Gov’t orders police to beef up security for CJ

– after toy gun attack on guards

The Government of Guyana on Wednesday ordered the Police to beef up security for the Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George after a man wielding a toy gun attacked security at her private residence.

Government said it has “advised the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to ensure that the Chief Justice is provided with all the necessary security for the protection of her person, family and property”, as it condemned strongly what it termed an “attempted attack” by armed men on the Chief Justice.

In a statement, the Government said it “views this as the latest assault on democracy in our country of which the Judiciary forms one of its cornerstones. Such actions can only emanate from those who are fearful of the Constitution, the rule of law and sound rulings from the Judiciary.”

Earlier Wednesday, Police said they are investigating an incident whereby a man with a fake gun showed up at the residence of Justice George, attacking cops on duty.
According to police reports, at around 14:00 hours, two ranks were on duty at the Chief Justice’s residence when one left the hut and went into the washroom. There, she was confronted by a male wearing a black short pants and a white jersey tied around his face. He was armed with what appeared to be a black handgun.

The said male approached the rank and pointed the object at her and fired a punch at her but missed. The rank then called out for the other rank who was in the garage of the building, who was armed with a .38 revolver.

“The rank, having heard the call, went out to see who it was when the said male pointed the object at him causing the rank to take cover. However, the person then dropped the object and ran in a northern direction and jumped over a fence and made good his escape,” the police stated.

No shots were fired and no one was injured. The object picked up is suspected to be a toy gun and the same has been lodged.

The incident occurred just one day before the Chief Justice is expected to preside over the Case Management hearing in relation to the Elections Petitions challenging the validity of the March 2 General and Regional Elections.

Meanwhile, the Government slammed the APNU+AFC Coalition for using “such a grave matter as an attack on the Chief Justice of our country as a platform to play their petty and devious politics by implicating the PPP/C in such a dastardly design without a scintilla or shred of evidence.”

“It is only a demented mind that can produce such depraved thinking. It shows the level of desperation and low depths to which the APNU+AFC is prepared to descend,” the statement said noting that “the Government has nothing to fear from either of the two Election Petitions filed and we have already stated that they are frivolous, vexatious and as without merit as every other legal proceedings APNU+AFC have filed in recent times.”

The Coalition had earlier said the incident appears to be a clear attempt to intimidate the Chief Justice.

“This is an extremely troubling development and it appears as though the challenged PPP regime has upped the ante to engage in criminal conduct in their quest to thwart the Elections Petitions being heard. The PPP regime is the only party that is desperate for the hearing of the Elections Petitions to be delayed and thus has ample motive for executing such a vile and intimidatory act on the eve of the case management hearing,” the party
stated.