Child molestation probe…Imam’s lawyer writes police

Feb 01, 2012 News

The case against Imam Nizam Alli, who is accused of sexually molesting seven boys, has taken an interesting twist as investigators have now ascertained that the suspect was in Guyana when it is alleged that he committed the acts.
The investigators had moved to verify this piece of information following the intervention of an attorney purporting to represent the suspect.
Police sources investigating the matter are now carrying out additional investigations, reportedly as a result of the observations made by the attorney in a letter to Crime Chief Seelall Persaud.
According to one source, after intensive investigations, the initial file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), through the Crime Chief, for advice on Friday last.
But the file never reached the DPP’s office.
“As far as I know, an attorney who claimed to represent the suspect sent a letter to a certain police office. The file was later returned to the East Coast with instructions to look into certain aspects of the lawyer’s letter,” said the source.
The aspects include claims that Alli was not in the jurisdiction when some of the victims alleged that they were molested.
This sent investigators scurrying to check with the Immigration Department to determine the merit of the claim, which they were subsequently able to dispel.
The DPP will now be in a position to finally advise on the matter.
A legal source who is closely monitoring the case expressed concern that the police were being used to do the work of the defence in the matter.
“It is the DPP who should be the one to ask the police to clear up certain positions and not the Defence Counsel,” the lawyer said.
Alli is presently on two sets of station bail, totaling $350,000.
The Child Protection Agency (CPA) had said that it was prepared to work with the several boys who claim they had been sexually molested. The Agency had questioned why the Imam has not been charged, since the boys have already been examined and confirmed to be molested.
But the Guyana Police Force (GPF) said the delays are aimed at ensuring proper investigations are conducted.
The DPP, Shalimar Ali-Hack has said “the police are free to conduct their independent investigations and to even proceed with the institution of charges without the advice of the DPP.”
But Crime Chief Seelall Persaud had said that the Force’s policy is to secure legal advice to ensure that all investigations are completed before the 45-day statutory limitation period.
He noted that the law gives the police more than the 30-day period within which to conduct its probe, send the file to the DPP for advice and await word on whether more investigations or details need to be acquired.
The offences were allegedly committed between December 2011 and January 2012 by the Imam at a Mosque where the boys had been attending Arabic and Koran classes.

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Child molestation probe…Imam’s lawyer writes police

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