Three cops, civilian for charges over drivers’ exam scam

Three policemen are among the four persons that are to be charged in connection with the attempted plot to corrupt a sitting of the Guyana Police Force’s learner drivers’ theoretical examination, which was uncovered more than three months ago.

Public Relations Officer of the Guyana Police Force Jairam Ramlakhan yesterday said that the charges will be laid based on legal advice obtained.

Ramlakhan said a Corporal is to be charged with 20 counts of having conspired with others to commit a misdemeanour; a Female Corporal is to be charged with 18 counts of the same offence; a Police Sergeant is to be charged with 12 counts of the offence; and a civilian is to be charged with two counts of obtaining money by false pretense.

The quartet are expected to appear before a city magistrate in the new week.

On April 18th, the Guyana Police Force had announced that the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) had launched an investigation into “seemingly massive irregularities” in the examination, which was conducted at the Felix Austin Police College in Georgetown.

It had said that the investigation was launched after a report was made to acting Commissioner of Police David Ramnarine by a senior pastor, who received complaints from a colleague who invigilated the examination.

A statement from the police force had explained that while a total of 174 persons registered to write the examination, only 106 presented themselves on the day in question. However, 207 scripts were subsequently received at the conclusion of the examination, 155 of which were completed.

“Initial enquiries revealed that a Senior Subordinate Officer who was mandated to oversee this theoretical examination in collaboration with two pastors from the Cops and Faith Community Network partnership with the Guyana Police Force, along with three junior ranks, left the examination venue shortly after the examination commenced and did not return,” the statement had explained, while noting that the three constables left the examination venue prior to the counting of the examination scripts by members of the Cops and Faith Community Network after the conclusion of the examination.

It added that a junior officer, who ought not to have been at the examination venue, also presented himself, spent some time and left. “Only the members of the Cops and Faith Community Network, that is the two pastors, were left in possession of the completed examination papers,” it had noted.

The press statement had also said that preliminary enquiries indicated a complete breach of the Standard Operating Procedures governing the administration and conduct of the learner drivers’ theoretical examination.

As a result, the statement had further noted that persons who sat the examination would have to re-sit the said.

Later the same month, Ramnarine had said that the three subordinate ranks, who were implicated in the case, were removed from their respective posts.

Ramnarine had said that the ranks, who were stationed at the Guyana Police Force’s Traffic Headquarters, were removed from their posts based on the findings of a preliminary investigation, which indicated that they had a “significant hand” in the scam.