General Secretary of the PPP, Bharrat Jagdeo, yesterday said that the party has not yet discussed the allegations and the probe of rape against party executive and former minister, Nigel Dharamlall, but it will not stall its meetings for appointments to other positions pending the completion of the police investigations.
Discussing the issue for the first time since Dharamlall was questioned by the police and put on $500,000 station bail, the General Secretary said that the party will await the outcome of the probe.
“Our meeting has nothing to do with the police probe. The police probe is an independent probe. That has nothing to do with party business,” Jagdeo said when asked by the Stabroek News if the dates for the holding of meetings by the Central Executive will be delayed pending the outcome of the probe.
“Party business, as soon as I am ready for the next meeting [I will call it] because it is not just that; the appointment of the other secretaries. I have to present a full report from the congress to the CC [Central Committee] outlining a number of things. I have to set up a body to start working on the party’s programme. Our last programme was set up in 1979 and amended in the 2000s…,” he added.
Questioned further on whether Dharamlall was free to be nominated and thus accept portfolios for existing party positions while being investigated, he said, “That’s pre-empting the discussions that we may have so I don’t want to speculate now. I don’t want to speculate on that matter,” he said.
Jagdeo noted that since the Central Executive and Executive Committee were appointed, “only three positions of the party we have appointed now; it is the General Secretary, the Executive and finance,” while pointing out, “There is nothing [for Dharamlall] to step down from until the next Central Committee meeting.”
This matter is an allegation now. It is before the competent authorities to investigate fully and then a determination will be made on the basis of those allegations. As like the first set of allegations, we did not jump the gun as a party or a government, we said let the law be applied uniformly and in this case it is… that. Nigel Dharamlall was elected by the membership.
Dharamlall turned himself in to police at the Cove and John station with his attorney Bernard DaSilva on Tuesday morning following a rape complaint and was in the evening released on $500,000 bail.
Da Silva told reporters that Dharamlall was invited to the station. Da Silva explained that his client is denying the allegations of sexual assault by Sarah Hakh made against him.
“He is cooperating with the police. I have had the privilege of turning him in. He just conducted an interview of which he denied all the allegations and the police will have to take it from there.”
In a statement issued to the press following the public allegations, the former minister said that he had always maintained a cordial relationship with Hakh, but that her demeanour changed after he rebuffed her advances and rejected her attempts to engage in an intimate relationship.
He also accused Hakh of launching a campaign to tarnish his reputation through social media, leaks to the traditional media, and a “whisper campaign”, and questioned what had reignited her attempts to harm his reputation, particularly at this time.
Hakh alleged that she was raped twice by the minister on two separate occasions. According to her, the first incident occurred in September 2020, when she was invited to meet with Dharamlall at his residence to discuss a job opportunity. She broke down in tears as she related that during the meeting, the Minister pulled her into a room, became aggressive, and sexually assaulted her.
Hakh further alleged that the second incident occurred in 2021, when she contacted the Ministry about non-payment of her contract during her stint working there. She said that in this scenario, she was invited to meet with Dharamlall again at his then residence.
Further, in her statement, Hakh accused Dharamlall of cyberbullying and making homophobic remarks on social media, which she claimed were intended to intimidate and silence her.
It is not the first time rape allegations have been reported to the police implicating the former minister as in the first quarter of last year, similar accusations were levelled by a 16-year-old female. After some time, the complainant decided not to press charges. Dharamlall then resigned from his post and from parliament. There had been concerns that the complaint of this 16-year-old had not been properly and expeditiously handled by the police and the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
