Third cop charged over learner drivers’ exam forgery
A 50-year-old police sergeant was yesterday faced with 12 charges stemming from his alleged role in the forging of several questionnaires for the learner drivers’ theoretical examination, for which he was asked to post a total of $1.2 million bail for his release.
The charges alleged that Alfred Parks on April 12th, 2018, at the Felix Austin Police College, conspired with others to forge questionnaires for persons who did not sit the examination.
Parks, who was represented by attorney Patrice Henry, was not required to enter a plea to any of the charges.
The police prosecutor made no objections to bail being granted and Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman subsequently set bail at $100,000 per charge, which amounted to a total of $1.2 million.
Parks asked that his bail be reduced but this request was denied by the magistrate.
The matter was then adjourned until August 27th.
Parks is the third police rank to be charged as a result of the plot that was discovered to corrupt the April 12th sitting of the examination.
Last month, a total of 38 separate charges were read against Police Corporals Ryan Gray, 25, of Lot 215 Da Silva Street, Newtown, Kitty, and Shenese Fraser, 31, of Lot 199 Field Seven, Section A, South Sophia, who is the confidential secretary of the Traffic Chief.
Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan read 20 charges to Gray and 18 charges to Fraser.
It is alleged that Gray, on April 12th, 2018, with intent to defraud the public, conspired with persons to commit a misdemeanour; that is to say, he uttered questionnaires, knowing them to be forged, in that they were not written by the persons listed.
Meanwhile, Fraser was read a total of 18 charges, which also stated that on April 12th, 2018, with intent to defraud the public, she conspired with persons to commit a misdemeanour; that is to say, she uttered questionnaires, knowing them to be forged, in that they were not written by the persons listed.
Gray was released on $160,000 bail and Fraser was released on $160,000 bail.
The Guyana Police Force had announced that the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) had launched an investigation into “seemingly massive irregularities” in the examination 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.
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 noted that persons who sat the examination would have to re-sit it.