Two vehicles used in connection with the work of Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed’s office remain parked at the Leonora Police Station compound 16 days today after they were taken into police custody.
The vehicles have been at the station since September 3 and, according to Mohamed, remain exposed to the rain and sun while their continued detention goes unexplained.
In a video statement yesterday, he raised the issue in context of the public comments by Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall SC about the treatment of motorists and their vehicles in cases involving ticketable offences.
Nandlall has publicly argued that where a police officer believes a ticketable traffic offence has been committed, the appropriate course is to issue a ticket rather than detain the individual or the vehicle.
In the remarks cited by Mohamed, Nandlall said a police officer who detains a person or their motor vehicle instead of issuing a ticket could face legal action. He said such an officer could be sued for false imprisonment, wrongful arrest, constitutional breaches of a person’s liberty, detention of property and other civil and constitutional violations.
Nandlall further argued that the ticketing system was introduced specifically to allow police to deal with such offences through the issuing of tickets, leaving motorists with the option of paying the ticket or going to court to contest it.
Mohamed is therefore questioning the apparent contradiction between Nandlall’s position and the continued retention of his vehicles.
One of the vehicles, PAB 4000, was being held amid a discrepancy between its engine number and the number recorded on its registration documents. Mohamed was reportedly told that he would have to contact the Guyana Revenue Authority to determine whether the discrepancy was the result of a clerical error.
Kiskadee Watch reached out to Commander Khali Pareshram for comment, but he declined, noting that he was overseas.
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