Election’s COI... Former Top Cop debunks claims he ordered Ashmins building during ‘bomb scare’

Election’s COI… Former Top Cop debunks claims he ordered Ashmins building during ‘bomb scare’

Jan 05, 2023 News

Kaieteur News – Retired Commissioner of Police (ag) Leslie James has denied giving orders to clear the Command Centre for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) located in the Ashmin’s Building at High Street, Georgetown during a bomb scare which later turned out to be a hoax on March 5, 2020.

Assistant Commissioner of Police, Edgar Thomas had testified that the then Police Commissioner had ordered him to let people vacate the building that was being used for the final count of the elections, due to a bomb scare that turned out fake. Thomas had told the COI that the Top Cop had been in communication with Deputy Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Roxanne Myers who complained that he refused to comply with her instructions to clear the building as a result, he was relieved of his duties.

Retired Commissioner of Police (ag) Leslie James

James who is now retired denied these claims. He was called to the stand on Wednesday to testify at the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (COI) into March Regional and General Elections. He testified to the Commission under oath that he saw footage on various TV stations of “total disorder” and “mayhem” taking place at the GECOM command centre on March 5, 2020. As a result, the retired commissioner said he spoke with the Chairperson of GECOM, Justice Claudette Singh who told him that she feared for her life.

In response to questions posed by lead counsel of the COI, Sophia Chote SC, the ex-commissioner admitted that he had instructed then Assistant Superintendent of Police and Officer-in-Charge of the Tactical Services Unit (TSU), Guy Nurse to deploy a unit of ranks from the Brickdam Police station to secure the building and contain the chaos happening at the command centre on March 5, 2020. He said that officer Nurse was given the instructions to secure the building. “From my understanding securing and vacating the building are two different things,” James said in response to questions from the commission as it relates to what happened after that.

James said he later saw video footage of ranks clearing the building, instead of securing it. The retired police commissioner said too that he could not have taken any remedial course of action to stop the clearing of the building as he was only shown the footage after the fact. He said, “I saw the video footage of what happened after the fact, so I took no action because it already happened.”

According to James, the point person for the National Elections from the Guyana Police Force was Deputy Commissioner of Police, Maxine Graham. He explained that she was liaising with the commanding officer on the ground. “The officer had been instructed to secure the building after viewing the footage the GECOM Chair had reached out to me via telephone. She told me she was afraid and alone…,” the ex-GPF commissioner explained.

As a result, James said that he tried to reach Assistant Commissioner in charge of the operations on the ground, Mr. Edgar Thomas via radio and telephone but his efforts proved futile. Senior Counsel, Choti then put it to James that Mr. Thomas testified that he had told him that people had to vacate Ashmin’s building. “Mr. Thomas testifies you were forcefully instructing him that people must vacate the building …” Choti said. “That is not true,” replied James.

The retired commissioner, however, admitted that he did instruct Thomas to fall back from the commanding position. Mr. James testified this was not because he did not follow an instruction to clear the building but rather because he became unreachable by phone and radio. “As far as I remembered, I used both of my telephones and I tried making contact with him; the number that I expected him to answer. In fact, I was communicating with him all along prior to that day,” Mr. James testified.

He said with calls to the Assistant Commissioner going unanswered, he appointed Thomas’ Deputy, Superintendent Phillip Azore to act as the Regional Commander. Mr. James said he learned of the report of the bomb scare but he never spoke to Myers. He said too he was not informed that there was a device found by Myers that was purportedly a bomb — that device later turned out to be fake. He said he was unaware that Myers wanted the building vacated. “As far as I remember, I don’t think she told me that…The footage was viewed after the fact, so I did not have live footage of the ranks asking persons to vacate the building,” James told the commission.