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CCNTV6
  • 10 months ago
Not so much a change of heart that Erla Christopher's tenure has been dismal but, the man who challenged the extension of her term, Ravi Balgobin Maharaj believes there are sinister moves afoot to unceremoniously remove her from office.
Transcript
00:00The man who challenged government over the extension of the tomb of Commissioner of Police
00:05Erla Harewood Christopher now stands in the embattled top cop's corner.
00:10He compares action taken by police against the top cop with that against licensed firearms
00:17dealer Brent Thomas, who was granted an import permit bearing the signatures of a former
00:22police commissioner and an acting commissioner to import grenades and automatic firearms.
00:28At no point did the police go to the commissioners and ask them why their signatures were on
00:34these permits.
00:35Why did they give permission to Brent Thomas?
00:37And so I find it strange now that in that matter, where the court specifically prescribed
00:44that the police ought to have investigated more and questioned the commissioners.
00:49To this date, none of those commissioners were ever questioned.
00:52Balgubin Maharaj accuses the government of displaying double standard in the way Christopher
00:57was arrested for signing a similar permit for the Strategic Services Agency.
01:03The prime minister revealed that he had been speaking with the police service commission
01:09and its chairman sometime prior regarding the removal of Mr. Christopher and he announced
01:17that they were at loggerheads, that the police service commission did not have the authority
01:24to remove a sitting commissioner until her contract had ended.
01:31The social activist is referring to the prime minister's contribution to the parliamentary
01:36debate on the extension of the SOE.
01:38And as we may be dissatisfied, as you are making a case of it, with the performance
01:45of our current commissioner of police, if that is what you're saying, the government
01:49cannot jump in and rectify that?
01:51The prime minister went on to clarify.
01:54You wouldn't believe that the interpretation from the police service commission at a time
01:59when there's dissatisfaction with respect to the police effectiveness and the demand
02:06for a new commissioner.
02:09The police service commission takes the position that we're not going to begin the search
02:14for a substantive commissioner during a period when an officer on extension, a retired officer
02:21on extension is there because there's no vacancy.
02:25Try and explain that to me.
02:27But Balgobin contends.
02:29A mere two weeks later, now we see circumstances have now allowed for that to take place.
02:35And even though the government is saying they didn't have a hand in it, I find it very coincidental
02:40and very convenient for them that the same circumstances they were looking for two weeks
02:45ago, they now have to replace Mrs. Ila Christopher as commissioner.
02:49Balgobin tells us he still does not believe Ila Herewood Christopher is the person for
02:53the job, but he says she's being unfairly and unceremoniously hounded out of office.
03:00If they are going to remove her, they still need to abide by the legislation which guides
03:04the process.
03:05And that is all I'm asking here today.
03:07Was the legislation followed?
03:12And is the government intervening and interfering with matters that they do not or should not
03:18have control over?
03:19For Vishy Tewari, Rupanarayan TV6 News.
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