Days after a High Court judge quashed the former acting Top Cop David Ramnarine’s decision to send Special Weapons and Tactics Unit (SWAT) head Motie Dookie on special leave after he was implicated in alleged alcohol smuggling, Attorney General (AG) Basil Williams on Monday signaled that his chambers could appeal the judge’s ruling.
He was at the time speaking at a press conference held at the AG’s Chambers where he premised the special leave directive on the legal principle of necessity, given the one-year absence of Police Service Commission (PSC).
On August 8, 2018, the PSC Chairman and its members were sworn which ended some complications in handling of key decisions that involved senior ranks. Williams indicated that the PSC’s absence was felt when Dookie was implicated in allegedly smuggling some 30 cases of whiskey in December last year.
Williams argues that Dookie remaining on the job as the probe was underway could have affected the force’s morale.
“A senior rank who comes under the jurisdiction of the Police Service Commission commits some egregious act. Is the State and the Government to be without remedy in treating with this person because there is no Police Service Commission?” the AG questioned.
Ramnarine on May 21, 2018 carried out the Citizenship Minister Winston Felix’s directive when he was functioning as Public Security Minister, to send Dookie on special leave but the SWAT head challenged Ramnarine’s actions in court, calling the special leave not only unconstitutional but irrational and based on irrelevant considerations.
Afterward, Justice Fidela Corbin-Lincoln agreed, declaring that decision unconstitutional, awarding $100,000 in court costs to Dookie.
Williams disclosed that the AG’s Chambers is assessing the case and that he is awaiting a report from the attorneys involved in the case. Thereafter, the Dookie special leave matter could be the subject of an appeal.
“Our defence was that it was a case of necessity which is a legal doctrine so we’ll look and see how the Court dealt with it and we’ll decide whether we’re appealing it but we have the Police service commission now,” he pointed out.
Following an internal probe, Dookie had been posted to Police ‘A’ Division (Georgetown-East Bank Demerara) but reassigned to Police Headquarters, Eve Leary a few days. It was while he was at this post that the SWAT head was sent on special leave pending the probe into the allegations of smuggling the high-end alcoholic product.
Dookie was however, sparred criminal charges since the driver of the vehicle eventually took the wrap.
