Granger ‘disappointed’ CoI report was leaked

– says leak will not be probed

By Lakhram Bhagirat

The report on the findings of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the alleged plot to assassinate the President was leaked to the State media approximately one month ago, and President David Granger on Wednesday said he is very disappointed about the leak. However, he said his Administration would not be launching a probe to determine the source of the leak.

“I am concerned about any unauthorised leaks and I had hoped that the members of the Cabinet would have had the opportunity to look at it critically before it came up for public discussion, so I am concerned,” he said.
“I don’t know who is responsible for that leak but the important thing is that we have been able to discern or detect some flaws in Police administration and we are working; the Ministry of the Presidency and the Ministry of Public Security, to ensure that the Police Force is more efficient,” President Granger added.

He said his Government is concerned about crime and solving it, while noting that the issues cannot be addressed if the Police Force is incompetent. He added that it is his mission to have a Police Force in which the public can place their trust, in as well as one that can bring the rate of crime down; hence ensuring a safe nation.
Additionally, Granger said the CoI report is yet to be discussed at the Cabinet level and that he is unsure whether it was sent to the Ministers. However, he did say that Cabinet would discuss the findings at the next Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
“Probing the media is a very difficult task because the media gets hold of these documents, some of the media, by all sorts of ways. I would not be probing. No, I would not be conducting a Commission of Inquiry into the media,” the President said when asked about a probe of the leak.
On March 29 last, Andriff Gillard reported to the Police that his friend and neighbour, Nizam Khan, had offered him $7 million to assassinate the President. He said the offer was made during a conversation between Khan and himself after he had approached Khan to borrow $6 million to purchase a property.
Following the allegation, President Granger commissioned an inquiry to investigate how the Police had done their investigation of the allegation, and to make recommendations to address flaws and shortcomings on behalf of the Guyana Police Force.
Retired Assistant Commissioner of Police, Paul Slowe, headed the CoI. In his recommendations, Slowe suggested that disciplinary actions be taken against Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud and that he be made to resign.
It was also recommended that Persaud be investigated for perjury in relation to his statement, wherein he said he was not aware of the allegations until after 16:00h on March 29; whereas Assistant Commissioner Clifton Hicken told the CoI that he had reported the incident to Persaud at round 10:00h on that same day.
Assistant Police Commissioner David Ramnarine was acting Police Commissioner when the allegation was levelled. He told the CoI that he felt a proper investigation was not conducted. The report instructs that sanctions be imposed against him for his failure to ensure that a proper investigation be conducted.
In relation to Crime Chief, Senior Superintendent Wendell Blanhum, Slowe recommends that he be replaced for poor leadership; and questions were raised about his role in the successful solution of crimes under his watch.
During the CoI, Blanhum had testified that because of the nature of the allegation, a decision was taken to have the Major Crimes Unit investigate the matter; and he said he had received several reports of Gillard frustrating the investigation.
Blanhum said too that the Police Legal Adviser, retired Justice Claudette Singh SC, did not recommend that any charges be made in the matter, because the evidence was tenuous and there was simply nothing to charge anyone with.
Blanhum had told the CoI that he was not responsible for finding out whether proper records were documented. He had explained that he functioned at the executive level of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), and there were supervisors and other ranks below him who were tasked with those responsibilities.
He had also related that he did not find it strange that the men were released less than 24 hours following commencement of the investigation.
During his testimony, the Crime Chief had clashed with Slowe several times, with the latter being visibly upset during Blanhum’s testimony.
Meanwhile, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan had said he is disappointed that the report was leaked before Cabinet had the chance to examine it.