Weeks after police announced an investigation into allegations of rape and threatening behaviour against Deputy Commissioner Fazil Karimbaksh, there has been no official update on its outcome, while indications are that the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) head remains on the job.
Reports reaching Kiskadee Watch indicate that an investigation file was completed and forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). Efforts to obtain a comment from that office have been unsuccessful, with an inquiry remaining unanswered.
There has therefore been no confirmation from the DPP’s office on whether it has received the file, issued advice or requested further investigations.
The continuing silence follows uncertainty over Karimbaksh’s duty status after Commissioner of Police Clifton Hicken withdrew a letter granting him leave prior to retirement. Police had announced on October 8 that he had been sent on leave pending the investigation into the allegations made by a female police inspector.
As Kiskadee Watch reported on October 23, a nine-page legal opinion provided by the Attorney General’s office expressly recommended that Hicken rescind his leave letter and that the President address the matter.
The opinion, dated October 12—the same date as Hicken’s withdrawal letter—said the “Commissioner would be required to rescind his letter in respect of leave” and the “President would be required to address the letter”. It has not been confirmed whether Hicken acted on that advice.
The document argued that the Commissioner’s independent disciplinary powers under Article 212(3) of the Constitution were confined to officers below the rank of Inspector and did not extend to a Deputy Commissioner. It nevertheless acknowledged that he could act under another valid legal authority, including a lawful delegation where permissible.
The opinion also distinguished leave, suspension, disciplinary proceedings and removal from office, cautioning that the relevant power and constitutional safeguards had to be identified for each measure. Although supplied by the Attorney General’s office, it did not identify its individual author or carry a signature. It did not determine the allegations against Karimbaksh or report on the criminal investigation.
Hicken’s original October 7 letter concerned 174 days of annualised vacation leave prior to retirement, commencing November 8. Karimbaksh’s attorney, Rizwaun Mohamed, challenged the Commissioner’s authority and disputed the calculation, saying his client was entitled to 118 days.
In separate correspondence on October 12, Mohamed also protested an alleged instruction preventing Karimbaksh from entering his office that morning and threatened urgent court proceedings. He maintained that no separate written decision placing his client on administrative leave or suspending him had been supplied.
Hicken subsequently withdrew the leave letter, citing further consideration of the constitutional and legal framework governing authority over a Deputy Commissioner. His withdrawal did not expressly address Karimbaksh’s access to his office or explain how it affected the force’s earlier announcement that he had been sent on leave pending investigation.
Police first publicly acknowledged the investigation on October 2, after Home Affairs Minister Oneidge Walrond confirmed the complaint during the Starting Point podcast. The initial police statement did not name the accused, identify the investigators or provide a timetable.
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