The teenager embroiled in the sexual misconduct case against Local Government and Regional Development Minister, Nigel Dharamlall has now withdrawn her accusations.
Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum on Friday confirmed that the alleged victim has given a ‘no further action statement’ to investigators in the presence of one of her parents and a representative from the Child Care Agency.
He added, now a new file is being prepared and will be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for further legal advice.
Just Wednesday, the DPP advised the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to conduct further investigations into the allegation of rape against Dharamlall
One day prior to her sending back the file, the DPP chambers stated that the Police file was being given due legal attention. Further, the Office of the DPP made it clear that constitutional functions are executed in an impartial manner.
“This Police file in question is only one of thousands of Police files that the DPP’s Office receives from all stations in all 10 administrative regions of Guyana for legal attention. Files for persons in custody are given priority. The DPP’s Office will continue to carry out its constitutional functions in an impartial manner,” the DPP Office said in its statement.
With the Police being instructed to conduct further investigations, additional findings will have to be documented and resubmitted to the DPP for advice on the way forward. It is expected that this advice would determine whether or not the Minister would face charges.
Meanwhile, also on Tuesday, President Dr. Irfaan Ali on Tuesday assured that he would respect the outcome of the investigation, and indicated that the fate of the Minister as a Government Minister would be determined at the appropriate time.
“As President, I have no choice but to stand behind the decisions of the institutions. The institutions are independent of the Executive. It’s not a matter of standing behind, it is a matter of respecting whatever outcome is there,” the Head of State told media operatives.
“I am very strong on people’s rights and women and children; there is no compromise with that. I made it very clear from the inception that there is a procedure that has to be followed, and we have to trust our system. That system has commenced the investigation. I am not involved with that. The Minister proceeded on leave to allow that system to work. When the system completes its work, then subsequent decisions will be made,” President Ali added.
Minister Dharamlall is currently on administrative leave, following the allegation of sexual misconduct which first surfaced on social media two weeks ago. The allegations attracted the attention of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Child Care and Protection Agency (CC&PA), who have since launched investigations into the matter.
The Police Force confirmed that an investigation has been launched, and, in fact, the sitting Minister presented himself at the Brickdam Police Station in the company of his lawyer, where he was arrested and placed on $1,000,000 bail as Police probe the matter.
The Minister has retained the services of Hughes, Fields & Stoby, which is Nigel Hughes’s law firm, to represent him in this matter. All the allegations have been denied, Attorney-at-Law Nigel Hughes has indicated.
