Former Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) officer, Superintendent Krishnadat Ramana is the new Commander of Regional Division 4 C.
The position, according to Ramana, came into effect on August 10th. He takes over from Senior Superintendent Khali Pareshram.
It had been reported that Ramana was tipped to be the next Traffic Chief. When asked about this, Ramana directed Stabroek News to Clifton Hicken, the acting Commissioner of Police. Efforts to contact Hicken were unsuccessful.
Ramana had, in October 2022, instigated the wrongful arrest of attorney-at-law, Tamieka Clarke who had been representing a client at SOCU headquarters on Camp Road. This act attracted condemnation by members of the legal fraternity locally and internationally. Clarke had advised her client, who was at the time being investigated by the agency, not to answer questions asked of him by SOCU.
Subsequently, Clarke through her senior, Attorney-at-Law Nigel Hughes filed a case against the state. Chief Justice Roxane George, SC subsequently ruled that Clarke’s arrest was unconstitutional.
Clarke had told the court hearing on the matter that she had been practising law for over seven years and had been retained by Leon Lespoir on October 25 last year and accompanied him to SOCU in relation to an ongoing investigation relating to him.
She said while there they met with Constable 23975 Shaquille Duke and was joined by Superintendent Ramana who indicated to her that he required Lespoir to provide a statement concerning the ongoing investigation and enquired about her client’s availability to provide the said statement. She said that they agreed to return on October 27, as requested, but also informed him that her client will be exercising his constitutional right to remain silent.
“Superintendent Ramana asked me if I was aware of what ‘obstruction’ meant, and he indicated to me that Mr Lespoir was compellable to provide a statement. Superintendent Ramana further indicated to me that if I prevented Mr Lespoir from providing a statement, he would arrest me, and that ‘Counsel may need Counsel’ on the said date,” her affidavit submitted.
On October 27, Clarke along with her firm’s senior partner Shaun Allicock accompanied her client to SOCU where they were informed by Sergeant 17955 Winston Singh that Superintendent Ramana was busy and were advised to return the following day. The same team returned on October 28.
“At the said location, I was informed by Mr Lespoir and verily believe that the police had provided him with a written statement and requested for him to sign it. I repeated my advice to Mr Lespoir about his right to remain silent and I informed Constable 23975, Shaquille Duke, that Mr Lespoir declined to sign the statement.
“I entered a room and enquired from Sergeant Singh, Constable Duke and Officer Navindra Persaud whether Mr Lespoir was under arrest. I indicated to them that Mr Lespoir was desirous of leaving the premises of SOCU and returning to work. Superintendent Ramana entered the room that I was in and he instructed Officer Navindra Persaud to arrest me,” she submitted.
Clarke further stated that she was instructed to follow Persaud into a room in the upper flat of SOCU’s Headquarters. She was placed to sit on a chair in the middle of the room after which Ramana entered to tell her that she was under arrest for obstruction and left. While in the room, she was in communication with Allicock via her cellphone after which it was forcibly taken away by Persaud.
At that time, she attempted to leave the room but was prevented from doing so by the two male officers who executed her arrest.
“A female rank that I had met at the gate when I entered the compound, Lance Corporal Alder, entered the room and sat in front of the desk by the door. I was wearing a Samsung Smart Watch that allows me to make and receive calls. I observed on my watch that I was receiving a call from my Attorney-at-Law, Mr C. A. Nigel Hughes, and I answered the call. I informed Mr Hughes that I had been arrested by SOCU and that I was upstairs. Officer Alder demanded that I hand over my watch and she attempted to take my watch from me,” her affidavit stated.
Clarke said that she attempted to exit the room again but was blocked by Sergeant Singh. She also requested the presence of her lawyers but no heed was paid to her.
She was later released by SOCU.
There has been no formal announcement by the police of Ramana’s appointment but on its Facebook page there was a post of Ramana on an outreach on Saturday at the Lusignan market.
