By Leroy Smith
Taking the stand today at the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) was police legal adviser, Claudette Singh, who told the Commission that the evidence which was before her was “tenuous” and as such she had an open mind in the matter and encouraged the police to keep gathering evidence.
“I found it tenuous and I could not on the face of the evidence say that [Andriff] Gillard was lying and could not say that [Nizam] Khan was innocent. I could not in all honesty advise anyone to be prosecuted,” the retired High Court Judge said.
Singh, who has more than thirty years of legal experience, said that the file in the matter went back and forth between her office and that of the Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum.
Singh, in her capacity as the Police Legal Adviser, was asked to give her opinion on the quality of the investigation into the alleged plot to assassinate President David Granger.
“I advise on what was given to me on the file so I would not know what they did outside because I was guiding them from the time the file came to me, I was asking them to look at this and that and they were having great difficulty,” she said.
Singh confirmed to the commission however that the police appeared to have complied with every advice that she would have given in the matter. Attorney Glen Hanoman, who is representing the interest of Police Commissioner, Wendell Blanhum, asked Singh if she ever questioned the credibility of Gillard’s story.
However, the Police Legal Adviser responded that she had “great problems” with the evidence in general and would not speak to the credibility of Gillard’s story.
“Mr. Hanoman you would know where I come from as a Judge and in a room where you would see the persons in action where they would give their evidence, subject to cross examination and I can ask questions but in this case you have to remember that I am only reading what the police wrote, so I have to be very careful regardless of how I feel; I have to always have an open mind.”
The public hearing for the Commission concluded today and on Friday the Commission will hear closing arguments from lawyers.
