The relatives of Kennard Seetaram who was killed in a fatal accident two Saturdays ago say they are being robbed of justice after the driver who fled the scene but later turned himself in, was released on station bail.
They say they feel that because the driver is a rank of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), “strings are being pulled” to ensure the matter does not reach the courts.
“He [name of rank given] just can’t walk away. If you see how my brother’s face was badly damaged… We need justice”, a distraught Richard Seetaram told Stabroek News last evening.
Richard and his relatives decided to visit this newspaper after ranks at the Sparendaam Police Station failed to give them satisfactory answers.
Seetaram was struck down at Montrose Public Road, East Coast Demerara sometime after 3 pm as he was heading to his home at Le Ressouvenir, ECD. He was on a pedal cycle and the car that struck him stopped for a few seconds before driving off. Later than day, a man who identified himself as a CANU rank and the driver of the car turned up at the Sparendaam Police Station and was arrested.
Richard said the driver was released on $100,000 bail last Monday shortly after a post-mortem examination. The PME revealed that the 50-year-old father of two sustained a fractured skull and haemorrhage of the brain.
He said after hearing that the man had turned himself in he and other relatives went to the station. He recalled that while there a man approached him and handed him a business card that bore the name of a senior CANU official. According to Richard, he and the senior official spoke extensively and during their conversation, he was advised to take compensation since “accidents happen”.
Richard told Stabroek News that while that avenue was explored, no written agreement was made. Following the driver’s release he said, relatives did not following up the issue much because they had to take care of the funeral and other issues.
He said the driver and two of his colleagues attended Seetaram’s funeral but the driver did not go to view the body. Richard said he knew the two men because they introduced themselves to him and one of them had even attended the wake.
He said that earlier yesterday, his sister Chandra Jainarayan decided to call the driver who has now suddenly changed his mind about offering compensation. According to Richard, the driver told his sister that his “boss was taking care of things” and had even written to the DPP regarding the matter.
Richard told this newspaper that his sister immediately called him but when he tried calling the numbers printed on the business card, there was no answer.
As such he said that relatives decided to visit the police station, where they were told that there was not enough evidence. “How they could say that, when there is the impression on the vehicle?” the man said explaining that the vehicle’s windscreen was smashed in and the right side front mirror damaged.
He said added that there was an eyewitness to the accident and it was that man who was able to provide the license plate number of the car. Richard said the man told him that the driver was on a cellular phone at the time of the accident. The impact apparently sent the phone flying out of the car. He said that man told him that after the accident the driver exited the vehicle, retrieved his phone, got back in and drove off. Richard said that based on what the man said the driver made no attempt to assist his brother who succumbed to his injuries on his way to the Georgetown Hospital.
Relatives last evening expressed fear that the damaged vehicle has been fixed and as such there would be no sign that the CANU-owned vehicle was involved in an accident. They said that the mere fact that the driver who is also the resident of an East Coast Demerara village turned up at the police station and admitted that he was involved in an accident and was held for two days should be enough to lay a charge and thereafter it would be up to the court to find him culpable.
Richard said he was very disappointed and will be making attempts to seek an audience with the CANU official, the police commissioner and the traffic chief.
