POLICE prosecutors are expected to commence this week the case against an Imam, Nizam Ali, who was charged with the offence of Sexual Activity with a child by Abusing a Position of Trust in February 2012, Divisional Commander Snr. Superintendent, Calvin Brutus confirmed.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) recently remitted the case to Magistrate Alex Moore to be re-opened. Nizam Ali, known as ‘Mufti’, of Lot 268 Section ‘C 5’ South, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown had been committed to stand High Court trial since 2013. In a letter dated February 13, 2017, DPP Mrs. Shalimar Ali-Hack remitted the matter to the Magistrate to re-open the case via paper committal. Further, on the same date the DPP issued a directive to the Guyana Police Force to obtain certified copies of the original documents before the re-opening of the paper committal.

Subsequent to the first preliminary inquiry held before Magistrate Moore, it was discovered that original documents, which were tendered during the PI, had gone missing from the depositions. The DPP has also forwarded a report to Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ali on the position of the matter.

The Imam’s pretrial hearings were held in-camera at the Sparendaam Magistrates’ Court. After perusing the evidence brought before him during the preliminary inquiry, Magistrate Moore found that there was sufficient reason to send Ali for High Court trial. The decision came in 2013.

It is alleged that between December 2011 and January 2012, Ali engaged in sexual penetration of a boy under the age of 12. The acts were allegedly committed while he was in a position of trust, being a religious teacher and knew or could be reasonably expected to have known of the trust in relation to the boys.