‘Court move by Brutus may not be in his best interest’

Oct 18, 2024 News

---

– Jagdeo says Govt will go into great details about corruption allegations

 

Kaieteur News – Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has said that the Government will spare no details in its response to the Constitutional Motions brought against the State by Assistant Police Commissioner, Calvin Brutus.

On Wednesday, Brutus moved to the High Court filing a series of applications against the Government, the Police Force and other agencies. In one of the motions, Brutus challenged among other things, the Force’s decision to send him on administrative leave to allow for the investigation to take place into allegations of corruption.

Responding to Brutus’ legal challenge against the Government at his weekly press conference on Thursday, Jagdeo said that the People Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) administration has no tolerance for corruption in the Police Force, and plans to respond to the action filed by Mr. Brutus.  Jagdeo noted too that given the allegations against Brutus and the findings of the investigations against him, the Court action that he has filed “might really not be in his best interest.”

“We will respond to the Constitutional motion in Court and since some charges were made, trust me, our affidavit to respond to those charges may not be beneficial to the particular individual because we will go into great details about what our findings were in the procurement system when he was heading the administration of the Police Force,” Jagdeo said.

The Vice President said too that he has read with concern that the Policeman’s wedding was paid for by a businessman.  According to the VP, the Government has no policy where businessmen can pay for birthdays and weddings of Policemen or any other public officials. This practice he described as “reprehensible.”

Jagdeo added: “we have no interest whatsoever in that, but if you did illegal things, you will face the consequences and from all that I have read, that a lot of wrong things and illegalities took place and so… The PPP will not tolerate corruption in the Police or anywhere else and when we find corruption in the Police Force or anywhere else, there would be no attempt to cover it up. So, if you believe that you have a special relationship with the Government and that we will pursuant to that relationship cover up your misdeeds, you have it wrong, you don’t know the PPP.”

Earlier this week, the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) announced that they have recommended dozens of charges against Brutus in relation to corruption. This comes months after he allegedly deposited more than $45 million in cash to one of his bank accounts, claiming that he received the money as wedding and Christmas gifts.

Following the announcement that he will be charged, the Assistant Police Commissioner moved to Court on Wednesday filing applications against the Attorney General, Minister of Home Affairs, Police Service Commission, SOCU, and the acting Police Commissioner. In the court documents, he claimed that he was being victimized in the ongoing investigation and being denied services including a restriction on his accounts.

In the document, Brutus admitted too that the decision to send him on leave to make way for a probe into alleged financial crimes. He claimed that he was never given a fair hearing and that leaks to the media and social media have prejudiced any case against him. As such, the officer is seeking several declarations including one that the rules of natural justice. Among the declarations being sought is one against the Police Force’s Special Organised Crime Unit for exceeding its lawful power and authority by the unlawful and pre-mature restraining of Brutus and his family’s bank accounts.

SOCU is also being accused of manipulation of evidence, intimidation and harassment of witnesses and unlawful leaking of information to the media.  The Assistant Police Commissioner is claiming too that the Vice President, President continue to interfere with SOCU’s investigation directly and through media and social media statements that are “inimical to the investigation.”

As such, Brutus is asking the High Court to bar the government from continuing to obstruct and interfere with his lawful access to services with State agencies because it is unconstitutional, irrational, based upon irrelevant and extraneous considerations, contrary to the rules of natural justice, unreasonable, unlawful, null, void and of no effect.
He wants a High Court declaration that Court to declare “that the investigation is inherently biased and irreparably tainted due to overwhelming and undue publicity, which has prejudiced public perception and undermined the presumption of innocence, thereby rendering the investigation fundamentally unfair in breach of his Constitutional rights.

Further, he is seeking declarations that the Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken exceeded his lawful power or authority on July 4, 2024 when he transferred the police officer from the position of Deputy Commissioner ‘Administration’ to Head of Special Branch due to political directives and improper administrative procedures.

He also wants orders quashing those decisions to transfer him from the position of Deputy Police Commissioner ‘Administration’ because it is contrary to the Police Force’s Standing Orders.  Additionally, he said the High Court for declarations that the investigation is compromised due to political interference by Government officials; government’s actions in preventing him access to services from State Agencies constitute harassment and a violation his constitutional rights.

‘Court move by Brutus may not be in his best interest’

 

---

• Bharrat Jagdeo, Brutus, constitutional motion, corruption, Government, Jagdeo, police, Vice President

---