Roger Khan was wrongfully detained and kept in custody by the police during one of his routine visits to Police Headquarters, Eve Leary on Tuesday, his lawyer Glenn Hanoman yesterday said.
Hanoman made this disclosure in a letter written yesterday to Commissioner of Police Leslie James headed “Wrongful arrest and false imprisonment of Shaheed Khan”.
The letter was copied to the Chairman of the Police Complaints Authority, Justice William Ramlal, Commander of Region 4(A) Assistant Commissioner Edgar Thomas and Divisional Detective Officer of Region 4(A) Gary McAllister.
“On the 25th of February, 2020, Shaheed Khan, whilst reporting to the Police Headquarters in Eve Leary at 09.00hrs, as part of routine, was unlawfully restrained from leaving,” the letter stated.
It explained that after being “unlawfully” restrained at Eve Leary for hours, Khan was “wrongfully” arrested and escorted to the Brickdam Police Station in connection with an alleged robbery which occurred at the Altitude Cocktail Bar & Lounge at Kitty.
“…..Khan, who was at Altitude Cocktail Bar & Lounge with his daughter at the time, had no involvement in any such incident, further, there was no evidence that could form the basis of any reasonable suspicion that Shaheed Khan had committed an offence”, Hanoman, stated in the letter.
The letter further contended that while the police at Brickdam Police Station were prepared to release Khan due to the lack of evidence linking him to the alleged crime, he was still kept in custody based on an order from a senior police officer.
“Indeed, Police at Brickdam Police station were prepared to release Shaheed Khan, having admitted that there was no evidence linking Shaheed Khan to the alleged incident and therefore no legal authority to hold against his will,” the letter stated.
“However, Senior Supertindent Michael Kingston, the Acting Crime Chief ordered police at Brickdam police station to continue to hold Shaheed Khan in spite of the advice from his own investigators that there existed no legal authority to continue to hold him,” it added.
Khan was released from police custody around 8.30 pm on Tuesday. “During this period, Shaheed Khan was not given the opportunity to have lunch or dinner,” Hanoman said.
This letter, according to Hanoman was written in accordance with the Civil Procedure Rules 2016 of Guyana in pursuit of initiating legal action.
On Tuesday evening, Thomas had confirmed with Stabroek News that Khan was arrested by the police in connection with the alleged assault of a man.
He had said that the incident occurred on Monday evening. While he did not divulge details, Thomas had noted that as of Tuesday night bail was being considered.
Stabroek News understands that Khan was hanging out at the night spot when a fight unfolded. During the process, he allegedly assaulted a man.
Just months ago, Khan returned to Guyana after serving almost ten years of a 15-year sentence for drug trafficking in the United States.
Khan was arrested in Suriname in June 2006 and was seized by US authorities in Trinidad while en route to Guyana.
He was released from a US prison in early July, last year. He had been sentenced after he pleaded guilty to trafficking cocaine, witness tampering and gun-running.
Upon his return in September, 2019, Khan was detained by the police for questioning in relation to the murders of political activist Ronald Waddell and boxing coach Donald Allison. He was later released.
