After “mayhem” erupted at the GECOM Command Centre at the Ashmins building days after the 2 March, 2020 elections, former Commissioner of Police Leslie James said he deployed additional security to the building but his plan was foiled with the then Police Commander of Region Four, Edgar Thomas being unreachable.
“After viewing a footage…….I tried making contact with the Commander because what I was seeing was clearly disorder and I can also refer to it as mayhem, which was contrary to what was expected to be happening at that GECOM location,” James told the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (CoI) in the March 2, 2020 elections yesterday morning.
James testified before the CoI under a summons which was issued on Tuesday. Public hearings into the inquiry recommenced yesterday following a break for the holiday season.
Guided by Senior Counsel Sophia Chote, who is leading evidence in the inquiry, James was reminded that he was brought to the CoI’s attention in evidence given by previous witnesses, specifically, Officer-in-Charge of the Tactical Services Unit (TSU) Guy Nurse and Thomas.
Most of James’ testimony focused on the events which took place at the Ashmins Building on March 5, 2020.
When he took the witness stand, Nurse had told the CoI which is being Chaired by retired Justice Stanley John that on that day he received instructions from James to deploy ranks from the Tactical Service Unit (TSU) to the Ashmins location to “secure the building”.
According to James, prior to the 2020 elections there were meetings and planning about the security arrangements for elections day 2020.
But, he said the plans went “beserk” on March 5 when “mayhem” and “total disorder” unfolded at Ashmins building.
James told the CoI he learnt about the situation from television reports following by a call from Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chair, Justice (rtd) Claudette Singh. “…It was as a result of footage that were being shown on several national television stations across the country. It was as a result of information that were being fed to me and also as a result of a conversation I had got via telephone with the then GECOM Chair,” he said.
“…Based on what I viewed, I gave directive for order to be restored,” James added.
Secure
It was at this point, James said he gave instructions for the Tactixal Services Unit (TSU) to be deployed to the High and Hadfield streets, Georgetown building which also housed the office of the Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo.
“My general directive were that the officers should have the unit (TSU), through its head and other ranks to report to the GECOM building to report to the Commander on the ground,” James said.
The former Commissioner admitted that he did speak to Nurse on two occasions on March 5, 2020. “I told him (Nurse) there is a breakdown in law and order and there are potential damage to property and perhaps persons might be in danger. I give that directive for him to secure the building,” James recalled.
Asked by Commissioner, retired Justice Carl Singh as to what he meant by “securing the building”, James explained “to take all necessary steps to secure the personnel, the ranks there because from my observations ranks on duty were being assaulted verbally and physcially, property were being damaged, and based on that, I made the decision for the ranks to go there and to ensure law and order is maintained and to generally secure the location”.
James further told the inquiry that he later saw a video of TSU ranks “clearing” the building.
Asked by Justice Singh as Commissioner of Police, what steps, if any did he took to enquire into what had occurred, James responded “I wasn’t required to take any steps at that time because the video that I viewed was subsequent to the happening of what had to be done”.
But, James was quick to point out that at no time did any instruction come from him to clear the building.
On March 5, 2020, before Mingo declared the APNU+AFC coalition the winner of District Four using doctored figures, attempts were made to clear the Ashmins building following information that a bomb had been planted in it. Previous witnesses had noted that Deputy Chief Election Officer (DCEO), Roxanne Myers gave instructions for everyone to evacuate the building.
Thomas had previously told the CoI that the he was not aware of the reason for the TSU being there and to his knowledge, they had “no business” being there.
Responding to further questions from Justice Singh, who at one point told him that he was “volunteering” information, James told the CoI that he never spoke to Myers and was unaware that she wanted the building to be vacated.
Justice Singh asked James what action he took after he recognised that his instructions were being violated and he said “I didn’t do nothing. There was no need for me to do anything at that time”.
“Commissioner of Police, your instructions are violated and there is no need for you to do anything…..? You don’t need to say anything further,” Justice Singh told James.
“Uncontacted”
But before he deployed the TSU to the Ashmins building, James told the CoI that he tried to contact Thomas via the police radio network and after efforts were futile he even tried calling his cellular phone but also got no answer.
“….Naturally, we try making contact with the Commander and he was not contacted. I tried using the radio set and my efforts were futile in that regard as well and as a result of that I took other action,” James said.
