The Parliamentary Committee of Appointments today presented four nominees to be appointed as members of the Police Service Commission (PSC).
These nominations were made in the Committee’s third report which was laid over to the National Assembly by its Chairperson, Governance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Gail Teixeira.
Nominated are: Businessman Ernesto Choo-a-Fat, Attorney-at-Law Lloyd Mark Conway, Businessman Hakeem Mohamed and Bishop Patrick Anthony Findlay.
The previous five-member PSC was suspended on June 15, 2021, by President Dr Irfaan Ali. At the time, the Commission was headed by Paul Slowe while the other members were Clinton Conway, Claire Jarvis, Michael Somersall and Vesta Adams.
According to Teixeira in her report, the nomination process for a new PSC to be constituted began in November.
The Guyana Police Association, the Association of Former Members of the Guyana Police Force and the National Community Policing Executive were consulted to submit candidates to be appointed.
Additionally, the Committee requested the Home Affairs Minister to enquire whether the National Commission on Law and Order was functioning and if it is, then submit nominations for the Police Service Commission.
However, the matter had to be deferred at a subsequent meeting of the Committee of Appointments after there was no response from the Ministry.
As such, upon the receipt of nominations from the three other entities – four from the Police Association and one each from the two others – the Committee earlier this month went ahead to make the appointments.
“…after exhausting the notification process, the Committee agreed to proceed with the appointment of Members to the Commission. The Members present unanimously agreed…,” the report detailed.
The Committee at its subsequent meeting unanimously adopted the report with the appointments for the Police Service Commission after “meaningfully” consulting with the bodies that represent the majority of Members of the Guyana Police Force.
Hence, it was recommended to the National Assembly today that the four nominees – all of whom were submitted by the Police Association – be presented to the President for appointment as Members of the PSC.
In May 2021, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) announced that Slowe had been implicated in an ongoing investigation which is part of a massive investigation into financial irregularities at the GPF.
It is alleged that Slowe, five former retired senior officers, one current Assistant Commissioner, one former female Finance Officer and a male officer attached to the Police Finance Office conspired together with each other and other persons to defraud the GPF of in excess of $10M.
Slowe has also been accused of sexually assaulting a female officer, something he has denied.
As such in June 2021, President Ali ordered the suspension of Police Service Commission.
In a correspondence seen by this publication, the President stated, “Please be informed that by letters dated the 15th June 2021, (Prime Minister Phillips) the prescribed authority under the provisions of Article 225 of the Constitution of Guyana, has advised me that the question of your removal as a member of the Police Service Commission ought to be investigated, and that you ought to be suspended from performing the functions of that office with immediate effect pending those investigations.”
He noted in the correspondence, “I have accepted the aforementioned advice, and shall establish a tribunal in the manner prescribed by Article 225, which shall inquire into the matter and report on the facts thereof to me, and recommend whether you ought to be removed from office. In the circumstances, you are hereby suspended with immediate effect from performing the functions of member of the Police Service Commission pending the establishment of the tribunal.”
Article 225 (2) of the Constitution of Guyana states that “The officer may be removed from office only for inability to discharge the functions of his office (whether arising from infirmity of body or mind or any other cause whatsoever) or for misbehaviour.”
Meanwhile, Article 225 (3) says that “The officer shall be removed from office by the President if the question of his removal from office has been referred to a tribunal appointed under this article and the tribunal has recommended to the President that the officer ought to be removed from office for inability as aforesaid or for misbehaviour.”
