Paul Slowe in court to block Police promotions until case against President is adjudicated

Jul 02, 2022 News

Kaieteur News – Retired Assistant Commissioner of Police and former Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Paul Slowe has moved to the court seeking an injunction to block the current PSC from promoting or publishing a promotions list of officers of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) – until his challenge to President Irfaan Ali’s suspension of the former PSC is completed.

Retired Assistant Commissioner of Police Paul Slowe

According to court documents seen by this publication, Attorneys-at-Law Selwyn A. Pieters, Dexter Todd and Dexter Smart filed the motion on behalf of Slowe, in the Demerara High Court. Those listed as the respondents are Secretary of the PSC, Commissioner of Police (Ag) Clifton Hickens, Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, and Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, S.C.
An August 9, 2018, Slowe, Clinton Andrew Conway, Vesta Geneva Adams, and Claire Alexis Jarvis were appointed to the PSC by then President, David Granger.
On June 16, 2021, President Ali suspended the commission and the following month, the suspended members filed a legal action by means of a fixed date application, against the President, challenging their suspension.
In March Justice Gino Persaud, in the Demerara High Court handed down a decision that the challenge to Ali’s suspension can proceed. Notably the substantive matter is yet to be completed in court.
On May 31, last the Head of State swore in three new members of the PSC and on Friday the final member was sworn in.
According to Slowe’s court filing, he is seeking the injunction to restrain the PSC and the respondents from promoting or publishing a promotions list for members of the GPF, until the substantive matter filed herein is heard, completed and judgment is made and entered by the sitting judge – an order that each party bears his own costs in this Application – and any other order the court may deem just.
One ground listed for the challenge notes that as part of the duties of the PSC, the previous members had drafted a list of 132 police officers to be promoted to various ranks in the GPF and sent that list to the Secretary of the PSC to have it transmitted to the Commissioner of Police, for the promotions to be effected.
It was further stated that the promotions list was not sent by the Secretary of the PSC and as such the promotion of the Police Officers was not done.
Another listed ground for the application is that the injunction that is being sought will assist in preserving the status quo of the proceedings and that of the GPF.
It was stated that should the injunction not be granted and the new PSC be allowed to promote members of the force, there will be inevitable difficulty at the end of the proceedings. It was also stated “that should this injunction not be granted and the Police Service Commission be allowed to promote members of the Guyana Police Force, and this matter is subsequently completed and the previous promotions on the past list is effected, there will be inevitable issues as to which officers are of a higher rank, than others.”
It was suggested too, that if the promotions were to be backdated then there will be future problems as to who will be entitled to be commanders and even Commissioner.
According to the document the granting of the orders sought, will assist in the preserving of the status quo and ensuring that the new PSC do not act in a manner prejudicial to those officers named in the previous promotions list of June 28, 2021.

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