The Guyana Court of Appeal last Tuesday dismissed an appeal filed by a former policeman, who was sacked from the Guyana Police Force (GPF) after an internal investigation found him guilty of accepting a $50,000 bribe.
Patrick Austin, who was based at the Anna Regina Police Station, had challenged his dismissal in the High Court but lost. The Court of Appeal has since affirmed the decision, which was made by Justice Brassington Reynolds in May, 2013, that there was no prejudice, illegality or procedural unfairness, thereby dismissing Austin’s action.
After a review of the evidence, the appellate court said, “…While there may have been procedural lapses in the conduct of the investigation and inquiry and that there may not have been strict compliance with every subsection, and some delay in the commencement of the investigation, we are not persuaded that the process taken as a whole was unfair and resulted in any miscarriage of justice.”
