…says Top Cop had hand in release of suspects

ASSISTANT Commissioner of Police David Ramnarine on Friday testified that the police’s investigation into the alleged plot to assassinate President David Granger was improperly done and that the early release of both the accused and accuser by Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum was influenced by Commissioner of Police, Seelall Persaud.
Persaud was on annual leave during the initial period of investigation and Ramnarine who acted as Commissioner of Police from February 13 to March 31, 2017, told the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) set up by President Granger to investigate the matter that he had no role to play in the release of the accused Nizam Khan or the accuser Andriff Gillard. On March 29, he said he received a call at about 10:00hrs from Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum and reported that Gillard indicated that sometime in June 2015, he was approached by Nizam Khan of Grove, East Bank Demerara, to engage in an act which has to do with the assassination of President Granger.

He said Blanhum told him Gillard said the assassination was scheduled to take place before the President relocated from his private residence to State House. The Crime Chief disclosed too that Gillard and Khan were very good friends who had established a relationship since 2005. He said too that there were no witnesses and noted that based on reports, Gillard wanted to purchase a home valued at $12M and needed an additional $6M to complete the transaction. He approached Nizam Khan who told him that he would not loan him the money, but would give him $7M to carry out an act “my people want to be done.”
It was at that time that Gillard queried what Khan’s people wanted to be done and was told to assassinate the President, an act he refused to do. Gillard also reported that he received “very adverse attention from Nizam Khan” to the extent that Gillard was living in a home as his wasn’t completed and someone purchased that said property which resulted in him being evicted.
“Gillard was of the opinion that Nizam Khan had been behind the court matter which eventually led to Gillard’s eviction, among other things,” recounted Ramnarine. He continued: “I said notwithstanding this appears to have its origin some one year and three quarter in June of 2015, this is a matter which concerns the head of state and you are to spare no effort to launch immediately a thorough investigation into the facts and circumstances and to keep me posted.”

Seriousness

Blanhum was instructed to conduct the investigation himself, given the nature and seriousness of the allegation. The assistant Commissioner of Police said he immediately contacted the Minister of Citizenship Winston Felix who was holding the Public Security Portfolio as substantive Minister Khemraj Ramjattan was out of country.

His call to Felix was futile, but he subsequently contacted Minister of State Joseph Harmon and gave him a brief based on the information he had received from the Crime Chief. At about 16:00hrs on the said day, Ramnarine said he was informed that Nizam Khan was arrested and investigations were continuing. At about 20:00hrs the said night, while at home, he said he received a call indicating that President Granger needed a brief on the matter at State House on March 30.
“I immediately contacted the Crime Chief and the head of Special Branch for updates including whatever background information we would have thus far gathered about the two central characters at this point in time. And I learnt that in that point and time we didn’t have the kind of information which suggested they were dishonourable characters.”
He noted that at about 5:30hrs on March 30, the Crime Chief reported to him the crime situation in the country. It was during that reporting period Ramnarine asked Blanhum the position of Khan who was arrested the day before. The assistant commissioner said Blanhum at no point prior to his questioning noted the alleged assassination plot. “He said the person would have to return today. I said return? How come? Wasn’t he in custody yesterday afternoon? And he said he was released. I was surprised at that. I asked him on whose instructions and he said his instructions because he does not believe the story by Andriff Gillard.” Ramnarine admitted that he found it strange that for such a serious allegation, Khan was released in less than 24 hours.

Competence
Notwithstanding his personal opinion, he said he gave the Crime Chief the benefit of the doubt as he was assured at the time that the accused would return to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to assist with the investigation. He said he did not rebuke Blanhum because “his competence was above board.” Ramnarine made it clear during cross-examination that he was not consulted when the men were sent on bail and noted that if he had been consulted he would not have agreed to the men being released on bail.
“Absolutely no! We incarcerate persons for 72 hours for far less serious offences or allegations,” said Ramnarine.
After hearing the report from Blanhum, Ramnarine reported all information available to the president and assured him his safety was going to continue to be assured by the Guyana Police Force. He was asked to submit a report to the President and as such, he returned to his office and held what he called a Performance Group meeting of the force attended by senior ranks. That afternoon, Khan had returned to the station as there were a number of issues to be cleared up.
On April 1, the substantive Commissioner of Police resumed duty and according to Ramnarine, he briefed the Commissioner via telephone on important matters which occurred while he was on leave.
“I also informed the Commissioner that his Excellency had requested a report and that I was in the process of completing such, it wasn’t completed because I was awaiting some information from CID as the statements taken were not that legible,” said the Assistant Commissioner of Police.

