Dulalchan’s attorney writes PM on CoP nomination

THE recent exoneration of three public officials in the Ministry of Agriculture over a land deal should also clear Deputy Commissioner of Police Deodat Dulalchan from land-grab accusations that have stalled his selection as the next Commissioner of Police.

This according to his attorney Kiel Tacklalsingh in a letter to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley yesterday.

In the letter, Tacklalsingh said Dulalchan hopes that the Government would now move forward with his nomination, him having topped a field of candidates assessed by the Police Service Commission (PSC) in January.

Referring to the exonerated trio, Tacklalsingh said: “The natural inference of this exoneration is that any allegation of impropriety by our client, of illegally obtaining a licence to occupy certain lands, no longer carries any weight.”

Tacklalsingh also challenged the appointment of a parliamentary special select committee to probe the process used for Dulalchan’s selection. He alleged the SSC had “descended into a concerted attempt by some members of the committee to impeach, without any reasonable basis, the process adopted by the Police Service Commission.”

The attorney said the Constitution says the PSC is the sole authority with the power to recommend someone to the office of the CoP.

The three who were suspended pending a probe by the Public Service Commission and then reinstated were permanent secretary Angela Siew, Commissioner of State Lands Paula Drakes and the Deputy Commissioner of State Lands Bhanmatie Seecharan.