TOWN Clerk Royston King Tuesday night took a decision to rescind a decision he made last month to fire the two officers at the centre of the City Constabulary sex scandal involving a 15-year-old boy.  The officers, Lance Corporal Clifton Pellew and Quacy Baveghems, will now be sent on administrative leave until the investigation by the Legal Affairs and Security Committee and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) are completed and recommendations are made regarding the way forward.

King took the decision to reinstate the officers following a letter from Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan, which outlined how flawed King’s decision was in the first place to fire the officers. Mayor Patricia Chase-Green, too, noted that King had misled the council in this matter.  “I am advised that due process to discipline Mr. Baveghems has not been followed in this matter and I now advise that same be done, forthwith, affording him an opportunity to answer allegations that have to be laid to him.

“It is important that you note that the Ministry of Communities will not condone unfair and/or wrongful treatment meted out to employees of any local democratic organ, and will endeavour to safeguard their employment and natural justice rights,” the minister wrote.  He pointed out that at the time of the dismissals, the Legal Affairs and Security Committee was still in the process of investigating the matter and had not yet completed its work.

“Therefore, your actions may be deemed as ultra vires, since the  [committee] was not given the opportunity to complete its responsibilities, neither was the committee allowed to report its findings and make recommendations to the council,” the minister said.  Meanwhile, the Council took a decision to give the Legal Affairs and Security Committee seven working days beginning today (Wednesday) to wrap up its investigation.

The mayor said she had a “big beef” with the town clerk at the time he decided to fire the two men. When she informed King that she was not satisfied with his decision, King pointed out that he had the authority to make an administrative decision.

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Chase-Green was not particularly in favour of changing the decision in favour of the minister and pointed out how Baveghems stood in the Constabulary and allowed the sex act to completion instead of doing something about it. Baveghems, who has written to various persons complaining of unlawful dismissal, even saw when Pellew took out a condom, Chase-Green said. “He witnessed the act but did nothing.

He did not even report it in the diary.” Chase-Green also chided Chief Constable Andrew Foo for not doing anything about the matter and observed that if anyone should be sent home, it ought to be Foo. “Why did the chief constable release the boy? Who’s the accessory to the crime? Who has the authority to charge people? The chief constable did nothing because he has a blue eye baby in the batch and didn’t want anything to become exposed.”

The mayor inferred a second time that Foo did nothing about the matter because he is “friends” with Pellew.    But Chairman of the Legal Affairs Committee, Councillor Sherod Duncan, offered that although all of the emotions and evidence might be there, the officer should be given a hearing. Deputy Mayor Lionel Jaikarran offered that the officers should not have been dismissed before the investigation was completed. And People’s Progressive Party Councillor Bishram Kuppen similarly commented that King took a wrong decision in terminating the services without the investigation being completed.

Councillor Oscar Clarke offered that the matter was handled badly from the very start.        The Chronicle understands that the juvenile was allegedly approached by Pellew in the wee hours of the morning and made to engage in the act. The incident occurred sometime between August 22 and 23 last. The chief constable had told this newspaper that although he was aware that the lance corporal at reference faced a similar matter in 2016, everyone is deemed innocent until they are proven guilty.Pellew’s 2016 matter was reportedly dropped, because the victim did not pursue it.