Karimbaksh should be sent on leave - former PSC chairman

(Kaieteur News) – Former Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC) and retired Assistant Commissioner of Police Paul Slowe has criticised a nine-page legal opinion emanating from the Attorney General’s Chambers, noting that Deputy Commissioner of Police Fazil Karimbash being sent on accumulated vacation leave during an ongoing rape investigation does not constitute disciplinary action and requires no constitutional hurdle.

The comments, shared by Slowe during a recent “Speaking Out: Exposing Corruption and Incompetence” programme, follow mounting public scrutiny over allegations against the senior officer Karimbaksh by a junior female, who reportedly submitted a formal statement detailing claims of rape and threatening behaviour.

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Analysing the legal opinion issued by the Ministry of Legal Affairs, which addresses the constitutional framework governing senior ranks under Articles 211, 212, 225, and 232 of the Constitution of Guyana, the former PSC chair contended that State legal advisers have conflated administrative safeguards with formal disciplinary proceedings. While Article 233 confines the Police Commissioner’s independent disciplinary powers strictly to ranks below inspector, observers maintain that placing an officer on earned accumulated leave to facilitate an unhindered investigation carries no legal bar or penalty.