The state-owned vehicle in which former president Donald Ramotar and his security detail is transported was outfitted with a wheel clamp by a team of officials from Smart City Solutions (SCS), the PPP said yesterday.
SCS later said that the clamp was placed on an “illegally parked” vehicle and once it was verified that the vehicle was assigned to Ramotar the clamp was removed.
According to a statement from the PPP, “The SCS team was accompanied by armed City Constabulary ranks who were aggressive and verbally abusive to members of the former president’s security detail. They proceeded with the act despite being informed that the vehicle is owned by the Ministry of the Presidency and that it transports the former president.
“In addition there is no parking meter which services that area. From all appearances the act appeared planned and designed to embarrass Mr Ramotar. At the time of the incident the former president was attending a meeting at the party’s Robb Street head office.”
SCS sought to clear the air on the issue in a statement released to the media last evening.
It was stated that at approximately 10.34 am “A car with a regular registration number was parked illegally in a clearly identified no parking area on the roadside opposite Freedom House. The car was unattended at the time.”
The statement said that as a consequence of the car being “illegally parked”, it was immobilized by a member of the City Constabulary and SCS Parking Attendant consistent with the regulations.
“Shortly afterwards, the SCS Parking Warden and the Constabulary member were approached by a person who informed them that the vehicle is officially assigned to former president Donald Ramotar. There was no visible means of identifying the vehicle’s owner,” the release said.
It added that the same person called the SCS Operations Centre and identified himself as the security officer assigned by the Ministry of the Presidency to Ramotar.
“In accordance with established procedures the Operations Centre then dispatched a duly authorized Warden to remove the boot immobilizing the car,” the statement said.
The company noted that the PPP statement circulating on social media said that the member of the City Constabulary was armed. This, the release said was false.
It added that the statement goes on to claim that there was an abusive exchange between the person who had identified himself as a security officer assigned to Ramotar and the SCS Parking Warden. This too, it said, was false.
“When Smart City Solutions informed the Town Clerk of the incident, he pointed out that the Mayor and City Council had received no official communication from the Government of Guyana requesting any exemption from the regulations governing the implementation of metered parking now in force,” the statement said.
It added that the Town Clerk further advised that the Mayor and City Council had received no communication from the PPP requesting any exemption for a former president.
