In a dramatic turn of events Local Government and Regional Development, Minister Nigel Dharamlall, was arrested Monday evening (June 19, 2023) when he showed up at the Brickdam Police Station for questioning in relation to rape allegations leveled against him by a 16-year-old Indigenous girl. He was subsequently released on $1M station bail.
The Guyana Police Force (GPF) in a statement last evening confirmed that an investigation has been launched into the allegations made against the minister. The minister presented himself to the police in the company of his lawyer, Nigel Hughes. He was told of the allegation, cautioned and arrested.
Notably, this publication was reliably informed that an official report was made to the police by the teen girl in the company of an officer from the Child Care and Protection Agency (CPA). In a statement on Monday, the minister’s lawyers said, “Mr. Dharamlall remains willing and disposed to assist in a full investigation of the matter. All the allegations are denied. In the interest of a fair investigation and the necessity to protect the interests of all parties concerned, we urge that speculation, wild accusations, pre mature judgments and unsupported conclusions be avoided.”
It was stated too that the “misconduct allegations” against their client first surfaced on social media. However, they added that given that the allegations have attracted the attention of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Child Care and Protection Agency, their services were retained to represent the minister and protect his interests.
Dharamlall on Sunday told President Irfaan Ali that he was proceeding on administrative leave to facilitate the investigation. Notably, President Ali on Sunday confirmed that Minister Dharamlall requested administrative leave in order to allow the probe into the sexual allegations made against him. President Ali has approved the minister’s request, however, it was not made known when the leave commences.
Opposition MP, Juretha Fernandes has questioned the course of action taken by Dharamlall. “You see this cr*p, “…the minister wrote him requesting to be allowed to proceed on administrative leave, and the request has been granted.” You were supposed to send him on administrative leave. Not put him in a position to be presented to the public as though he is in total control of the situation.”
She continued, “There is nothing comforting about this, absolutely nothing! What next? Are you gonna ask him if he accepts the finding of the investigation? Is he gonna be selecting the people conducting the investigation? #justiceforourindigenousgirls.”
In an invited comment, President Ali had told another media house that he had not received a formal or official complaint but noted that he saw social media posts on the allegations. That particular media house had reported that the President emphasised that once a report is made “it will be thoroughly investigated by the relevant authorities.” Notably, it was highlighted that President Ali also reiterated that he has “no tolerance for such behaviour and anyone found guilty of such allegations will be held accountable.”
“As a government, we are committed to having any facts fully investigated as we hold dearly our girls and women in every community. And we will continue to do everything to ensure their safety and well-being,” President Ali told the News Room.
Similarly, on the sidelines of an event on Friday evening, President Ali told Kaieteur News that his government will not tolerate such acts and that he has already informed the police that any such report must be thoroughly and comprehensively investigated.
Asked whether the matter was discussed with the government minister, President Ali responded, “Of course, I reached out to the Minister and he denied any wrongdoing and as I said the allegations are allegations, we have to deal with statement of facts and once any facts is being presented, the authorities have to do their investigation.”
The Head-of-State assured that “no one will be held unaccountable. So as I said one of the greatest priorities in this government is our girls and women. We will not tolerate anything that will hinder that. So any fact and report I… have already told the police any report must be thoroughly and comprehensively investigated,” President Ali assured.
Two female ministers had also issued statements underscoring the seriousness of the allegations while indicating that a thorough investigation will be conducted. Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, in a statement on Saturday said that allegations of rape, sexual assault and gender-based violence are not to be made lightly and must always be taken seriously. “I begin by believing complainants, always, every time. Because the statistics are clear. Despite the myths, victims of rape and sexual assault do not lie about their experiences any more than victims of any other crime,” Minister Manickchand said noting that the teen has accepted support from the Ministry of Education and will attend a meeting soon.
Minister Manickchand in her statement emphasised that when the complainant is a child, the complaint must take on even more urgent dimensions.
She assured that she has always treated complaints of rape and sexual assault with the urgency it deserves. The minister reminded that she was the one who piloted the Sexual Offences Act and when it was passed into law in 2010, it was made clear that “we want better treatment of complainants and better conviction rates. That hasn’t changed.”
For her part, Minister of Human Services and Social Protection, Dr. Vindhya Persaud said that the Child Care and Protection Agency is carrying out a full investigation into the allegation made against the male minister while reminding that no one is above the law. “The Ministry of Human Services and Social Security has taken note of the serious allegations made against a Minister by a 16-year-old girl. Our women and girls must be safe and no one is above the law.”
This publication had reported that in a letter to President Ali, the teen girl shared gruesome details about how she was allegedly groomed and later raped by the minister. In her letter, she pleaded with President Ali, Minister Manickchand and relevant authorities to look into the matter. According to the letter seen by this publication, the girl first met the minister at an event last year, when she was 15-years-old. She said she was raped three months after meeting the minister and at that time, she was 16-years-old. She disclosed in the letter that after continuously harassing her to meet up with him, she eventually agreed to meet the minister. The teen said this is when the minister raped her, sodomized her before handing her a sum of money.
Kaieteur News