Assassination of President plot
…Public Security Minister refutes claims of police involvement
One day after Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, revealed that the police are investigating a possible plot to assassinate President David Granger, Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud has confirmed that, apart from the person who had made the complaint, the police have been able to find a witness to corroborate this allegation.
He explained that the matter has been investigated and the case file has been sent to the appropriate legal minds for advice on the way forward.
He also noted that the file had been sent back to the police with the recommendation that a confrontation be set up with this witness with the aim of clarifying some issue pertaining to his statement.
The commissioner explained that police are expected to do so over the weekend, and the file would again be dispatched to the appropriate legal minds for advice.
He further explained that it is up to the legal advisor to determine whether there is substance to the allegation or if the allegation is just a ploy to create mischief.
However, he stated that if the allegation is indeed true, the party involved could be charged for treason; but if the allegation is merely a ploy to create mischief, the author of the allegation could be charged for providing false information to the police.
Denial
It had been reported that senior officials of the Guyana Police Force were part of the plot to assassinate the President, but in an invited comment on Friday, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan refuted the claims, noting that no such information had been brought to the attention of the GPF during its investigation of the allegation.
Ramjattan, however, declared that the security of the duly elected President is of paramount importance, and the duty of the Guyana Police Force is to protect the President at any given time. Further, he charged media houses to be responsible in reporting highly sensitive stories, as in this instance.
The Police Commissioner also concurred with the view that the media are a powerful element and have to show some form of maturity and journalistic ethics in reportage. He made reference to a situation in an African nation wherein a reporter had made a statement that had caused a civil war.
In regard to rumours that the persons who had allegedly planned to shoot the President are closely associated with the Guyana Police Force and the Judiciary, the top cop had this to say: “We live in a small society. A lot of people know a lot of people, but that doesn’t mean that anyone will act unprofessionally.”
Plot
Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, confirmed on Thursday that presidential security has been beefed up following allegations that a group of high-profile individuals were planning to shoot President David Granger should he step out of his secure zone in one of his public outreaches.
Harmon has, however, expressed confidence in the ability of the security service to keep the Guyanese Head of State and all the ministers safe.
The probe into this allegation was launched following the recent revelation of a young man who appeared on a local televised interview claiming that he had been offered some $7 million and a high profile weapon to assassinate the President. This allegation was reported to the police some three weeks ago, and several persons have since been questioned in connection with it.
