– Corbin shocked
Peter Ramsaroop’s lawyer yesterday expressed shock that written statements in a hidden cameras probe were released by the police to media but Police Commissioner Henry Greene says this was done to “satisfy the public”.
Speaking at his party’s weekly press briefing, PNCR leader and attorney at law Robert Corbin said he was surprised at the police’s action especially since the investigation was still ongoing. He said that as far as he knows this is the first time such a thing has happened.
Greene who was answering questions on the issue following a presentation ceremony at Police Headquarters, Eve Leary said releasing the statements made it easier (for the public) to see what information the police had.
“I think that there was a lot of issue over why the search was done, where it was done etc and who was speaking the truth and we decided to let the public see what we have,” he said.
According to Greene, there was nothing in the statements that would incriminate anyone.
On Tuesday evening, police dispatched a press release, which outlined the entire incident – from the report of suspicions made by Nicole Ming to the discovery of three cameras in her apartment which she had rented from Ramsaroop. Within minutes, the Police Public Relations Office had emailed to the media, copies of signed statements given to the police by the 19-year-old Guyana Times employee and Ramsaroop who is a member of the Alliance For Change (AFC) party.
Observers had questioned this move by the police given the fact that the investigation had not yet been completed.
Commenting on the investigation, the commissioner said while there have been lots of statements in the press, “we are following the lead but we have to see whether there is any evidence to support any sort of charges or anything incriminating”.
He added that so far the police are in possession of “some devices that we picked up” and are looking at the hard drives to see what is on them.
Ramsaroop left for the United States on Thursday morning and according to Greene he had been given permission by the court to leave the country.
The commissioner explained that Ramsaroop did approach the police for permission to leave but was not given a response. He said the politician then went to the Chief Justice who granted permission.
Greene said he was not fearful that he would not return. “Nothing done, nothing to fear,” he said.
Ramsaroop has indicated to this newspaper that he had to return to the US, where he has citizenship, to look after some business. According to him, he will spend a few days before returning here.
On Monday, police acting on information received, obtained and executed a search warrant on a building owned by Ramsaroop at 261 Forshaw and New Garden streets, Queenstown.
The building houses three tenants but ranks were only able to access one of the apartments where Ming was the sole occupant.
During the search three cameras were found, they said. One hidden in a clock on the wall that provided a panoramic view of the apartment, another hidden in a radio in the bathroom and a third focusing on her bed.
When Ming officially moved into the apartment on March 15, she saw an object on the wall but thought it was a motion detector as at no time was she told that there was a camera in her living quarters, she said. She told the media during an arranged press briefing without cameras, that two weeks into her stay while hosting a party, a red light on the object started flashing when one of her friends lifted her top.
Subsequently the object was turned to the wall.
Then on May 5, Ming said, Ramsaroop asked her to leave her door open so that a technician could enter and fix his telephone line but according to her she told him to use his spare key. She could not say if anyone had indeed entered her apartment.
Ming told the police that on her return home she observed an instrument on the wall with a light flashing. She also complained that Ramsaroop may have been recording her. The police said they then became suspicious that Ramsaroop might be in possession of pornography and might be distributing pornography and consequently obtained warrants to search his apartment as well as his office at Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara. At the time he was overseas and upon his return on Monday the warrants were executed in his presence by the police who seized two computer hard drives and a digital video recorder from his apartment and two computer hard drives from his office.
After the cameras were found, Ming denied that the clock and radio were hers saying that they were part of the furnished apartment.
Ramsaroop has since denied all the allegations saying that at no time did he enter Ming’s apartment or have a key to it. He also said he had told her that there was an old camera in her apartment but it was not working as the wiring had been cut.
He is currently on $20,000 cash bail.
