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…police deny his constitional rights being breached
Close to a hundred residents of Belladrum Paradise and other villages in West Coast Berbice gathered on the bridge between Paradise and Belladrum Thursday mornin in a show of solidarity wiith GECOM Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo currently in police custody for the third day on allegations of electoral fraud.
Those gathered bore placards stating as follows: “Black Lives matter” “Clairmont Mingo Belladrum stands with you. “Free Mingo” “Guyana is not a Police State” “The Crime Chief is a stooge of the PPP” “Mingo is a human being he must be treated lawfully.”
Mingo is a resident of Paradise Village on the West Coast of Berbice. An organiser explained that “residents saw and heard on Benschop 107.1 FM radio how the Mingo family complained about being prevented from seeing him and about not being allowed to give him a change of clothing and so they came out to assemble and show their solidarity. People passing stopped and joined us,” the organiser said. The villagers have planned to hold another gathering in solidarity with Mr Mingo at the Bridge between Belladrum and Paradise later Thursday afternoon.
Meanwhile, in a release the Guyana Police Force (GPF) refuted allegations that Mingo’s constitutional rights were breached by the police. “Shortly after Clairmont Mingo arrived at the CID Headquarters, Eve Leary, following his arrest on Tuesday 25 August 2020 an Attorney Mr Darren Wade turned up and demanded an immediate conference with Mingo whom he said was his client. The police rank on duty directed the attorney to a designated area where access to his client would be granted after the rank had completed making the necessary entries in the Police records. However, instead of waiting in the area indicated and without any explanation Mr Wade immediately left the CID Headquarters compound and met with several members of the media on the road way, where he spoke with them and during which he proceeded to make some false allegations,” the police statement read.
It added” noteworthy, however, is the fact that after this, the attorney returned into the CID Headquarters where he met with his client Mr Mingo.”
“GPF also wishes to state that it remains ready, able and willing to engage with members of the legal profession to ensure that their constitutional rights and those persons they represent are respected at all times and that there is due process. In this regard however, the Police Force expects that attorneys-at-law conduct themselves in a professional manner and with a due sense of responsibility in keeping with the ethical standard required of the legal profession. Unfortunately that expected level of professionalism was not evident in this instance,” the statement noted.
Additionally, police clarified that there are designated areas at police locations which allow for privilege conversations. Consequently, member of the the public and of the legal profession who engage members of the GPF at any police location ought to follow the directions of any police rank/ranks on duty as it relates to access to persons in police custody.
