Senior police officer freed on corruption charge

Sep 29, 2016 Features / Columnists, News

…his lawyer contemplates lawsuit

Former Assistant Superintendent of Police, Terrence Browne, who along with three of his colleagues were charged last year with corrupt transaction, has been freed of the charge. This followed a no case submission by his lawyer, Attorney at Law Chandra Sohan.
Browne, Corporal Shawn McPhoy, of 174 Laing Avenue, West Ruimveldt; Constable Ray Drepaul Saul, of Eversham, Corentyne; and Constable Trevon McKenzie, of Princeton, Corentyne, were all charged and indicted from duty.
However, Brown a father of 10, of Lot 273 Sisters Village, West Demerara, who was in charge of subdivision No Two (Corentyne) was charged separately.
The matter was being tried before Magistrate Charlyne Artiga in the Whim Magistrate’s court.
Brown was granted bail in the sum of $250,000 and was ordered to lodge his passport. The allegation against Browne was that between September 10 and September 11, last year, at Salton Village, Corentyne, Berbice, he obtained a sum of cash from the other police officers as an inducement to forego charges against Rennison Park.
The other three McPhoy, Drepaul-Saul and McKenzie, were charged with corruptly obtaining $6M from Rennison Park as consideration to drop charges against him for trafficking in narcotics. They were subsequently granted bail in the sum of $300,000 by the High Court.
The ranks had reportedly stopped a vehicle in which Park was said to be transporting some drugs to the eastern border. McPhoy allegedly obtained the money from Park.
The prosecution had contended that Browne had obtained $500,000 from the ranks after they had received the bribe from Park.
However at the conclusion of the Prosecution case, Attorney at Law, Chandra Sohan stated that there is no case for his client to answer. He submitted that the Prosecution’s main witness, policewoman Welch was pressured to implicate his client. He said that Welch was a part of the police detail that was at work that night and he wondered why she was not charged.
He said that Welch had even admitted to receiving money from the deal but had given it back and was not charged.
Sohan said that her testimony was seriously flawed and manifestly unreliable.
The lawyer pointed out that during Welch’s testimony she mentioned that McPhoy had put some money in a black bag to give to the “Boss man”. He queried who the boss man was. Was he the Commander, Commissioner or somebody else?
Also in her testimony she said that she was standing outside when she saw Mc Phoy knock on Browne’s door, however during the evidence it was learnt that Welch was sitting in a car during the entire ordeal.
She also gave conflicting evidence as to how the money was split. On one instance she said the money was divided in a room, then she mentioned that the money was divided at a lonely spot.
Sohan also contended that during the initial probe his client Browne had objected to Senior Superintendent Errol Watts (the acting Commander) being a part of the investigation since he and Watts were having serious differences.
However Watts insisted on being a part of the investigation process. He also mentioned that Watts and Welch are closely related and that it was Watts that was encouraging Welch to lie against Browne.
Sohan also contended that Browne had cause to discipline Welch on more than one occasion. The lawyer said that there was absolutely no evidence against his client and there was collusion to implicate Browne.
Brown, he said, should never have been charged.
According to Sohan he is now in the process of contacting the relevant authorities concerning his client’s welfare. He said that he is seeking his client’s full reinstatement in the police force and compensation for the wrong and embarrassment that he suffered.
Sohan stated that since his client was wrongfully accused and interdicted two promotions have come and gone and his client made to suffer.
He is in the process of filing a law suit against Welch for lying against his client.
The matter against the other three policemen is continuing.

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