Another CJIA official accused of sexual harassment -Four women resigned in 2012

Jun 21, 2019 News

As police continue to investigate a high-ranking airport official for alleged sexual crimes, there are details emerging now of other victims. In fact, another very senior official is being implicated.

CJIA erred by not taking the allegations of sexual harassment straight to police, officials say.

Kaieteur News was told yesterday that four women walked off the job in 2012 after what they claimed is systematic pressure for them to have sexual relations with that one official.
One woman, a mere teen then, opted to resign in 2012 after she was pressured to have relations. She reportedly handed in her resignation, only to see it torn up in her face.
Three women who claimed they faced similar pressure, joined her in resigning in 2012.
The incident had affected the four women, leaving them traumatised.
These latest revelations would come after a senior employee of a duty-free business operated by a concessionaire at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) complained last week of a cover-up. She claimed that she made a complaint that a very senior airport official forcefully kissed her twice and touched her last year July while she was in his office.
The woman said she visited the official’s office to ask for him to intervene in removing the wheel clamps on her employer’s vehicle which had been over ‘nighting’ in the airport’s parking lot.
While in the man’s office, the woman said she was offered an invitation to his birthday celebration.
She alleged that when she was about to leave the office, the man came from behind his desk and kissed her. Shocked, she attempted to leave. However, the official, one of the most powerful at the airport, blocked the door and kissed her again.
The woman claimed she went back, traumatised to her office and threw up.
At the time, she was also dealing with the death of a cousin.
She claimed that she made a complaint to CJIA’s chief, Ramesh Ghir, who promised to get to the bottom of the matter.
The woman said she tried to ascertain the progress of the investigations a number of times.
It was only recently after insisting on an update that she was texted by an official of the Human Resources Department who told her that that matter had been “addressed”.
The woman was not told what that meant.
Over the weekend, the story broke with the woman filing a police complaint on Monday.
On Tuesday, the airport’s management yanked the woman’s security pass.
The airport, in a statement later that day, said it had sent home the official pending investigation.
CJIA also disclosed it had withdrawn the woman’s pass for the same reasons.
That had raised eyebrows. There has not been a statement from the board.
The officials implicated are in very senior management positions and said to be well connected, politically and otherwise.
Police officials had made it clear over the weekend that the airport erred badly by not reporting the matter at the Timehri Police Station. Instead, by handling it in-house, the airport minimised an issue involving a woman that should have triggered certain protocols under human resources norms.
According to sources, over time there has been a lax attitude at the airport when it comes to staffers.
“I can tell you of parties where staffers are invited and officials, who are married, turn up with young staffers in tow. Staffers are being groomed and promised positions and gifts. The families of people know. You want to know more? Ask the media to visit the airport and speak to employees, and you will hear a story of nepotism and abuse.”
The CJIA is the country’s main port; it is currently undergoing a major expansion that has become a scandal involving US$150M.
Instead of a brand-new airport, CJIA has been renovated, with little penalties for the Chinese contractors or local supervisors, for dropping the ball on the country’s biggest project, on land, at the moment.

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