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Sexual abuse allegations against Trotman…Manickchand’s actions could have resulted in perversion of course of justice – Nagamootoo
– “Manickchand’s scheme was to entrap Trotman into paying “hush money” to suppress his alleged involvement in a most heinous crime…Nagamootoo”
Vice Chairman of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Moses Nagamootoo stated at the party’s weekly press conference
Moses Nagamootoo, AFC Vice Chairman
yesterday, that he is deeply concerned over the admission by Attorney-at-Law Jaya Manickchand that she had initiated an enterprise which could have resulted in the perversion of the course of justice.
Johnny Terry Welshman Jnr., the young man who recently accused House Speaker, Raphael Trotman, of sexually molesting him when he was younger, had said that he had retained the services of the lawyer. But Manickchand has vehemently refuted the allegations.
The AFC however, uncovered and disseminated text messages from Manickchand’s cell phone number which indicates that she apparently tried to settle the matter discreetly with Trotman, despite stressing mere days before, that she was not looking out for Welshman’s interest.
The political party has concluded that “the troubled young man” may be part of a scheme to entrap the House Speaker and tarnish the AFC.
The Attorney-at-Law subsequently posted on her Facebook page, a detailed statement in defence of her actions.
Nonetheless, Nagamootoo told media operatives yesterday that Manickchand, in her letter to the press admitted to contacting Trotman. The Vice Chairman said that the result of her actions, were Mr. Trotman to have fallen for Manickchand’s entreaties, would have enmeshed the House Speaker in criminal activity.
He said that the clear intention of Manickchand’s scheme was to “entrap Mr. Trotman into paying hush money to suppress his alleged involvement in a most heinous crime, thereby, securing from him an admission of his participation in the horrible crime and confirming that he had something to hide by the payment of the “hush money”.
Nagamootoo asserted that Trotman immediately refused to participate in any such scheme and recommended that Manickchand’s client make a report of the alleged crime to the Guyana Police Force.
He said too that the AFC is appalled that a former Commissioner of the Guyana Elections Commission nominated by the People’s Progressive Party Civic would consider initiating such a scheme, “the sole purpose of which was to pervert the course of justice and suppress an allegation of huge proportions.”
Nagamootoo expressed that Manickchand was acting in her professional capacity and was soliciting funds for an alleged victim of a serious crime from the alleged perpetrator in return for making the criminal matter disappear. He believes that “the admission of participation in such a venture should not escape the attention of the relevant authorities.”
The AFC Parliamentarian stated that his party is not at all persuaded by the public protestations of the former PPPC Elections Commissioner that she was “giving a friend a head’s up.”
“If this was indeed the intention, what should have transpired was that Manickchand would have advised the alleged victim to report the matter to the police, inform him that she was unable to act on his behalf and thereafter, notify her colleague of the serious allegations which were being leveled against him and inform him that a report to the Police was advised.”
The Alliance For Change is concerned that a young person who clearly seems to be in a state of considerable psychological distress has not been afforded the proper psychiatric and professional assistance that he clearly is in need of.” He reiterated that the AFC stands behind its founding member, Raphael Trotman, and former party leader and calls for a “full, frank, thorough and open investigation of the allegations made against the Speaker.”
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