During his testimony, Thomas had made startling revelations during which he had accused James and the then Deputy Commissioner (Operations) Maxine Graham of being in “support” of Myers’ actions. In doing so, he had said James and Grahams breached several Standard Operating Procedures.
The same day, Thomas was stripped of his command as the head of Region Four (A) after he reportedly failed to clear the Ashmins building of all persons in the wake of a bomb threat.
As Chote refreshed James’ memory of some of the evidence given by Thomas, the former Commissioner of police maintained that although calls were made to Thomas on that day, he was never contacted. “…..Mr Thomas was not contacted…..He was uncontacted,” James told Chote.
“Calls were made to Mr Thomas number but none of them were answered,” he added.
James told the COI that unknowing to Thomas, he placed the then deputy Commander, Phillip Azore to command the region. This was done even though Azore was junior to Thomas.
It wasn’t until later in the day that Thomas learnt of this decision and according to James, Thomas may have been “ignorant” of it.
A few days after, James told the CoI that Thomas was summoned to a meeting with him and other senior members of the force where there was an “inquiry” and Thomas “was given a hearing”.
“….Into the reason for his conduct…He as the Divisional Commander, he was not contacted, he abandoned his division, he abandoned all of his ranks and naturally as Commissioner I sought to hear from him why he wasn’t contacted,” James said.
According to their Terms of Reference, the Commissioners are to inquire into and report upon the relevant circumstances and events leading up to, and the procedures following, the Regional and General Elections held in Guyana on the 2nd day of March 2020. The investigation is not limited to, but includes the counting, ascertainment and tabulation of votes polled and the public declaration of those results by the Returning Officer of Electoral District No. 4 and other election officers, as prescribed by the Representation of the People Act. The three Commissioners will also examine what attempts, if any, were made to obstruct, frustrate, subvert and prevent the counting, ascertainment and tabulation of votes polled and a declaration of the true results of Electoral District No. 4 as prescribed by the law, and by whom.
Afraid and alone
When the GECOM Chair appeared before the CoI during last month, she had said on March 5, 2020, hours before Mingo declared the results for District Four using doctored figures, she was “stressed” and “afraid for her life” so instead of taking any action, she locked herself in a room.
James told the CoI yesterday that after he saw live footage of what was happening at the Ashmins building, he called the GECOM Chair several times and she “eventually” answered.
“I told her what I was viewing and she said to me that she was afraid beause she was hearing persons calling for the Chairman. ‘We want the Chairman, we want the Chairman’. And she said, she was alone there and she was afraid,” he recalled.
“She was alone?” Chote asked while questioning James ‘Where were her bodyguards? Those are your officers”.
James responded “I didn’t asked because they are on duty and…she could determine where they should be in her room, just outside her room, within the building. She would determine”.
The GECOM Chair had said in her testimony that she made that decision even though her security detail had advised her to leave the building.
Commissioner Singh then intervened and asked James “You were seeing video footage. You are a trained police man. A senior official of GECOM tells me, the head of the police force. I am afraid. I am alone. You didn’t make any enquiry about her security for that moment?”
The former Police Commissioner responded in the negative and said “it was my expectation that her security detail were to be there”.
For more than 30 minutes, James was grilled by the Commissioners, who appeared to be interested about the security of the GECOM Chair and what steps James took to ensure her safety.
Justice John further asked James if he did not find it necessary to call even the officer-in charge of Special Branch to find out what was happening.
“I did not think it was necessary to do that,” James told Justice John who further asked, “why didn’t you think it was not necessary?”
In response, James said “because it was not necessary” causing Justice John to go on asking “why wasn’t it necessary? Here was the Chair of GECOM telling you I am afraid, I am alone and you are saying to this Commission today it was not necessary to enquire about her security”?
Eventually, James told the inquiry that the police had “systems in place on the ground” and as such the concerns by the GECOM Chair were not a cause of alarm for him.
As the Commissioners continued to focus on James’ response to the GECOM Chair’s call, Justice Singh told him“…..I know you had systems in places seemingly not working because with the systems in place you spoke of mayhem….So something seems wrong in that system”.
The GECOM Chair was eventually escorted out of the building by Azore.
