Top Cop was told to enjoy his vacation leave–Pres Granger
President David Granger
President David Granger

POLICE Commissioner Seelall Persaud was not sent on administrative leave, but instead asked to enjoy his vacation leave, says President David Granger.

Speaking with reporters on Wednesday at State House, the President made it clear that “all we did was insisted that the leave due to Seelall Persaud be enjoyed rather than having it piecemeal.”

Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan

“We said, let him take his leave and at the end of that leave, we will decide how we go forward but right now, there is nothing abnormal or irregular about Mr Persaud going on leave. The leave is due to him; he is not being sent on administrative leave…he is enjoying vacation leave to which he is entitled,” the President continued. Assistant Commissioner of Police, David Ramnarine, will continue acting in Persaud’s absence.

Last Friday, Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan told Guyana Chronicle that Persaud was instructed to proceed on the continuation of his leave which ends in January, 2018. The Top Cop was scheduled to resume duty on Friday, but Ramjattan instructed him to take the remaining 56 days of his leave. The Top Cop’s accumulated leave commenced in July last. “He will be taking that [56 days leave] and coming out now sometime on the 18th January,” the Public Security Minister told the Guyana Chronicle.

Police Commissioner, Seelall Persaud

In his letter to Persaud dated November 23, Ramjattan said, “I am advised to inform you that in the public interest, and to allow for continuing initiatives and innovations being pursued by the Guyana Police Force’s temporary administration to be completed before your resumption of duty, it is considered opinion of the Administration that you should be and you are hereby directed to proceed on special leave with effect from November 24, 2017 until further notice.”

Additionally, President Granger reminded that since taking office, his administration has made it clear that it was not in support of the past practice where public officers accumulated “huge amounts of leave” and then sometimes request payment in lieu of leave. “…in the case of the acting commissioner of police and in the case of every other public servant, we said public servants must enjoy their leave when it is due,” the President stated, while noting that such move allows for the development of a “good career system where the subordinates are allowed to act.”

Meanwhile, Opposition Member and former Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee, believes that the government is up to something sinister. He told reporters that leave is requested while noting that when a person is sent on leave, it usually forms part of disciplinary action. “Even if you have annual leave and you did not request it and you are ordered to go on leave, it is something to be looked at,” said Rohee, who found the reasons for the Top Cop being sent on leave strange.

“The commissioner of police and the deputy are appointed by the President based on recommendations made to him. What he (President Granger) did was to use the Ministry of Public Security to execute what he should have been doing. We have to wait and see whether the substantial commissioner will react,” said the former Home Affairs Minister.

The recent Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the alleged plot to assassinate President Granger had recommended that Persaud be made to resign or proceedings should be initiated in accordance with Article 225 of the Constitution to have him removed from office for misbehaviour.

The CoI was conducted by retired Assistant Commissioner of Police, Paul Slowe, and the report handed over to the President. Among other things, the report stated that Persaud had improperly inserted himself into the investigation into the alleged plot, although he was on leave. At that time Ramnarine was acting in the capacity of police commissioner. He is the second most senior rank in the Force.

The Commission submitted that the Police Commissioner’s insertion of himself into the matter (investigation into the alleged plot to assassinate the President) “adversely influenced the conduct of the investigations.” Persaud, who is the country’s 31st Police Commissioner, is officially set to retire in April, 2018 and will complete 33 years as a member of the Guyana Police Force then.

He served most of the time in the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) but also headed the Police Anti-Narcotics Unit (Drug Squad) for 10 years and served as the country’s lead detective (Crime Chief) for another seven years.

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