He said the Commissioner told him to send whatever files he has and he will prepare the report. He said he gave Seelall the written brief on the matter. “On my return to the office, I called His Excellency’s aide-de-camp (ADC) Colonel Abrahams and I indicated to him that he [the President] had asked me to prepare a report and the fact that the Commissioner resumed duty on Saturday, I apprised commissioner and the commissioner has indicated to me that he will submit the report.”
Thereafter, Ramnarine said he returned to his substantive duties and sometime in May, Persaud was out of country on two engagements and as such he was acting as Commissioner. He said while reporting at a national security meeting where he provided an update on the progress made, “I was subjected to a number of questions and comments which caused me to realise that there was some indication about a possible involvement of senior members of the force in the very early stages of the arrest of Nizam Khan and his brother Imran Khan.”

The Assistant Commissioner said he assured the meeting that he would speak with the required officers and to find out who or what was occurring. He said there were concerns that the police were being lethargic and were being unprofessional and purposely so. Ramnarine said upon his return from the meeting on May 16, he summoned the Crime Chief along with the head of the Special Branch, Commander ‘A’ Division and other senior officers and reminded them of the seriousness of the matter.
He said he asked the Crime Chief whether he was aware of senior officers being involved in the early stages of the investigation when Khan was arrested. Blanhum referred the question to the Head of the Special Branch Unit, who then indicated that Blanhum, Commissioner Seelall Persaud and Superintendent Mitchell Caesar from the Major Crimes Unit were being fingered.

It was reported that Persaud called Imran Khan and thereafter instructed Detective Sergeant Petamber to release the men on bail. “I cautioned everyone in the room that we are a professional organisation and the fact that names can be called in such an important matter challenges our professionalism…I reminded the Crime Chief of the instruction that he himself must oversee such an investigation,” Ramnarine added.
He noted too that while preparing the written report to President Granger, he requested the legal advice provided by the Police Legal Advisor (PLA) Justice Claudette Singh. It was then that he was made aware that the PLA had asked that investigators make enquiries into whether the Police Commissioner had called the afternoon in question and handed down instructions.

Khan in the Top Cop room
“I embodied that bit of legal advice and all others and submitted same to the President,” the assistant Commissioner told the CoI. Meanwhile, Ramnarine told the Commission during cross-examination that when he was initially told of the allegation, he did not know who Nizam Khan was. “Sometime after, I learnt of the individual’s brother being Imran Khan and the fact that I recall seeing Imran Khan in the Commissioner’s conference room…and a number of other places and I formed the impression that they were friends. That in itself is public knowledge.”

Additionally, Ramnarine who is second in command of the force said he believes Blanhum may have been influenced by Persaud to send the Khans and Gillard on bail on March 29, noting that the Police Commissioner had called him.
“Do you think this would have influenced the way the investigation was conducted?” asked Commissioner Slowe, to which Ramnarine responded in the affirmative. “Do you think…that this matter was properly investigated?” Slowe asked. Ramnarine said, “Taking into account all the circumstances surrounding the conduct of this investigation, my sincere answer would be no. It was not properly done.”
He said too that the fact that Gillard and Khan were released the said afternoon after being in police custody indicates “a lack of serious effort” on the part of the police. It was at this juncture that attorney representing Imran Khan, Christopher Ram, objected to the mode of questioning by Slowe. He argued that Slowe was asking leading questions, which he did not think was permissible in a CoI.

“I have the greatest personal and professional respect for you, but I really do believe that you have been crossing the line this morning,” said Ram. Slowe noted the concerns and then asked Ramnarine if when acting as Commissioner he would from time to time seek advice or guidance from the Commissioner.
“The only time I seek the advice or guidance of the Commissioner while he is on leave is when the Commissioner while on duty would have been personally involved in a matter in the interest of the organisation to which I have no knowledge and to which he would have made decisions for the furtherance of the work of the force and during the time he was on leave, the matter would have come up which would have now necessitated me to have the Commissioner’s train of thought in the initial stages of the matter.”

Misled by Blanhum
Meanwhile, Ramnarine said he felt very bad about being misled by Blanhum and noted that he trusted the Crime Chief’s judgment. “Did you feel misled by the crime chief?” asked Selwyn Pieters, attorney representing television journalist Travis Chase to whom Ramnarine responded, “Obviously so…I felt very bad about it.” When he discovered that Blanhum was not forthright he did not take action against him. He also accepted that he had the power to order the re-arrest of Gillard, and the Khan brothers.
Attorney representing the interest of the police, former Chief Justice Ian Chang, declined to cross- examine Ramnarine, noting that “this is the acting commissioner and deputy commissioner and this is why I perhaps find myself in an embarrassing position. They’ve put me in a very embarrassing position with the evidence.” As such, Chang said when the Police Commissioner appears before the Commission on Monday, he should appear with an attorney. “At this juncture, out of an abundance of caution, I do not think I should ask any more questions,” he told the commission.