Apart from setting the genitals of a teenaged boy alight in 2009, Inspector Narine Lall had an “unblemished record,” members of the Police Service Commission (PSC) said yesterday in defending the promotion of the cop, who was found liable for the torture of the teen.
“We should not hold something against someone because they would have committed something wrong…even though you have served the time for it and I think the public should understand that. From our record, he has been an outstanding policeman for over two decades and we have taken that into consideration,” chairman of the PSC Omesh Satyanand told reporters yesterday.
It was stated that Lall was promoted by the PSC while the promotion of the other ‘torture’ cop Mohanram Dolai fell within the ambit of Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud. Persaud has said nothing so far on the issue.
The 2009 torture case drew international condemnation and an investigation by the police’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) had found that the two policemen injured and tortured the teen boy by pouring methylated spirits on his genital area and setting it alight. The incident had occurred at the Leonora Police Station. The Minis-try of Home Affairs had publicly acknowledged that the teen had been tortured and expressed regret.
In November 2009, Lall and Narine had appeared in court charged with burning the genitals of the 15-year-old boy with intent to maim, disfigure, disable or cause him grievous bodily harm. The criminal case against them was subsequently dismissed in the Magistrate’s Court because the boy and other witnesses failed to turn up.
However, in 2011, following the filing of a civil action, Justice Roxane George found the ranks liable and after describing the case as constituting torture, awarded the teenager $6.5 million which the State eventually paid.
Yesterday, addressing the issue for the first time since it was reported on by Stabroek News, PSC commissioners said the promotion of Lall was justified as not only was he reinstated by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) but has had an unblemished career save for the torture incident. The commissioners also said it has been at least two years since the court matter concluded and as such he was eligible for promotion.
Satyanand along with secretary to the commission Jaigobin Jaisingh as well as Chairman of the Public Service Commis-sion and member of the PSC Carvil Duncan, met with reporters in the Commission’s boardroom.
They were adamant that ranks fingered in wrongdoing ought not to be chastised indefinitely and said not only was the GPF confident enough to reinstate Lall after the conclusion of the court case but it has been more than two years since the court matter came to an end and as such he was eligible for promotion. They said too the ranks’ promotion was in accordance with the law.
According to Satyanand, the Police Act clearly states that if a rank commits an offence contrary to Chapter 17:01 (which deals with discipline) and that person has been found guilty, the rank or officer will face a tribunal or engage the attention of the court. He explained that after the rank or officer would have served their time “whether they were interdicted, put on half month pay…after a period of two years, that rank or officer is eligible for promotion.”
Speaking about the promotion of Lall, Satyanand said the torture incident occurred in 2009 and he was cleared in 2011. According to the PSC head, during this period, Lall was interdicted from duty and was receiving half month’s pay. Following the conclusion of the court matter, the chairman said, Lall was reinstated by the GPF “which shows the confidence the Force has in him and he has continued to work diligently. When we
looked at his file we haven’t come up with anything else other than the issue that was related in the (newspapers).”
The matter against the ranks was dismissed after the witnesses, including the boy, failed to attend court to testify. It was alleged that they were paid to stay away from court. It was indicated that the GPF would have launched an investigation to determine if this was true but there has been no word on whether any such investigation was done.
Satyanand stressed that the PSC does not “chastise people. This commission will look at the individual aspect of disciplinary matters. If a period of two years would have passed and he would have been reinstated and brought back into the Force then the Force has shown confidence in him and that does not give us the right to deny him any further promotion,” he said.
Satyanand said that the force will always be criticised and stressed that someone should not be continuously punished for something they had done previously. He said Lall has been an outstanding policeman for over two decades and emphasised that the fact that the GPF administration had reinstated him, shows confidence. He said since the 2009 incident, “We have never heard about this cop committing any other offence that is contrary to 17:01. That is what I would like the public to hear.”
Meanwhile, Duncan said it is an accepted principle that once you have committed an offence and served the penalty, then you ought to return to society without blemish. He added that even the judiciary accepts such a principle. “One has to be very careful because you cannot stain a man’s character indefinitely. Everybody in society that commits any offence and they pay the penalty for that, they would have already paid society for that and therefore they ought not to be stigmatised,” he stressed.
Asked what penalty Lall would have paid in light of the fact that the case was thrown out by the court owing to the absence of witnesses, the officials responded that he was interdicted from duty and was receiving half a month’s pay for a period of time.
In November 2009, Dolai and Lall were charged with burning the genitals of the then teen with intent to maim, disfigure, disable or cause him grievous bodily harm. They were also charged with unlawfully and maliciously wounding Nouravie Wilfred. The duo along with Corporal Oswald Foo were also charged with unlawfully and maliciously wounding Deonarine Rafick, with intent to maim, disfigure, disable or cause him grievous bodily harm.
The offences were committed shortly after the teen, Wilfred and Rafick were arrested by police in connection with the murder of former Region Three vice-chairman Ramenauth Bisram. The teen was stripped and beaten before his genitals were burnt.
The case drew condemnation by the local and international community.
It is unclear when the ranks, who were off-duty for the duration of the court matter, were reinstated. Stabroek News has since learnt that one of the ranks works in the compliance section of an East Coast Demerara Police Station.
