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Brutus sues Gov’t over racial discrimination
Kaieteur News- Embattled Assistant Police Commissioner (ag), Calvin Brutus on Thursday, filed a lawsuit against the Government of Guyana, challenging the “Diversity Policy” of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), accusing the institution of racial discrimination and other related violations.
Brutus is seeking $1.6 billion in damages for the government’s alleged infringement of his fundamental right to equal protection under Article 149D, as well as for breaching his right to be protected from discrimination on racial grounds under Article 149.
Embattled Assistant Police Commissioner (ag) Calvin Brutus
Brutus’s legal team contends that the government has violated multiple articles of the Guyanese Constitution and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
The lawsuit claims that during a meeting in the last quarter of 2020 involving the President, Vice President, Ministers of Government, and the Commissioner of Police, a directive was issued by the Vice President that the structure of the Police Force “should mirror the ethnic composition of the population in Guyana. This would be reflected in areas such as recruitment, promotions and training. It was described as the ‘Government Diversity Policy’.”
Further details in the lawsuit assert that this policy was “immediately discriminatory” to members of the Force of African descent – an estimated 90% of the Force being Afro-Guyanese. Brutus alleges that the policy has resulted in favoring officers of East Indian descent for top positions within the GPF.
Brutus said he expressed his frustrations to the Commissioner of Police and Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn during weekly statutory meetings, specifically addressing the adverse effects of the Government Diversity Policy. In lawsuit, Brutus said that the government “sidelined hundreds of Afro Guyanese who were better candidates for certain roles in preference to Indo-Guyanese officers in order to meet the diversity quota.”
Additionally, on or around July 4, 2024, Brutus claimed that the Acting Commissioner of Police informed him that Vice President Jagdeo directed his transfer to the Head of the Special Branch, allegedly to allow Assistant Commissioner Ravindradat Budhram to gain administrative experience.
Brutus’s lawyers argued, “The decision to have the Claimant replaced by Assistant Commissioner Ravindradat Budhram was based on race.”
On July 11, Brutus was notified by the Commissioner of Police that he must proceed on administrative leave from that day until August 21, 2024, without being provided any cause. He indicated his intention to challenge this in the High Court. Subsequently, he was placed on administrative leave effective August 22, 2024, again without a hearing.
As a result of these claims, Brutus and his attorneys, Darren Wade and Eusi Anderson, filed a series of declarations. They seek to affirm that Brutus’s fundamental rights to equal protection under the law (Article 149D) and protection from racial discrimination (Article 149) have been violated. They are also requesting a declaration that the Government Diversity Policy of the GPF is discriminatory and contravenes Articles 149 and 149D. Additionally, they are seeking a writ of mandamus to compel the state to discontinue the Government Diversity Policy.
As a result, Brutus is demanding $800 million for the breach of his right to equal protection of the law and an additional $800 million for being discriminated against based on race.
Speaking with Kaieteur News on Friday, attorney Eusi Anderson emphasized, “We are very serious about this and we will take all measures.”
This is not the first lawsuit filed by Brutus against the government. In November, he lodged a separate lawsuit against several high-ranking members of the GPF and the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU), accusing them of misconduct and abuse of power during their tenure.
(Brutus sues Gov’t over racial discrimination)
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