A number of former senior police officers were paraded before the courts today on fraud-related charges. Those charged before Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus, today, were former Assistant Commissioner Clinton Conway; former Assistant Commissioner Ivelaw Whittaker, retired Senior Superintendent George Fraser, retired Superintendent Mark Gilbert, Former Police Finance officers -, retired Senior Superintendent Michael Sutton, and staff of the Police Finance Office Assistant Superintendent Marlon Kellman.
The other defendants, retired Assistant Commissioner Paul Slowe and Woman Senior Superintendent Marcelene Washington, are out of the jurisdiction. Up to today, Slowe was making efforts to come to Guyana.
The defendants are accused of conspiring to defraud the Guyana Police Force of some $10 million.
Those who appeared in court were placed on $100,000 bail. Sutton was placed on an additional $100,000 bail on the charge of signing seven payment vouchers for a sum totaling $1.8 million as payment to the other defendants.
The charges are related to the preparation of a renewed police Standing Orders.
Slowe said that up to today he was not made aware of any charge. He said that the hierarchy of the Guyana Police Force can find him. “They have my phone numbers, my e-mail and other relevant information. There was no contact.”
He is also charged with sexual misconduct, an allegation that he denies. He spoke of the involvement of political figures being involved in getting the accuser to make the charge.
The view is that these charges are related to the position taken by the Police Service Commission on which both Slowe and Conway sit. They are insisting that an officer with complaints against him cannot be promoted until these complaints are heard and disposed of.
However, Attorney General Anil Nandlall, has been insisting that the way should be clear for certain appointments and promotions to be made. To this end the matter ended up in court.
A ruling on this matter would be handed down on Monday.
There is the view that these charges were rushed to court before the court ruling.
