Motion defeated to have Chang removed

Assassination claim

… on grounds of conflict of interest

Attorney Selwyn Pieters, on behalf of Travis Chase, filed a motion to have retired Chief Justice Ian Chang removed as Counsel for the Guyana Police Force (GPF) due to conflicts of interest, including being a possible witness in the proceedings.
However, Paul Slowe, Chairman of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the plot to assassinate President David Granger, denied the motion.
The Attorney had argued that the Legal Practitioners Act Chapter 4:01 of the Laws of Guyana provides that an attorney shall not devise or represent more than one interest in a matter nor shall he act or continue to act in a matter when there is or is likely to be a conflicting interest; which includes, but is not limited to the financial interest of the attorney or his associate, and his duties and the loyalties of the attorney to any other client or prospective client, including the obligation to communicate information.
Andrif Gillard, who alleges that he was offered $7 million to kill the President, while giving his testimony on July 21, said that he would like to put Chang on the stand as a witness. Pieters used Gillard’s testimony as the basis of his motion.
“The character of these people, so the public should know that any, everybody Mr Imran Khan, Mr Nizam Khan is connected to the mining pit tragedy,” Gillard told the Commission. He went on to say that, “These two guys [Imran and Nizam Khan] just wicked because they know they have the law behind them, so they can do anybody anything they feel like. I think these two men in this country are the reason for corruption, because they have the three most reliable, strong backing, the Chief Justice could stop any court matter, the DPP can cancel any station file or file that went to the court and the Commissioner of Police, the assistant, this gentleman here Mr Ian Chang. These are powerful men, they are friends of course, but they know not the evil demon that they are creating, and people in our community and our Guyanese are suffering.”
Pieters also argued that Chang could bring the administration of justice into disrepute, adding that Chang has acted a reference for one of the Khan brother’s in a gun licence application.
Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud hired Chang to represent the interest of the GPF in the proceedings.
Travis Chase became a party in the CoI after he was summoned to appear since he did a television interview with Gillard following the allegations against Nizam Khan. Chase had submitted a DVD copy of the interview to the Police to assist with their investigation before airing the interview on his newscast.
The CoI continues today.