Home Affairs Minister Oneidge Walrond says Deputy Commissioner of Police and Head of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), Faisal Karimbaksh, should be placed on administrative leave while an investigation into sexual allegations against him is conducted.
Speaking during a recent interview, Minister Walrond confirmed that a female police officer who previously worked at SOCU has made a statement concerning the allegations and was transferred from the unit at her own request.
According to the Minister, the Commissioner of Police has established a team to investigate the matter. The team is expected to take statements from relevant persons, including Karimbaksh, before a formal confrontation is held.
“The fact is that Mr. Karimbaksh is at the helm of the police force. He’s a deputy commissioner, and so there’s a particular procedure that has to be followed,” she explained.
Following the confrontation and investigation, the matter could result in either disciplinary or criminal action, depending on the findings of the investigative team and the Criminal Investigation Department.
The minister, however, said she personally believes Karimbaksh should be placed on administrative leave while the investigation is ongoing.
“It is my view, and I hold this strong view, that he should be sent on administrative leave pending the investigation,” she said.
Minister Walrond said the Police Service Commission would ordinarily have responsibility for such a decision, but the Commission is currently not constituted.
She said discussions would therefore have to be held with the Commissioner of Police on how the matter should be addressed.
The Minister subsequently addressed the issue publicly in a statement, stressing that the allegations must be allowed to proceed through the established legal process.
“This matter will not be investigated or tried in the court of public opinion,” Walrond stated.
She said the allegations are serious and will be treated as such, while emphasising that neither the law nor due process would be bypassed.
“I have confidence in the competence and professionalism of the investigative team,” she said, adding that the investigators must be allowed to do their work independently and thoroughly, without public interference or prejudgment.
Walrond urged that the evidence, rather than public commentary, determine the outcome of the matter.
“Let the law take its course,” she said.