Top Cop denies ordering release of suspect

Commissioner of Police, Seelall Persaud, has categorically denied that he instructed ranks to release the man accused of plotting to kill President David Granger.

Persaud was called to testify before the Commission of Inquiry, (COI) established to investigate the plot to kill Granger, Monday. The plot had detailed a bounty of $7M for someone to kill President Granger some time in 2015. Andriff Gillard, who filed the report, had claimed that he went to borrow $6M from a businessman, said to be gold miner. Instead, the businessman offered $7M for the assassination. Retired Assistant Commissioner of Police, Paul Slowe, is heading the inquiry to investigate and review the full range of the actions and responses by the Guyana Police Force to the report of the assassination plot. On Friday, Acting Commissioner of Police David Ramnarine, told the Commission that he believed that investigations were not properly done. Ramnarine had told Commissioner Slowe, that the only time he was updated on the status of the investigation into the matter was when he spoke with Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum during a cell phone conversation they had on March 30. Ramnarine said the Crime Chief informed him that he instructed that Nizam Khan, who allegedly attempted to recruit someone to kill the President, be released on bail during the probe which featured ranks from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters and the Special Branch Unit. According to Ramnarine, he was not consulted about releasing Khan on bail but if he had, he would have objected. The COI heard that Commissioner of Police Seelall Persaud, who was on leave at the time, ordered through the Crime Chief the release of Nizam Khan, the accused plotter; his brother Imran Khan and the accuser Andriff Gillard. “We incarcerate persons for 72 hours for far, far less serious offences or allegations,” he told the COI. Monday, Police Commissioner Persaud however said that he did not order the release of the businessman allegedly involved in the plot. He said that he only offered his opinion based on the investigation at that stage. “I read in the press that he (Ramnarine ) said that persons for lesser offences are placed in custody for 72 hours. That is a huge lack of conceptual skills. The issue of bail is not premised only on the gravity of offence. There are a number of other issues. (Kaieteurnews.com)