-as CoI set up to probe assassination plot against President

THE GUYANA Police (GPF) Force will come into sharp focus over the next couple of weeks as a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) seeks to probe the actions and responses of the force in an alleged assassination plot against President David Granger.
On Tuesday morning, Chairman of the Commission, retired Assistant Police Commissioner, Paul Slowe, was sworn in by Chief Magistrate, Ann McLennan, at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. After he was sworn in, Slowe said that he will commence work immediately, and this includes identifying his support team. He said that he has already identified some persons who have expressed their willingness, but he could not disclose who those persons were at this time. He estimated that his team will comprise five other persons.
Asked what he expects to come out of this CoI, the chairman said: “I’m expecting that the truth will be revealed. What really transpired? How was the matter handled? And all incidental matters therefrom.”
According to the Terms of Reference (TOR), the Commission will investigate the circumstances and events surrounding an alleged plot to kill the President. The Commission will have to investigate and review the “full range” of the GPF’s actions and responses to the reports and whether these responses were executed with due diligence. All actions, if any, taken by the police force or any officer, after the reported plot, will also be investigated.
Further, the Commission is mandated to determine whether any person or officer had information before and after reports were made about the assassination plan. In addition, evidence of failure, neglect or omission by the police to thoroughly investigate the alleged plot will be examined.
After the Commission would have determined the blameworthiness for failure of officers involved, it is asked to recommend steps that can be taken in order to prevent a reoccurrence. Identification of systemic issues, if any, in the competence of the force to investigate matters of this nature, was also asked of the Commission. The Commission has until August 18, 2017 to submit its report to President David Granger.
In April, an investigation was launched by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the police legal advisor into an alleged plot to shoot President Granger while he was on one of his outreaches. Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, had disclosed that the administration had been provided with some information by the police about an ongoing investigation of this nature.
Harmon noted that the security of the president has been increased and made it clear that while the president was popular there were some “misguided people,” and as such extra measures had to be put in place.
Meanwhile, in an interview on Nightly News, a man said he was approached to carry out the act spoke of a $7M bounty that was offered to him to shoot at President Granger during one of his outreaches. The $7M it was said was offered by a prominent individual. The whistleblower in the interview stated that the businessman told him “… President Granger, we have to have him assassinated before he moves from where he is living, before of course if he moves his security will enhance and you can’t get to him.” The informant shared that the businessman entered the latter’s house and brought out a large weapon which he collected and minutes later returned. He explained that he had approached the businessman to conduct a business worth $6M when the proposal was made to find someone to assassinate the President and he would be paid $7M.
“The next day I go back to he and said watch, me ain’t deh in them thing yo know, me aint even want you tell me back about that,” the informant said, claiming that he never killed anyone before and was just a businessman.