Opposition Member, Ganesh Mahipaul, whose name was mentioned in a police statement from the 16-year-old complainant in the case against Local Government Minister Nigel Dharamlall, says he is baffled and would like an explanation why his name was stated.
Speaking with Stabroek News yesterday, Mahipaul explained that when he saw his name mentioned, he was in shock as he recalled that to his knowledge he did not make any incriminating posts on social media.
“I was taken back because one I don’t know this child and her family, and two, I didn’t post anything to identify her. I learnt of this story on a Mark Benschop programme and that is where I made a post calling out the ministers and the president to act,” he said.
In the statement, which was signed by Region Two Commander, Superintendent Khemraj Shivbaran, and widely circulated on social media, Mahipaul was named as the person sharing information on behalf of the family. The complainant, had said that she never authorised Mahipaul, a Member of Parliament, to share any information regarding her or her family.
“I want the commander to provide me with an explanation on how my name was mentioned. Many other people shared the information and in much greater detail but my name was mentioned. I need an explanation from the commander for this if it is anything,” he demanded.
Mahipaul in his post on Friday, called on Ministers Priya Manickchand, Vindhya Persaud, Deodat Indar, Anil Nandlall SC, Vickram Bharrat, Hugh Todd, Juan Edghill, and all the others to act.
“I don’t know how this post aligns me with sharing information on the family’s behalf? I don’t know the family, I have never met the family and what I know is what was shared in public domain and what was reported in the newspaper and online,” he said, emphasising his need for an explanation from the police commander.
Superintendent Shivbaran has also rejected accusations that he attempted to pervert the course of justice in relation to the case by taking the statement.
The senior police officer is accused of being sent to take a statement from the complainant in the rape allegations against Dharamlall.
He explained that the family said that they received a screenshot of a post in which 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 however, have been calling for the hierarchy of the police force to launch an investigation into the taking of statements.
“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].”
Leader of the Alliance for Change, Khemraj Ramjattan, also said that the Police Service Commission 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 tenor 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…”
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.
Shivbaran has since said that he is yet to determine how that statement was leaked online and he was appalled when he heard it was circulating.
