Dear Editor
Members of the Special Organised Crime Unit, SOCU, and a specialised section of the Guyana Police Force were once again at their unprofessional best. When and where? On Friday, October 15, 2021 at of all places, the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. Yes, a four member gang led by Assistant Superintendent Ramana without justification arrested Paul Slowe, retired Assistant Commissioner of Police who had entered the building of the Court to answer a charge of conspiracy to defraud which Ramana had filed in Court 3 against Paul Slowe and others in May, 2021. At the time of the filing of the case Paul Slowe was out of the jurisdiction on official duties for Cricket West Indies. Ramana subsequently applied for and with much surprise obtained a summons directing Paul Slowe to appear at the said Court on the day in question to answer the exact charge. A clear case of duplicity. It is apposite to note that during one of the Court hearings the prosecutor applied for an arrest warrant for Paul Slowe and the magistrate denied the application. Slowe explained to Ramana and party in full public view and hearing that he was there to attend Court for the charge in question. Ramana told him that he was under arrest and he, Ramana, was arresting and taking him to the enquiries office to caution him in relation to the charge that Ramana had filed against Slowe. Ramana and another rank held on to Slowe’s shirt and trousers, while two others restricted his movements and told him that he was under arrest. I was there. I recorded what took place. It was a flagrant violation of the Judges Rules, an unlawful arrest and detention. I understand that it was the intention of Ramana and party to arrest and escort Slowe to the enquiries office, handcuff him and then escort him to the Court in full public view like they did some time ago with Dr. Ashni Singh.
Quite rightly Slowe stood his ground. There was a standoff that lasted for several long agonising minutes. Slowe legal representatives Selwyn Peters and Patrice Henry intervened. Better judgement prevailed. The parties went into the Court room. Slowe appeared before the Magistrate. The Magistrate read the charge to him and placed him on $100.000.00 bail. Ramana and party meekly left the Court with their tails between their legs. Shortly afterwards Ramana and his infamous team were seen leaving the compound of the Court and heading in the direction of a government ministry, north west of the burnt out Brickdam Police Station compound, perhaps, to report their unlawful and unethical behaviour and to seek further political directions. Flashback! May 2021. Ramana filed a criminal charge of conspiracy to defraud in the Magistrate’s Court against Slowe and several retired senior police officers. At the time Slowe was out Guyana performing official duties for Cricket West Indies. Slowe was not contacted by Ramana or any member of the Guyana Police Force prior to the filing of the charge. He was not told of the allegation made against him, so he was denied the legal right to be heard before he was charged. The right to be heard is also a God – given right. It started in Genesis – in the beginning. When Adam and Eve committed themselves God did not pass judgement on them immediately although he knew what took place. What he did? He called them and asked them to explain what took place before he punished them. So it was in the beginning, so shall it be in the end. In addition, to filing the phantom charge against Slowe and others, Ramana applied and obtain approval from the Court a summons for Slowe to appear in Court for the exact charge he had filed against Slowe and others. This is highly irregular. That is duplicity and an abuse of due Court procedure. It is double – dealing. To add insult to injury the police left the summons at the office of Slowe’s attorney-at-law Nigel Hughes. That cannot be considered as due process of serving the summons. The standard operating procedure is that when an accused or defendant cannot be contacted for a summous to be served on him personally, the summous must be sent by registered post to his last known place of abode or that it is left at his last known place of abode with someone of age of discretion having read and explained the nature of the document and requested an early delivery. Not leaving it with his legal representative or at his work place. The person who left the summons will then be required to swear to an affidavit before a Justice of the Peace that he left the summons with the named individual at the defendant/accused last known place of abode and requested an early delivery. The affidavit is then lodged at the Court as proof of service. The police did not comply with the above.
The action by Ramana and team leaves much to be desired. I read and heard a lot of unadulterated piffle in the print and electronic media that Paul Slowe should have complied and then complain later, and that the law is the law, whatever that means. Wow! One writer, Neil Adams even appointed himself a magistrate and issued an arrest warrant for Paul Slowe for Ramana to execute. When the actions of the police is illegal, is unlawful, is unconstitutional, is unethical, citizens do not have to comply with it. When you are illegal and you try your illegal best you are still illegal. When you are unlawful and you try your unlawful best you are still unlawful, When you are unconstitutional and you try your unconstitutional best you are still unconstitutional, and when you are unethical and you try your unethical best you are still unethical. When you are wrong, you are wrong. Fraud is fraud. The Nuremberg Trials made it very pellucid that when an order is illegal no one is bound to carry it out. Even if it comes from a General to a private soldier. On the other hand, I am happy that many persons included retired Chief Magistrate K. A Juman Yassin SC in no uncertain terms blasted Ramana and team for their unprofessional conduct. I know the retired Chief Magistrate for decades. I can recall that while I was a police corporal prosecuting cases in the Magistrate’s Court in the interior he on numerous occasions used his own money to charter aircraft to travel to Monkey Mountain and other remote locations to preside over Court. He was very altruistic. I value his legal judgements. It is a travesty of justice that he was not appointed a Judge because the then Chancellor of the Judiciary publicly opined that the Chief Magistrate was too public a figure to be appointed a Judge. K. A. Juman Yassin SC believed that justice must be swift, certain and appropriate. Here is part of what he wrote in Sunday Stabroek, October 17, 2021, “Much to his credit Paul Slowe refused to be cowed by this unacceptable behaviour by these police officers. One was actually holding on to his shirt and trousers as if he wanted to escape or was a person of unsavory character. I could not believe what I was seeing. Here an Assistant Commissioner of Police who served the Force with distinction and who when he retired was given a farewell parade of honour was being treated with such disdain and lack of courtesy. Clearly these four police officers were acting under instructions from a superior – was it from the Police Force or elsewhere? One has to ask, was this necessary? Was this political? What was to be proven? Did Paul Slowe tread on a police officer who now has power and wanted to get back at him? Paul Slowe held his ground and when his attorney-at-law appeared good sense prevailed. I wish to condemn what was done to Paul Slowe as there was no justification and only would cause the reputition of the Guyana Police Force to again come under the microscope in an unflattering light.”
A cartoon by P, Harris in the Stabroek News, October, 17, 2021 aptly tells the story of what took place between Paul Slowe and Ramana and his gang. Harris painted a picture of Paul Slowe sitting in a Court Room and a well decked out and angry looking SOCU in black clothing, with a pair of handcuffs dangling in his hand yelling at Paul Slowe, “ Mr. SLOWE…! YOU’RE UNDER ARREST FOR APPEARING IN COURT!!” I am happy that Paul Slowe has initiated criminal proceedings against Ramana and his three subordinates. Paul will have his day in Court. To God be the glory. Great things he has done.
Sincerely,
Clinton Conway
Assistant Commissioner of Police
(R’td)
