K/News staffer bribery case…PCA makes recommendation but cops fail to uplift file

Aug 06, 2017 News

Is the Guyana Police Force really serious about ending corruption within its ranks? This is the question relatives of the late Kaieteur News staffer, Harry Brijmohan are asking.

Harry Brijmohan

Brijmohan had accused five ranks of demanding $5000 bribe from him on August 17, last after he was stopped at Red Road, Providence, East Bank Demerara, for riding without a helmet. It will soon be a year and there is no information about charges for the ranks involved.
The 27-year-old died in an accident at Eccles, EBD, three months after the report was made.
After much back and forth in this case, a staffer from the Police Complaints Authority confirmed last month that the Chairman of the body, Justice Cecil Kennard had made his recommendation and that the file only has to be uplifted.
The file is among a number of other files that have to be collected by the ranks at the Criminal Investigation Unit (CID). However, when contact was made again on Friday, it was revealed that Brijmohan’s file is still at Kennard’s office—waiting to be uplifted.
“If Kennard made his recommendations a month now, then why can’t the ranks pick up the file? They’re talking about eliminating corruption from the force and it will soon be a year and these ranks have not been charged as yet,” said one of the dead man’s relatives.
The file was sent to the Chairman since March 21, last. It is unclear why the police are taking so long on this case, since all evidence, including video footage supporting Brijmohan’s allegation, had been presented to the investigating ranks.
Kaieteur News was informed that once the file reaches CID, ranks there will have to make contact with the complainant, Harry Brijmohan, to discuss disciplinary action but in this case, investigators will have to meet with his fiancée, Zena Henry, to talk about the outcome.
This newspaper was informed that the Police’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) had recommended criminal charges against the ranks. A source at OPR had indicated that even though Brijmohan passed away, the ranks can still be charged and placed before the court.
Giving details of the allegation, Brijmohan had indicated that the ranks searched him, demanded his documents, and then informed him that they had to charge him and place him before the court, despite his offence being one that required him being given a ticket.
He was told that he could have only made a phone call after 72 hours
“One of them tell me that I should have ride away; that his gun rusty because long he ain’t use it,” Brijmohan had recounted.
The Kaieteur News staffer was only allowed to continue his journey home when the policemen demanded that he give them $5000.
When Brijmohan’s experience with the lawmen made the news and OPR launched an investigation, the five policemen in question all denied ever seeing or stopping the motorcyclist—although they admitted that they were indeed patrolling in the area on that day. However, video footage later surfaced, contradicting the denial by the cops.
The footage showed Brijmohan sitting in the tray of an unmarked vehicle (with his motorcycle), as it drove along the road that leads to Providence New Scheme, East Bank Demerara, between 15:20 hours and 15:35 hrs. The footage was handed over to the detectives who were working on the case.
Before Brijmohan died, he had made contact with ranks investigating the case almost daily, but never got any positive response.

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