The citizens' group FIXIN T&T has been running a campaign to have Nizam Mohammed removed as chairman of the Police service Commission (PSC) over an incident in which Mohammed had a run-in with two police officers.
On Friday, the leader of the group, Kirk Waithe, presented a petition to President Richards with 1,600 signatures. Waite and the group's director, Peter George Junior, told reporters they had a one hour meeting with the president who told them the matter is one of public importance and it should be fully ventilated.
Waithe also said that Richards told them that Section 136: 8-9 of the Constitution provides a process to remove any person from a service commission through the use of a tribunal.He added that the president said there must be evidence before such a move can be made.
Waithe has asked Commissioner of Police Dwayne Gibbs to provide the President with the report of the investigation into the incident involving the two police officers and Mohammed.
The incident happened in December in downtown Port of Spain.
Read the story: PSC chairman facing traffic violation charge; two officers asked to provide a report on incident
Gibbs has stated that the matter is closed. However, the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago has written the commissioner asking him to explain why he closed the case.
"It has now been reported that you consider the incident closed and that the incident was a 'misunderstanding'. We write to express our surprise at this low level of accountability for a matter disturbing to the public conscience," the Association stated in its letter to Gibbs.
"While this appeared to the Association to be a soft option, mediation would have at least meant that the matter would have been examined and that some conclusion would have emerged consistent with due process of law", it added.
The Association acknowledged that it did not know whether mediation. However it said the manner in which the matter was addressed has left "doubts in the mind of the public as to whether there was proper administration of justice in the circumstances".
The Association pointed out that it had stayed out of the matter up to this point out of the necessity to respect due process and "not to be seen in any way to prejudice the enquiries of the Commissioner of Police into the matter."
On Friday, the leader of the group, Kirk Waithe, presented a petition to President Richards with 1,600 signatures. Waite and the group's director, Peter George Junior, told reporters they had a one hour meeting with the president who told them the matter is one of public importance and it should be fully ventilated.
Waithe also said that Richards told them that Section 136: 8-9 of the Constitution provides a process to remove any person from a service commission through the use of a tribunal.He added that the president said there must be evidence before such a move can be made.
Waithe has asked Commissioner of Police Dwayne Gibbs to provide the President with the report of the investigation into the incident involving the two police officers and Mohammed.
The incident happened in December in downtown Port of Spain.
Read the story: PSC chairman facing traffic violation charge; two officers asked to provide a report on incident
Gibbs has stated that the matter is closed. However, the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago has written the commissioner asking him to explain why he closed the case.
"It has now been reported that you consider the incident closed and that the incident was a 'misunderstanding'. We write to express our surprise at this low level of accountability for a matter disturbing to the public conscience," the Association stated in its letter to Gibbs.
"While this appeared to the Association to be a soft option, mediation would have at least meant that the matter would have been examined and that some conclusion would have emerged consistent with due process of law", it added.
The Association acknowledged that it did not know whether mediation. However it said the manner in which the matter was addressed has left "doubts in the mind of the public as to whether there was proper administration of justice in the circumstances".
The Association pointed out that it had stayed out of the matter up to this point out of the necessity to respect due process and "not to be seen in any way to prejudice the enquiries of the Commissioner of Police into the matter."
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