The police file on the alleged threatening remarks made by Attorney General Anil Nandlall in relation to the owner and staff of the Kaieteur News was late last week returned to the office of the Crime Chief by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
This newspaper was unable to ascertain whether the DPP has advised charges or additional investigations. Repeated efforts to make contact with Crime Chief Leslie James and Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud yesterday were futile.
The file had been sent to the DPP on November 18 after the police completed their investigations.
On October 27, owner of the Kaieteur News, Glenn Lall made an official complaint to the police that Nandlall had made threats against the entity and its staff. He also handed over a copy of a recorded conversation of the alleged threats. In the recording Nandlall was heard having a conversation on various issues with senior reporter Leonard Gildarie.
Lall in an invited comment told Stabroek News last evening that he will never give up and will continue his pursuit of justice.
He said that he has heard nothing more of the investigation. He recalled that when he was charged last week with threating Commissioner General Khurshid Sattaur he made the point to the media that in the case with the AG “the evidence is there and the whole world listened to it but with me and Sattaur there was none and they went ahead and instituted charges”.
Stressing that the police are dragging their feet, he said that the law seems to be catering for one set of people. “This is what Guyana has been reduced to under the Ramotar presidency”, he told Stabroek News while adding “it’s sad, very sad and I hope that the nation wakes up and smell the coffee. No one with an ounce of brain should sit idle and allow this greedy government to get away with lawlessness”.
A tearful Lall had told the media outside police headquarters, Eve Leary moments after lodging his complaint that his newspaper was threatened with violence two days before he went to the police. He said that he has been left fearful for his life as well as those of his family members and employees. Two weeks before October 27 he had gone and made a report of a threat at the Ruimveldt Police Station. It is unclear what has happened to this complaint.
Instead of dealing with the content of the recording the Ramotar administration chose to focus on how the recording was made. President Donald Ramotar told reporters that it was a private conversation which was recorded illegally. Gildarie and the management of Kaieteur News have firmly said that Nandlall was aware that the conversation was being recorded.
Nandlall’s position was that the conversation was manipulated and twisted to sound like a completely different dialogue. He described Gildarie as a longtime friend as they both attended the same secondary school.
Except for a statement he read to his staff sometime after the recording surfaced, he has said that he would say nothing more about the matter as it is now engaging the attention of the court.
In the recording, Nandlall is heard saying that Lall “feels that he is above the law” and has resorted to using the daily newspaper “as a weapon.” Subsequently, Nandlall in a meeting with the professional staff of the Advice, Litigation and Drafting Departments and Members of the Senior Management of the Ministry of Legal Affairs said that he was unaware of any planned violent attack against the newspaper or any reporter. He described the released conversation as an “unexpected betrayal” and apologized for any embarrassment it had caused.
In the 19-minute conversation Nandlall was heard saying “Everybody doesn’t have a newspaper to use as a weapon,” he says. “I told Adam [Adam Harris, Kaieteur News editor], I said, ‘Adam, people got weapons, right. They ain’t got newspaper to use as a weapon; they got weapons. And when you continue to attack people like that and they have no way of responding they will just walk with they weapon into that same [expletive] Saffon Street office and wha’ come shall do.’”
He added: “And innocent…” before changing course and continuing, “Peter will have to pay for [expletive] Paul in that way. I tell you, honestly, man to man that will happen soon.” He further advised Gildarie to “get out of deh,” the quicker, the better.
