Guyana Groups Urge Leave for Deputy Police Chief

Security: Guyana

Calls for Guyana’s deputy police chief to step aside widened this week after a woman police inspector accused him of rape and threats, according to police and press reports. He has not been charged, is presumed innocent, and no public response from him has been reported.

What We Know

Fazil Karimbaksh is a deputy commissioner of the Guyana Police Force and head of its Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU). The unit is the force’s specialist organised-crime division.

A serving woman police inspector has accused him of sexual assault on several occasions and of threats to her life, including with a firearm, Kaieteur News reported. The allegations have not been tested in court.

The police force confirmed it received a report of rape and threatening behaviour against a senior officer, according to Kaieteur News. Commissioner Hicken then set up a team to investigate.

Home Affairs Minister Oneidge Walrond, who oversees the police, said on Friday 2 October that the team will take statements and decide whether disciplinary or criminal action is warranted. She said publicly that she felt strongly that he should be on leave until the investigation is done.

What Union Women and Civil Society Want

The Women’s Advisory Committee of the Guyana Public Service Union demanded immediate administrative leave in a statement dated Wednesday 7 October. It also asked for an independent investigation and legal and psychosocial protection for the inspector and witnesses.

“The culture of silence, protectionism, and institutional complicity surrounding powerful perpetrators must end today,” the committee said. It warned that keeping an accused senior officer on duty risks witness intimidation.

A joint statement from civil society groups and individuals, including the Amerindian Peoples Association, asked for a special independent investigation and prosecutor. The signatories questioned whether the public can trust police to investigate one of the force’s most senior officers, Kaieteur News reported.

Transparency International Guyana made a similar call on Monday 5 October, according to Demerara Waves. It said leave should be a protective step, not a punishment or a finding of guilt.

Rights Association Wants an International Review

The Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) renewed its call for an independent international investigation of the whole police force. It said ten days after the allegations no official statement had explained how the investigation would work, Kaieteur News reported.

The GHRA also asked whether the minister would urge President Irfaan Ali to appoint the Police Service Commission. That body, which normally acts against senior officers, has not been reconstituted.

What the Police Chief and the Minister Say

Commissioner Hicken ruled out outside investigators on Monday 5 October. “We have officers within the force doing the investigation; we can’t take people outside the force to do a criminal investigation,” he told Kaieteur News.

Ms Walrond said an expected formal “confrontation” between the complainant and the accused was part of the process she had been told about. Red Thread, a women’s group, and Transparency International Guyana questioned its legal basis under Section 42 of the Sexual Offences Act.

In a Facebook statement published by the Guyana Chronicle, the minister said she did not mandate such a confrontation. She added that she had given no instruction contrary to the Sexual Offences Act and that the accused is also entitled to due process.

The Women and Gender Equality Commission, chaired by Indranie Chandarpal, asked on Monday whether the accused officer had been relieved of duty. Opposition MP Sherod Duncan joined a protest outside SOCU headquarters on Camp Street in Georgetown the same day.

What Is Not Known

It is not known whether Mr Karimbaksh will go on leave or who could order it. He has not been reported as responding publicly to the allegations.

The police have not said who sits on the investigating team or to whom it reports. Whether any charge will follow is for investigators and the courts to decide.

What It Means for Travelers and US Readers

Guyana’s oil boom has drawn US energy companies, lenders and visitors, who rely on the police for security and financial-crime enforcement. How the force handles a case against its own senior officer is a test of that trust.

We are not aware of any travel warning linked to this case. Readers can follow the investigation through official statements and the Guyanese press, and see the wider context in our explainer on the Guianas.

Our first report on the official reaction is Guyana Minister Wants Deputy Police Chief on Leave. We will update this report when officials announce a decision.

More: Guyana and the Guianas news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Fazil Karimbaksh?

He is a deputy commissioner of the Guyana Police Force and head of its Special Organised Crime Unit. He has not been charged and is presumed innocent.

What is he accused of?

A serving woman police inspector alleges sexual assault and threats, including with a firearm, according to Kaieteur News. The police confirmed only that they received a report of rape and threatening behaviour against a senior officer.

Why has he not been sent on leave?

Home Affairs Minister Oneidge Walrond says he should be on leave, but the Police Service Commission that normally decides has not been reconstituted. A former chairman of the commission has said he could be sent on accumulated leave, Kaieteur News reported.

Who is investigating the complaint?

A team set up by Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken, who says outsiders cannot run a criminal investigation. Its members have not been made public.

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Guyana Minister Wants Deputy Police Chief on Leave