Crime Chief “crying” for opportunity to challenge acting Top Cop

By Leroy Smith

Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum has written the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) which is investigating an alleged plot to assassinate President David Granger, asking for an opportunity to return to challenge some aspects of the testimony of Assistant Commissioner of Police, David Ramnarine.

But Attorney Glen Hanoman, who is representing the interest of Commissioner of Police (ag), Seelall Persaud, is of the view that the Crime Chief is “crying” for an opportunity to return to the stand.

Hanoman told the CoI today that, “This is because according to what I am seeing here, certain things would have come out when Assistant Commissioner Ramnarine gave evidence that has an impact on Blanhum, who has given evidence before him so he may not have addressed that and I think he is now crying for an opportunity to address any possibility of an adverse finding.”

Ramnarine, who is now serving at the Police Commissioner (ag), told the CoI during his first appearance that he does not trust the judgement of the Crime Chief and he believes that the Crime Chief might have been influenced by substantive Commissioner of Police, Seelall Persaud.

In the letter to the Commission, Blanhum accused Ramnarine of uttering falsehood to the CoI, when he stated that Blanhum informed him [Ramnarine] that the granting of bail to the allegedly mastermind, Nizam Khan was a decision that Blanhum made. The Crime Chief also stated in his letter that he found Ramnarine’s testimony appalling and that he [Blanhum] never briefed Ramnarine on the time and date that Ramnarine said he was briefed on the investigation.

The CoI is investigating among other things; the actions taken or not taken by the Guyana Police Force to determine how the law enforcement body handled the investigation into the alleged plot to assassinate Granger.

Ramnarine did not hesitate to tell the Commission how he felt about the investigation which was done into the alleged assassination, noting that several procedures were not followed as it relates to the communication flow between the Crime Chief and himself.

But Hanoman pointed out that the process that Blanhum is attempting to initiate is one which is referred to as “the Salmon letter” which gives persons an opportunity to return to the stand and clear up points which would have been made by other witnesses during their testimony.

He said that this is usually done just before the conclusion of the CoI, so that those points which are cleared up, can be added to the closing submission by lawyers representing the various parties.

Chairman of the Commission, Paul Slowe in his response admitted that he is aware that a letter was sent to the Commission by the Crime Chief but that he was unable to read the contents as the letter arrived late.

He however said that he would be considering the application by Blanhum to return to the stand and a decision will be made later today.

Thus far, Senor Superintendent Reshi Dass, Assistant Commissioner David Ramnarine, Police Corporal Laundry and the man who made the report of the alleged plot, Andriff Gillard were all recalled to the stand.