Region Two Commander, Superintendent Khemraj Shivbaran, yesterday rejected accusations that he attempted to pervert the course of justice in relation to a statement from the complainant in the case against Local Government Minister Nigel Dharamlall.
“I never attempted to pervert the course of justice. They came to me with this screenshot of the information being shared on Facebook and said they have nothing to do with it,” he said, before adding “I acted professionally and if claims of rape or a report was made I would have followed the SOPs [Standard Operating Procedures].”
The senior police officer is accused of being sent to take a statement from the complainant in the rape allegations against Dharamlall.
Shivbaran in a telephone interview explained that when the family of the 16-year-old visited his office, he was not aware of what was being posted on social media and the allegations being made.
He explained that the family said that they received a screenshot of a post in which Member of Parliament Ganesh Mahipaul attributed statements to the 16-year-old, but the family denied such. He stated that it was in light of that he took the statement.
“I didn’t pervert the course of justice. I don’t deprive anyone of seeking justice. I am a professional and nobody is exempted from the law. If I knew it was rape-related [then] the relevant officers and agencies in the region would be notified,” he emphasised.
Members of the opposition have been calling for the hierarchy of the police force to launch an investigation into the taking of statements.
However, as of yesterday, Deputy Corporate Communications Director Stan Gouveia told Stabroek News that no investigation has been launched by the Office of the Professional Respon-sibility (OPR) or the police force.
Shadow Minister of Home Affairs and former Magistrate Geeta Chandan-Edmond, in a statement yesterday opined that the Office of Profes-sional Responsibility should immediately commence an investigation into the actions of the Regional Commander, Shivbaran.
Chandan-Edmond also stated that since multiple reports on the matter are now readily available to the President, he must act immediately with the urgency this matter demands. In the statement, she called for the Minister to be removed from public office and pointed out that by virtue of these allegations, the Minister is not fit for public office in any capacity and must be immediately removed from Parliament.
Leader of the Alliance for Change Khemraj Ramjattan also said that the Police Service Com-mission should call in the commander and discipline him.
“You do not do that in the nature of circumstances of a little child and sexual offences. The whole tenure of the sexual offences act as amended and put up, is when the children are young like this and vulnerable you simply cannot go and get a statement from a policeman… the policeman has to be in some hot water here too. You do not do that…” he said.
Opposition Member Amanza Walton Desir also expressed the view that this senior police officer at a bare minimum had engaged in the perversion of justice and is an accessory.
“Let not the police commissioner believe we will not be speaking to that, we will be speaking to that because he ought to be interdicted from duty,” she stressed.
She stated that the release of the statement taken by Shivbaran on social media platforms is an insult to the intelligence of the people of Guyana. Shivbaran yesterday told Stabroek News that he is yet to determine how that statement was leaked online and he was appalled when he heard it was circulating.
“This is not about politics not about race, this is us being decent human beings and decent Guya-nese citizens,” she said while noting that the fight for justice will continue.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Priya Manickchand in a statement from her Ministry rebuffed claims that an official of the Ministry of Education accompanied Dharamlall on a visit to the complainant’s family.
“The Ministry of Education rejects this mischievous lie and categorically states that at no point did any Ministry of Educa-tion staff visit the complainant either in the presence of the accused, alone or at all,” the statement said.
On the sidelines of a contract signing event, Manickchand when asked about the protocols followed by her ministry in response to the allegations, said at no point did they meet with the victim.
She however noted that they engaged in a verification of the student and contact was made with the school by the Chief Education Officer Saddam Hussain.
“So, immediately, when we received that without the sensation behind it, we would check to find out where this child is, if she exists, and then have the steps followed. And that is exactly, what we did. We checked to see through the school that was named whether she existed, and how it is we could support,” Manickchand explained.
The Minister stated that after it was established that the student did exist, they attempted to meet with her but the student indicated she was not available until Monday. The Education Minister however explained that before Monday, other relevant agencies stepped in and her Ministry has since held back from reaching out to the child.
“Subsequent to that, the State and various other bodies have stepped in to help. She is no longer; I don’t believe she requires our help any longer. But nothing here was done outside of the norm. This is very normal. The alternative is this, with all that people saying we should not have made contact. So, we get a document, saying that a child needs help, what should I do with it, just don’t do anything with it, leave it, park it? And say, well it is not the Ministry of Education, this child protection. That’s not how we operate, ever,” the Minister pointed out.
