— CoI recommends that top cop be made to resign or removed
— says he should have been probed for perjury

The Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the alleged plot to assassinate President David Granger has recommended that Commissioner of Police Seelall 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 was handed over to President David Granger two weeks ago.
Should the President act on the recommendation, Seelall would be the first police chief here who would have left office in this manner. He is due to formally retire from the force sometime next year and is currently on accumulated vacation leave.
“The Commission recommends that Commissioner Seelall Persaud should be made to resign his position as Commissioner of Police for the Guyana Police Force, under such terms and conditions that His Excellency considers appropriate. Failing which, proceedings should be initiated in accordance with Article 225 on the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana to have him removed from office for misbehaviour,” the report submitted by Slowe and seen by this newspaper stated.
The report stated that Persaud had improperly inserted himself into the investigation into the alleged plot, although he was on leave.

At the time, Assistant Commissioner of Police David Ramnarine was acting in the capacity of Police Commissioner. He is the second most senior rank in the Force.

The Commission submitted that the Commissioner’s insertion of himself into the matter “adversely influenced the conduct of the investigations. It noted too that the Commissioner acted improperly when he contacted Imran Khan, who was arrested at CID headquarters for disorderly behaviour on his mobile phone and engaged him in a fairly lengthy conversation.
“This no doubt had a demoralising effect on the ranks on duty at CID Headquarters at that time. This is evidence because up to the time of the CoI, Khan had not been charged for the offence of disorderly behaviour,” the report submitted to the President stated.
The Paul Slowe-led Commission also found that Commissioner Persaud acted improperly when he placed he instructed Inspector Narine to send Nizam Khan on bail, and when he placed himself as surety for Imran Khan to be released.

Additionally, the report speaks to clear “conflict of interest” and noted that the top cop should have recused himself from the matter.
The Commission also found that Persaud’s decision to bypass the chain of command and instruct that Nizam Khan be sent on bail is unacceptable.
He had told the CoI that if he had contacted Assistant Commissioner Ramnarine, who was in charge at the time, it would have been a waste of time. “…this speaks to his general unprofessional approach in this matter,” the report stated.

President Granger had told the media recently that “very strong recommendations” have been included in the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) report and said that there have been major lapses within the operations of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), thereby affecting its efficiency.

“Even persons who have been following the day-to-day reports would realise that there has been a significant lapse in professionalism at a very high level of the Guyana Police Force,” the President told reporters. Stating that the matter is of concern, the Head of State added that the report “has brought to light some serious deficiencies”.
THE PLOT
Back in March, Grove, East Bank Demerara (EBD) businessman, Andriff Gillard told detectives that he was offered $7M to assassinate President Granger by his former friend, Nizam Khan, in June 2015.
No charges were laid on either the accused or the accuser as evidence presented to the Police Legal Advisor (PLA), Justice Claudette Singh proved tenuous.

Gillard said he had approached Khan to loan him $6M, but Khan instead offered him $7M, noting that he (Gillard) would not have to repay the money if he killed the President.  During his testimony before the Commission, the businessman said the police discredited the information he provided them because the Police Commissioner is a close friend of the accused’s brother, Imran Khan.
Nizam Khan was taken into police custody following a search of his Diamond, EBD home, and during the search, his brother Imran contacted Commissioner Persaud, who was on leave, to query the police operation.
Both Gillard and Khan were taken to the CID where investigators took statements from the duo. Imran Khan arrived at the CID subsequent to the duo.
Detective Keon Benjamin told the CoI that on March 29, 2017, while at the CID Headquarters, he was instructed by Detective Sergeant Komal Petamber to take a statement.

The corporal said it was while he was taking the statement that Imran Khan, the brother of the primary suspect Nizam Khan, started using profanities while in the confines of the CID; he was arrested for disorderly behaviour.
At the time of his arrest he was carrying a .45 pistol to which he was licensed to carry. Corporal Benjamin took possession of the gun along with Khan’s cellular phone as part of his arresting procedures. During this time, Khan had reportedly boasted that he would have the police officers involved in the investigation fired as he did with three others in a different matter.
As Corporal Benjamin was in the process of lodging Khan’s phone it rang. “The cell phone ring and I showed Sergeant Petamber that Mr. Seelall’s name showed up,” Corporal Benjamin told the Paul Slowe-led Commission. It was based on the advice of Assistant Superintendent of Police Peter Alonzo that the phone was handed to Khan. Imran Khan reportedly went a short distance away from the detectives in the room, and spoke with the Commissioner of Police. It was not long after Inspector Prem Narine took charge of the case, that the top cop called him, enquired about the incident and instructed him to release Imran Khan on his own recognisance and Gillard and Nizam Khan on station bail.

PERJURY
Meanwhile, Commissioner Persaud had testified that he believes the investigation was conducted properly and as such didn’t see the need to examine the statements made or other documents available in the matter.  The Commission viewed Persaud’s action as “a serious neglect” of duty and said that the assertion that the investigation was properly conducted was a presumptuous one.
Persaud had also testified that he first learned of the allegation sometime after 16:00h on March 29 when he received a telephone call from Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum but Assistant Commissioner Clifton Hicken in his testimony said he told the Police Commissioner of the allegation at about 10:00h the said day.
“Commissioner Persaud should have been investigated for perjury in relation to his statement that he was not told of the allegation until about 16:00h on March 29, 2017,” Slowe said in his report.
Persaud on March 10, 2015 took the oath of office confirming him as the country’s 31st Commissioner of Police. He succeeded Leroy Brumell who had served as the top cop. Born on the Essequibo Coast, Persaud spent most of his year in the Police Force at the Criminal Investigation Department.
He headed the Police Anti-Narcotics Unit (Drug Squad) for 10 years and served as the country’s Crime Chief for another seven years.