Attorney queries Gary's appointment to act as commissioner

ATTORNEY Dave Persad on Thursday called on the Police Service Commission (PSC) to terminate the August 20 appointment of Gary Griffith as Acting Commissioner of Police (CoP) by alleging the appointment had not been made in line with established procedure, in a letter to PSC chairman Bliss Seepersad.

Persad opined that Griffith's appointment to act was "illegal, null and void, and of no effect."

He opined that if the substantive CoP post becomes vacant, the PSC must compile a list of nominees to act in the post of CoP, send such a list to the President of the Republic who in turn would send it to the House of Representatives to decide upon. The commission would appoint the chosen person. Persad said the process was spelt out in Legal Notice 183 of 2021.

"There is no evidence available to the public either from the commission or the President by way of any media release or otherwise that such a constitutionally required list was submitted to the President.

"I have since confirmed that no such notification under section 123 of the Constitution is now before or was ever before Parliament prior to the appointment."

In a separate media release, Persad alleged the PSC was acting in a way that was "dismissive, arrogant and in total contempt for the citizenry of TT" and behaving like a law unto itself.

He said this could compromise the integrity of the police service and challenge the foundations of TT's fragile democracy.

"While sizeable sections of the population including the politicians might be allowed to bow to populism and understandably so, the Police Service Commission cannot and must not be allowed to do so," Persad said.

"It is also with noticing the astonishing silence of the Opposition and the Law Association of TT."