Govt comfortable with promotion of torture-accused cops

Last Updated on Thursday, 29 January 2015, 1:36 by GxMedia

The lower region of Twyon Thomas after he was burnt during a police interrogation

Cabinet Secretary Roger Luncheon says government is satisfied that the Police Service Commission (PSC) satisfied itself that there was no reason barring the promotions of former torture-accused police officers officers Mohanran Dolai and Narine Lall.

Dolai, who was recently promoted to Corporal, and Lall, who was recently promoted to Inspector, were both charged with with intent to maim, disfigure, disable or cause him grievous bodily harm. They appeared in court in 2008 for burning the genitals of a 15-year-old boy on their custody.

The boy, Twyon Thomas, had been arrested in connection with the death of then Region Three Vice Chairman, Ramenaught Bisram.

The case against the officers was eventually dismissed after the teenager did not appear in court to offer evidence.

During this week’s post-Cabinet press briefing today Luncheon said that the “PSC, satisfied in having satisfied itself that the matter had been concluded and whatever recourse to the law, to departmental charges…the two police men were no longer to subject to discipline or legal challenges for the torture charges that were laid against them.”

Luncheon did cede that there was some disquiet concerning the promotion of the police officers in the absence of an explanation for the decisions. However, having been furnished by the PSC with a rationale for the promotions Luncheon said “there was a satisfaction with the commission…that the law had taken its course…”

As such, he said, it was found that there was no reason to deny the officers the promotions they received.