The complaint against Attorney General Anil Nandlall that he threatened the lives of the staff of Kaieteur News during a conversation with one of the newspaper’s senior reporters is now in the hands of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Crime Chief Leslie James yesterday confirmed that the police investigation is complete and that the file has since been sent to the DPP for advice. Stabroek News was reliably informed that the file arrived at the DPP’s chambers yesterday morning and up to press time last evening it was still there.
On October 27, owner of the Kaieteur News, Glenn Lall made an official complaint to the police that Nandlall had made threats against the entity and its staff. He also handed over a copy of the recording.
In the days after the story broke in the press, the police came out lambasting Lall and his reporter Leonard Gildarie for stalling their investigation by not cooperating. The duo subsequently complied with the police’s wishes of clarifying aspects of the report and in the case of Gildarie submitting a statement.
Their lawyer Christopher Ram had expressed concern that there appeared to be no immediate intention to interview Nandlall.
Asked yesterday whether Nandlall has given a statement to the police, James responded “I am not sure if that was done”. He went on to state that if it is a case that that should be done, “it will happen”.
This newspaper was unable to make contact with Nandlall to ascertain whether he had met with investigators.
A tearful Lall had told the media outside police headquarters, Eve Leary moments after lodging his complaint that his newspaper was threatened with violence two days before he went to the police. He said that he has been left fearful for his life as well as those of his family members and employees. Two weeks before October 27 he had gone and made a report of a threat at the Ruimveldt Police Station. It is unclear what has happened to this complaint.
Instead of dealing with the content of the recording the Ramotar administration choose to focus on how the recording was made. President Donald Ramotar told reporters that it was a private conversation which was recorded illegally. Gildarie and the management of Kaieteur News have firmly said that Nandlall was aware that the conversation was being recorded.
Nandlall’s position was that the conversation was manipulated and twisted to sound like a completely different dialogue. He described Gildarie as a longtime friend as they both attended the same secondary school.
In the recording, Nandlall is heard saying that Lall “feels that he is above the law” and has resorted to using the daily newspaper “as a weapon.” Subsequently, Nandlall in a meeting with the professional staff of the Advice, Litigation and Drafting Departments and Members of the Senior Management of the Ministry of Legal Affairs said that he was unaware of any planned violent attack against the newspaper or any reporter. He described the released conversation as an “unexpected betrayal” and apologized for any embarrassment it had caused.
In the 19-minute conversation Nandlall was heard saying “Everybody doesn’t have a newspaper to use as a weapon,” he says. “I told Adam [Adam Harris, Kaieteur News editor], I said, ‘Adam, people got weapons, right. They ain’t got newspaper to use as a weapon; they got weapons. And when you continue to attack people like that and they have no way of responding they will just walk with they weapon into that same [expletive] Saffon Street office and wha’ come shall do.’”
He added: “And innocent…” before changing course and continuing, “Peter will have to pay for [expletive] Paul in that way. I tell you, honestly, man to man that will happen soon.” He further advised Gildarie to “get out of deh,” the quicker, the better.
Harris has since said that some of the utterances were not surprising to him as he had heard them before during casual conversations with Nandlall. He said that this issue should not have gone so far before accusing the government of retaliating over the newspaper’s stance to expose acts of corruption.
In parts of the conversation, Nandlall spoke of a city businessman and his links to drug smuggling. Mention was also made of Lall’s wife, Bhena, and an arrangement she had worked out with the president to have tax evasion charges against her and her husband dropped. The president has since distanced himself from those comments saying that he never had any such conversations with the businesswoman.
There have been calls from all sections of society including the legal fraternity to step down immediately.
Government recently announced that the tape will be sent abroad for authentication.
