Collapse of the case against 7 police officers… | Local news

POLICE COMMISSION Erla Christopher launched a “disciplinary investigation” against three police officers after the case against seven other police officers accused of extortion remained inconclusive on Monday.

Christopher said yesterday that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) was “busy determining the way forward” with not only the collapse of Monday’s case but also another case in which five more officers accused of bribery were arrested on Wednesday. the charges were denied.

The reasons given by the court were due to the failure to comply with the instructions given by the court for the hearing of the cases.

In total, 12 police officers had their cases dismissed this week.

On Thursday the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) responded by saying it had launched an investigation into what happened.

In its statement, the PCA said that 12 police officers were dismissed for non-compliance with court procedural rules, due to the absence of prosecution witnesses and the failure to present evidence to the court by the police.

“The Professional Standards Bureau (PSB) was managing these high-profile and serious criminal matters,” the PCA said.

In an audio statement to the media yesterday afternoon, Christopher said that after hearing that these two cases had been broken up, he immediately requested a report on what led to “these case management failures.”

“The investigation is ongoing and extends to determining the full extent of possible violations of established policies and procedures to determine whether any abuse or neglect occurred.

“Currently, disciplinary proceedings have been initiated against three police officers due to the first incident involving seven police officers,” he said.

He emphasized that the Police Department is aware of the seriousness of these issues.

“I intend to do everything possible to ensure that these matters are determined to the full extent of the law. “As commissioner, I reiterate my administration’s unwavering commitment to full accountability, professionalism and adherence to the rule of law in the conduct of the affairs of the Trinidad and Tobago police service,” he said. “Any officer found to have engaged in misconduct or failed to meet required standards of performance will be held accountable.”

Christopher said TTPS remains committed to transparency, fairness and the pursuit of justice for all and will maintain a policy of zero tolerance for misconduct.

“Accordingly, I want to reassure the public that any officer found to have engaged in conduct that does not meet the required standards will face the full burden of the law,” he stressed.

cases

• The seven officers in the extortion case were Inspector Deyal Ramlakhan, Acting Corporal Shaheed Khan, PC Davanan Ragbir, PC Jason Osouna, PC Macai Joseph, PC Cleon Smith and PC Reyon Charles.

• On Monday, Master Sarah De Silva released them after the prosecution twice failed to comply with the court’s instructions.

• At the hearing that day, he was informed by a police prosecutor that he could not provide any update on whether the police file had been sent to the Office of the Public Prosecutor (DPP) for the appointment of a public prosecutor.

• The other case collapsed on Wednesday.

• During the competency hearing, Master De Silva pleaded not guilty to charges against officers Keenen Williams, Evans Mitchell, Latifah Lezama, Kevin Gomez and Jabari McIntyre.

• The dismissal took place after the prosecution repeatedly failed to comply with orders given by the court that cases had to be followed before they could proceed to trial, and he was heard on several occasions granting extensions of time for the prosecution to correct its mistake. procedural errors.

• However, when the matter was brought to the hearing again on Wednesday, it was seen that the directives had not yet been complied with.