Submitted by the Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy (CGID)
Guyana’s Police Commissioner Henry Green
The Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy (CGID) is calling for the removal of Guyana’s Police Commissioner Henry Green to facilitate a thorough and unbiased investigation into allegations he violently raped and falsely imprisoned a thirty-four year old mother of two at gun-point. The woman, the wife of a Guyana Defense Force officer, said the incident occurred at Secret Villa guesthouse, for which she said Green had keys to a room.
CGID President Rickford Burke said in a statement Wednesday that “Although Mr. Green himself as Police Commissioner has countenanced the abridgement of many a citizen’s right to natural justice, as well as egregious violations of human rights, he is entitled to due process and a presumption of innocence until convicted in a court of law.”
Burke however posited that the Institute’s call for Green’s removal is in no way a rush to judgment on the rape allegations. “This position is not a rush to judgment but was informed by a distressing accumulation of red flags including substantiated allegations of other criminal and unethical conduct; a determination by the US government that Commissioner Green ostensibly has criminal associations with and may have benefited from narcotics traffickers; the revocation of his US visa; the unchecked political bias of the Police under his leadership and their systemic failures to adequately fight crime,” he noted.
“In our opinion Mr. Green is irretrievably compromised and has repeatedly breached the public trust. His public indices for character and integrity are at their nadir. The nation does not repose any confidence in his leadership. Hence he is completely unfit to lead a law enforcement agency whose task is to maintain order and enforce the law.”
The alleged victim said she went to see Green on November 15, 2011 about an assault by a police officer whose wife was involved in an extra-marital affair with her husband. She claimed to have been assaulted by the officer over a video recording she secretly had made of his wife and her husband allegedly having sex in October 2011.
The victim related that after hearing about her plight Green appeared to empathize with her and assured her that he
Green's accuser telling her story to the media
would investigate the matter. She said the top cop even gave her money to attend to her kids on two separate occasions, totaling about $15,000.00 on November 15 and subsequent to the alleged incident.
The woman claimed that Green asked her to return the following week. She said upon her return on November 22, she was made to wait for hours until evening. When she finally saw Green it was night and he offered her a ride. She said that instead of taking her to her home, the Police Commissioner drove her to a hotel, forced her into the room and demanded that she remove her clothing.
The alleged victim said Green brandished his gun in the vehicle as well as in the hotel room. When she resisted he slapped her in the face and choked her into submission, she recalled. Green then fitted himself with a condom and forcibly penetrated her, even choking her during intercourse, she alleged.
She furnished telephone records which purportedly establish that Green made dozens of phone calls and sent several text messages to her cellular phone from his private cellular phone after the incident. The woman asserted that most of the subsequent communication from Green was threatening. She said Green also threatened to kill her on more than one occasion, and expressed fear for her life. She claimed to have sought but only received limited medical treatment.
She has retained the services of prominent Attorney-at-law Nigel Hughes, and has filed an official complaint at the Brickdam Police station in Georgetown. Reports are that Guyana’s Crime Chief as well as the Head of the Presidential Secretariat were aware of the incident before it became public.
Green has been previously accused of rape during President Desmond Hoyte’s administration. He was a senior superintendent at the time, and was reportedly sent on leave but reinstated after the investigation allegedly stalled over a lack of evidence.
SECRET VILLA GUEST HOUSE
Green’s US visa was revoked in 2006 by the US government for alleged involvement with criminals, including drug lords. The then US Ambassador to Guyana in 2006 warned then President Bharrat Jagdeo not to appoint Green as Police Commissioner, as he was possibly under DEA investigation and could be indicted by the US Justice Department.
Today CGID President Rickford Burke called on President Ramotar to end the culture of lawlessness in Guyana by demanding accountability from public officials beginning with Green. The CGID President noted that “Green has been previously accused of serious criminal wrongdoing and has not been held to account. He is a crook who is an embarrassment to the Guyanese nation,” Burke asserted.
The Institute’s head said that under the PPP justice in Guyana remains elusive, as there appears to be one law for ordinary citizens and another for individuals who hold governmental power. This, he said, has must stop now. “It is time to end the cycle of injustice in Guyana. If these allegations are deemed by the DPP to have merit, CGID expects that Mr. Green will be arrested, charged and prosecuted like any other citizen facing similar allegations would be.”
Burke called on Ramotar to “end Green’s tenure, as he is unfit to lead a law enforcement agency while under this cloud of alleged impropriety.”
Green, who has passed retirement age, has been retained by the PPP government on a month to month basis. Police sources say his retention has stagnated promotion among the force’s top ranks.
One just has to shake head in amazement at some of the incidents which are allegedly occurring in Guyana.
and in barbados too david but which are swept under the carpet depending on one’s pedigree.
@balance
Maybe so, we need to change it.
hi this is funny. a few months ago this man was at deaths door. now this man is raping women. can mr green get it up? at age 55 and sickly. i do not believe it.not this sick man. maybe she is embarrassed at being groped and rubbed down. his fat belly falling all over her. I doubt there was any penetration. this thing is all in her mind.
your response ‘ maybe so’ is skewed and smells of spin david, you are a journalist is it so or not ?
Not a journalist, just part of a ordinary Barbadian household who feels compel to play our part.
@blance: What is the problem with David’s response? The more you read into Guyana the more you understand why so many people run away from the place. A Guyanese citizen told me recently of drug lord Roger Khan responding to criticism of him buying a property in a gated community by publicly threatening to bring a container full of $US and buying the whole compound.
Whenever one discusses Guyana some people try to put those highlighting the problems on the defensive. Is it reasonable to deduce from the crime level, HDI, level of emigration etc that there is merit to have concerns?
In the previous administration in Guyana Roger Khan seemed to have impunity hence the labelling of a narco state. I was also told he bugged the Commissioner of Polices home phone and subsequently admitted to it in a full page ad in one of the newspapers. Is that not absurd?
Breaking news out od Guyana is that Green has resigned!
At least Green was decent enough to resign, too many of our politicians get themselves involved in indecent matters and just wait out a few weeks until a more juicy story comes up. Guyana will always be Guyana, however I hope with a strong opposition this time we will see some improvement in the human rights in that country.
Guyana is Somalia under camoflage. With Government Ministers who never finished public school, and whose command of the english language discloses a competency of about 2nd grade, and whose verbal expressions would be an embarrassment to any self respecting citizen, Guyana is a nation that has been on a hedonistic slide over the past 19 years.