No breathalyser test for Finance Minister

Last Updated on Saturday, 26 December 2015, 20:59 by GxMedia

Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh could be asked to return to the scene of the accident where he crashed into a taxi late Sunday night, police said.

The officer ruled out a breathalyser test to determine if Singh had been driving under the influence of alcohol, saying that almost 24 hours would have passed. A cooler was seen inside the vehicle with bottles of alcohol.

The Finance Minister aallegedly left the accident scene at Delph Avenue and Garnett Streets, Campbelville without offering assistance much to the disappointment of the taxi driver, Jaggernauth Hira, and his passenger, Parbattie Shivcharran. The driver sustained a knee injury and the woman was complaining of head and neck pain.

The police officer said the Finance Minister would be contacted and a statement taken. According to the officer, there is a specific procedure for handling incidents involving senior government officials. It includes the compilation of a report to be sent to senior police officers for advice and action if necessary. Former government minister Kellawan Lall had allegedly discharged a loaded firearm and knocked down and injured a cyclist but he was never prosecuted.

Almost one hour later, Brian Young- said to be the minister’s friend and a close associate of the government- arrived on the scene and assured the driver and the passenger that he would take care of all medical and vehicular expenses. Only Hira’s car was taken to the Kitty Police Station which is responsible for that area.

When contacted, Hira  refused to go into details and only said he was interested in a “reasonable settlement plan”