Following legal advice, the Guyana Police Force yesterday announced that no charges will be laid against Junior Minister Simona Broomes, her driver or the two security guards with whom they had a confrontation earlier this month in the parking lot of the Amazonia Mall at Providence, East Bank Demerara.
This was confirmed by Public Relations Officer of the Guyana Police Force Jairam Ramlakhan, who said in a press statement yesterday that the case file was returned to the police with recommendations that no charges are to be laid based on all statements and video footage related to the incident.
The altercation occurred on Sunday, July 8th, when Broomes had visited the Amazonia Mall to purchase food from the New Thriving Chinese Restaurant.
Broomes had claimed that she and her driver were verbally abused and threatened by the two security guards but surveillance footage of the confrontation showed otherwise. Nevertheless, based on her initial complaint, the two guards were detained by police for 16 hours before they were released on their own recognisance.
The police had said in its first statement on the incident that a “thorough investigation” was launched following allegations of abuse and threats against a minister and her driver. It did not name Broomes. “Initial enquiries reveal that both parties seemed to have been very aggressive,” the statement had said.
Video footage of the encounter showed Broomes’ vehicle turning into the parking lot and stopping just a few feet away from the entrance to the Massy Supermarket. A man, who appeared to be the driver of the vehicle, exited, and removed what appeared to be a no-parking sign before venturing back into the vehicle. This caught the attention of the two guards, who were seen standing a short distance away.
One of the guards, who was armed with what appeared to be a high-powered rifle, ventured over to the vehicle and proceeded to return the sign to the space it had been moved from. As a result, the driver of the vehicle exited and had an exchange with the guard.
Not long after, Broomes exited the back of the vehicle and proceeded to push two of the no parking signs to the ground before engaging in a confrontation with the guard, who stood in front of the vehicle while the driver attempted to proceed as the signs had been removed.
One of the guards, Josh Ramroop, in an interview with this newspaper, said that neither he nor his colleague pulled a gun on Broomes and her driver as was claimed to police.
