FORMER POLICE COMMISSIONER GARY GRIFFITH RECEIVES BAD NEWS
No Commissioner? Judge rules against Gary on Jacob’s last week
Justice Nadia Kangaloo has ruled that Gary Griffith was unlawfully appointed to the position of Acting Commissioner of Police.
The ruling was made in the High Court today.
The Police Service Commission (PSC) appointed Griffith in the post after his official term ended in August.
As a result, the position is voided as it was not appointed in accordance with provisions as outlined in the Constitution.
Incidentally, this is Acting Commissioner of Police McDonald Jacob’s last week in the same post. He will return to his substantive post as Deputy Commissioner of Police until otherwise advised.
All the members of the PSC resigned earlier this month as a result of the questions surrounding Griffith’s appointment. This means there is no one charged with the authority to appoint another Acting Commissioner or to extend Jacob’s contract.
President Paula Mae Weekes has been consistently called upon to intervene in the matter, but she has not commented publicly on the matter.
Responding in a Facebook video, Griffith defended himself against those he saw as his detractors including Minister of National Security, Fitzgerald Hinds, former PSC Chairman, Bliss Seepersad and others.
Griffith also seemed to take offence to a statement made by Prime Minister, Dr Keith Rowley who assured that despite the debacle, the police service would not fall apart.
“Now, despite the Prime Minister stating recently that Sergeants could keep sergeant-ing and Inspectors could keep inspecting without a sitting Commissioner of Police, and while I understand this to simply mean that there is no real merit, in the view of some, placed on the office of Commissioner of Police, I wish to take this opportunity to thank the Honorable Prime Minister for the opportunity to be of service to this country for the last three years,” he said.
Griffith also promised that this would not be the end of his service to Trinidad and Tobago.
While operational aspects of the police service may function largely unimpeded for now, administrative and instructive aspects could be held back without someone at the helm
Photo: Former Commissioner of Police, Gary Griffith
Nneka Parsanlal