Top Cop slams Rohee’s ‘outrageous’ statement on Balram Persaud crash

Feb 15, 2016 News

Commissioner of Police Seelall Persaud has described as outrageous, statements made by former home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee about the accident involving Assistant Commissioner Balram Persaud.

Fmr. Min of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee

Commissioner of Police, Seelall Persaud

Rohee had expressed suspicion about the circumstances surrounding the accident and called for the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to utilize the live feed from the Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) link between the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) to uncover what happened to Assistant Police Commissioner, Balram Persaud.
Rohee expressed concern that Persaud may have been a victim of an assassination attempt. He was also adamant that there are reports suggesting that the accident occurred on the bridge.
But in an interview with this newspaper last Thursday, the Commissioner of Police dismissed Rohee’s suggestion, which he said was arrived at without any factual evidence.
“I’m not surprised that outrageous things come from certain persons within our society but it might be something you need to ask him (Rohee),” Commissioner Persaud said.
Despite the many reports that the accident occurred along the West Bank Demerara (WBD) road close to Dairy, and not on the bridge or in the vicinity of the bridge, the former Home Affairs Minister had insisted that the accident occurred within the cameras’ range.
The Police Commissioner also brushed this assertion aside.
“Where the thing occurred, they have no camera coverage….he says what comes to mind. There was no searching for information, no analysis…it’s just outrageous,” the country’s Top Cop declared.
Two Friday nights ago, Assistant Commissioner Balram Persaud was driving along the West Bank Demerara Public Road when he lost control of his vehicle causing it to topple several times. He was taken to the Balwant Singh Hospital in Georgetown where he was admitted in a critical condition.
However, according to reports, he is responding well to medical treatment.
“I have been in contact with the doctors and he has suffered severe injuries but the doctors told us that they are very, very happy with the way he is progressing,” the police commissioner told Kaieteur News last Thursday.
This newspaper understands that the Police Welfare Officer has been making daily contact with the hospital to keep up to date with the injured Assistant Commissioner’s progress.