Facing disciplinary proceedings that could see her missing the PNCR’s 18th Biennial Congress next week, party member Vanessa Kissoon says that actions so far show that she has already been tried and found guilty but under party rules she expects to be accredited for the Congress.
“With Mr. David Granger suspending me and his decision being validated by some members of the CEC (Central Executive Committee) it means that I am already tried, found guilty and sentenced, without a hearing. Appearing before any Disciplinary Committee would therefore mean I would have to prove my innocence, which contravenes the common law principles that guide the Party Rules,” Kissoon said in a statement to Stabroek News.
On Tuesday, PNCR leader David Granger told Stabroek News that if the Disciplinary Committee investigating an altercation between Kissoon and the party’s General Secretary Oscar Clarke does not make a decision by the time the Congress begins on July 25, Kissoon will not qualify as a delegate. Granger could not say whether the committee would come to a decision regarding Kissoon’s suspension by that time.
Kissoon has objected to her suspension which was done without affording her a hearing and the incident has exposed rifts in the party