Guyana Minister Wants Deputy Police Chief on Leave
JUSTICE · GUYANA
Key Facts
- —The country Guyana, on South America’s north coast. Its police force reports to the Ministry of Home Affairs; a Police Service Commission disciplines senior officers.
- —What happened On Friday 2 October, Home Affairs Minister Oneidge Walrond said Deputy Commissioner Fazil Karimbaksh should be on administrative leave while a rape complaint against him is investigated.
- —Who is involved A woman police inspector, formerly at the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), filed the complaint in late September, Demerara Waves reported. Mr Karimbaksh heads SOCU.
- —What it means for you The head of Guyana’s organised and financial crime unit is under investigation. He is presumed innocent and no charge had been reported as of 3 October.
- —Still open Whether he will be sent on leave, and by whom. The commission that would normally decide has not been reconstituted, the minister said on 2 October.
Guyana’s Home Affairs Minister, Oneidge Walrond, said on Friday 2 October that the head of a key police unit should step aside. Deputy Commissioner Fazil Karimbaksh should be on administrative leave during the sexual assault investigation against him, she said.
Mr Karimbaksh leads the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), which handles financial and organised crime. A woman police inspector filed the complaint, according to the Guyana Police Force and the minister.
He has not commented publicly. HGPTV said on 29 September it had sought his response and received none, and no reply had been reported by 3 October. He is presumed innocent and has not been charged.
What the police and the minister said
The Guyana Police Force issued its first statement on Friday, Demerara Waves reported. It said Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken had “established a team to conduct a thorough investigation into the allegations.”
The force said the inspector also accused Mr Karimbaksh of threatening behaviour, the outlet reported. It promised that “due process is afforded to all parties involved.”
Ms Walrond, a lawyer and former magistrate, spoke on the Starting Point podcast. “I hold this strong view that he should be sent on administrative leave pending the investigation,” she said.
She said the inspector had asked to leave SOCU and has been moved to another unit. Investigators have her statement and will also take one from Mr Karimbaksh before a formal confrontation, she said.
Why leave is not automatic
Discipline of officers from inspector up to deputy commissioner rests with the Police Service Commission, Demerara Waves noted. That independent body has not been reconstituted, and iNews Guyana and Guyana Times reported that its term lapsed in July.
Ms Walrond said she would discuss with Commissioner Hicken how to proceed without it. “The Police Service Commission should be the one ultimately to do that,” she said, according to News Source Guyana.
News Source Guyana pointed out that reconstituting the commission is the government’s job. It added that the president has previously acted on senior officers while the commission was vacant.
The minister said that once the assault investigation is complete, the team will recommend whether disciplinary or criminal action should follow. Until then, she said, there should be no prejudgment.
Details reported but not confirmed
News Room Guyana, citing unnamed sources, reported that the inspector alleges two counts of rape and threatening behaviour with a firearm. The same sources said one alleged incident took place outside Guyana.
The police have not confirmed those details. HGPTV separately reported that the inspector accuses him of two sexual assaults and of threatening to shoot her, while the claim that one incident occurred abroad rests on News Room’s sources alone. Demerara Waves, which first reported the complaint on 29 September, said at the time that details could not be independently confirmed.
Complaints by junior officers against senior ranks normally go to the force’s Office of Professional Responsibility, News Room noted. In this case the commissioner set up a dedicated team, according to the minister.
Pressure and the call for due process
For several days before Friday, journalists had pressed the police and the ministry for comment without reply, Demerara Waves reported. The opposition party A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has also called for Mr Karimbaksh to go on leave.
At a Friday press conference, APNU said any probe must follow the evidence regardless of rank, News Source Guyana reported. Ms Walrond, for her part, urged restraint in a Facebook statement.
She said the case would not be tried in the court of public opinion and that due process would not be bypassed. “Let the evidence guide the process. Let the law take its course,” she wrote.
For wider context on policing and safety in the country, see Is Guyana Safe for Expats? Georgetown Crime, Oil-Boom Security and Daily Reality.
What Is Not Yet Known
It is not known whether Mr Karimbaksh will be sent on leave, or who can order it while the commission is vacant. No such decision had been announced by Friday night, and he remained on duty, Guyana Times reported on 3 October.
It is also unclear whether he disputes the allegations, as he has not spoken publicly. No timetable for the assault investigation has been given.
Sources: iNews Guyana, 2 October 2026; Demerara Waves, 2 October 2026; Demerara Waves, 29 September 2026; News Room Guyana, 2 October 2026; News Source Guyana, 2 October 2026; Guyana Times, 3 October 2026; HGPTV, 29 September 2026; Guyana Police Force statement of 2 October 2026 as reported by Demerara Waves.
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