Investigators probing the assault allegation made against Minister Kwame McCoy by APNU/AFC Member of Parliament (MP) Tabitha Sarabo-Halley have found that there is no evidence of a physical assault.
Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir
In its report to the Speaker of the National Assembly, part of which was seen by Guyana Times, the Police said “…there is evidence to indicate that the parties indeed had an exchange of words, but there is nothing to suggest that any [physical] assault took place.”
The Police handed over the report to House Speaker Manzoor Nadir last week. When contacted on Tuesday, Nadir told Guyana Times that he will no longer be dealing with the issue and will be relying on the Police’s final report on the incident.
“…I have to be guided by the Police report which says ‘There was nothing to suggest that any assault took place’. As such, I would not be able to deal any further with this issue,” the Speaker indicated to this newspaper.
Earlier this month during the Consideration of the 2021 Budget Estimates, MP Sarabo-Halley alleged that Government MP Kwame McCoy physically assaulted her on the corridors of the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), where Parliament sittings are being held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the Public Affairs Minister has vehemently denied the allegation.
Public Affairs Minister Kwame McCoy
Nevertheless, the Police were called in to probe the incident and had taken statements from several persons as well as reviewed CCTV footage from the Conference Centre. But the footage only captured the before and after of the confrontation between the two MPs and showed nothing of the alleged assault.
In fact, the Police report further states that “The evidence of the CCTV would have been vital in this investigation. However, there was none located in the area where the alleged incident occurred.”
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Chamber had previously advised the Police that the Speaker should use the Standing Orders of Parliament to address the assault complaint since the incident occurred in the precinct of the National Assembly.
However, Nadir pointed out to this publication on Tuesday that the Standing Orders only deal with the misconduct of members. He further explained that “Parliament does not have an investigative arm”, hence his decision to be guided by the Police report.
According to the House Speaker, he will be informing the National Assembly of his decision at the next session.
Following the alleged incident, the APNU/AFC Opposition had persistently disrupted the Consideration of the 2021 Budget Estimates despite the Speaker informing them of the proper procedure they had to adopt in order to get the House to deal with the issue.
Opposition MP Tabitha Sarabo-Halley
In fact, the Opposition MPs continued with the same disturbances by banging persistently on the desks, causing the House Speaker to suspend at least seven APNU/AFC parliamentarians for various infractions.
Moreover, Speaker Nadir also consolidated the various programmes under each budget agency to fast-track the process, thus passing the $383.1 billion 2021 National Budget on March 4 – four days ahead of schedule.
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon had stated during a press conference on the night of the alleged incident that an apology would not be “sufficient”. But when pressed for details on the incident, he was tight-lipped.
He said that with the CCTV only providing footage of “what may have happened before and after”, the Police would have to rely on eyewitnesses. However, when pressed on who these persons are – whether they were coalition members or Parliament staff – Harmon refused to say.
Moreover, he confirmed that MP Sarabo-Halley sought medical attention but further declined to share what that medical states.
Nevertheless, Minister McCoy subsequently “emphatically and completely” denied assaulting MP Sarabo-Halley.
“At no time did I touch Ms Halley with my phone or any part of my body. At the time in question, outside the Parliament Chamber, I had just completed a verbal exchange with [Chief Elections Officer] Mr Keith Lowenfield, who attended the Committee of Supply. After Mr Lowenfield’s departure, I began to speak with Minister Anand Persaud. I observed the presence of Ms Halley, who was approximately four feet away from me. We exchanged words, but there was absolutely no physical contact whatsoever,” McCoy detailed in a statement.
The Minister went on to say that the allegation is “totally false, malicious and intended to cause me embarrassment and public ridicule.”
