..says incident another flagrant abuse of authority
In a released statement the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) has detailed harrowing events purportedly involving agents of the State Asset Recovery Unit (SARU) and a A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) Councillor on the Enmore Neighbourhood Democratic Council’s (NDC) office.
See the party’s full statement below:
At or about 2 p.m. today, a group of men who claimed to be officials of the State Assets Recovery Unit, Ministry of the Presidency, entered the Enmore Neighbourhood Democratic Council’s office, located at Station Road, Newtown, Enmore in the company of Deochan Singh, an APNU+AFC NDC Councillor for that NDC and took away from the premises, without the permission of the NDC or the Community Resource Center, 15 complete desktop computers and 8 backup power-packs.
These equipment are owned by the Community Resource Center, a Non-Governmental Organisation, established by the residents of Enmore that uses these equipment to hold classes for young people in the community. The equipment are stored and the classes are held in the upper flat of the NDC building with the permission of the said NDC.
When the Acting Chairman of the NDC attempted to intervene, he was assaulted by Deochan Singh. A report of the incident was made to the Police Outpost at Enmore.
The Peoples Progressive Party won 16 of the 18 seats on the Enmore NDC at the Local Government Elections held in March, 2016. The PPP views this incident as another flagrant abuse of authority and another extreme authoritarian initiative of this Government, again using SARU, as a weapon against innocent citizens and their private property. Currently, SARU has absolutely no law enforcement powers.
The PPP emphasizes that these abuses are taking place in broad daylight and without the SARA Bill being enacted. One can only imagine the illegal rampages which will take place when this Bill assumes the force of law.
The PPP calls upon the Commissioner of Police to immediately launch a full investigation into this matter and to institute criminal charges forthwith against those who were engaged in this clandestine, unconstitutional, authoritarian and criminal enterprise. The Enmore NDC and the Community Resource Center has also been advised to launch civil proceedings against the State claiming monetary compensation for trespass, constitutional violations and deprivation of private property.
