made to news item, “Police commander busted with smuggled liquor offers to pay taxes” (GT Dec 17). The Commander Keithon King and two other officers caught with the illicit ‘uncustomed’ liquor in a vehicle remain on the job.
What is troubling is the treatment meted out to Police Commander Keithon King contrasts sharply with that meted out to Motie Dookie, who was caught in a similar incident three years ago. Dookie, who was at the time, in December 2017, head of the SWAT team, was also caught with uncustomed liquor. He was taken into Police custody and charged, then he was immediately sent on leave by the APNU-led regime. Dookie was subsequently removed from his post. His liquor, dozens of cases of whiskey, was confiscated. Can GRA say what became of the liquor?
The King and Dookie incidents are identical, but the responses from the Police, GRA, and Ministry of Home Affairs are different. Clearly, there was discriminatory treatment and handling of two identical matters. Is there different justice for different folks? There must be uniform enforcement of the law – penal code as well as fines and GRA actions. Justice must be ‘blind’, as I learnt in my constitutional law courses.
The law does not distinguish between two persons. People cannot be prosecuted and persecuted because they belong to a particular race or class, or position or affiliation, or support a different party or Government. Everyone should be treated similarly under similar conditions when they break similar laws. GRA must dispense with justice fairly!
In addition to the Police and law, the handling of both cases should also be a matter for ERC and the Home Affairs Ministry. The criminal justice system is seemingly not just. There is need for stricter enforcement of the law across the country, irrespective of ethnicity and political affiliation.
Being a Police officer does not give one the power to smuggle alcohol or any goods. There must be demonstrative effect in the response to dissuade such illegal activities. Otherwise, smugglers would not take the law seriously.
Political and GRA connections should not excuse wrongdoing; otherwise, there would develop a Mafia-type enterprise similar to what had existed during the 1980s.
On the issue of confiscation of alcohol, back in 2014 and 2015, I recall reading in the papers of hundreds of cases of whiskey being seized for evading duties after being smuggled into the country. These were kept in a Government bond. After the change in administration in May 2015, the liquor disappeared for the victory celebration as well as for the 50th Independence Anniversary Celebration in May 2016. There was supposed to be an investigation, and people held accountable for disappearance of the whiskey. Can Police and GRA advise on the status of the investigation?
Yours truly,
Vishnu Bisram
