Opposition backpeddles, now accuses Rohee of failing to instruct police on July 18
Home Affairs minister Clement Rohee is now being accused of dereliction of duties by failing to instruct the police on how to manage the July 18 Linden protest which left three dead and several others injured.
Rohee faced the Commission of Inquiry on Wednesday and made clear that he at no point instructed the police to shoot at anyone,.
After hours of grilling by lawyers, Rohee maintained this position, forcing Basil Williams an attorney at law and executive member of the main opposition A Partnership For National Unity of changing his argument and now accused Rohee of omitting to instruct the police on how to handle the situation.
Williams was among a batch of opposition members who previously accused Rohee of giving police instructions to shoot at protesters.
Meanwhile, the commissioners conducting the probe took a swipe at Alliance For Change Chairman and Attorney at Law Nigel Hughes, who constantly stray from the issue and began asking Rohee was termed “irrelevant questions”
Hughes while attempting to establish whether or not minister Rohee gave instructions on the type of action police should take at the Wismar/McKenzie bridge during a protest on July 18, wandered off to the length of the minister’s calls and whether it was the longest call he had ever received on his cell phone.
Hughes who had claimed Rohee instructed the police on the evening of July 18 has now changed his position and is arguing that the minister issued instructions to the police on July 17 during a brief meeting with the commissioner of police Leroy Brummell and then commander of e and f division Clifton Hicken.
But commissioner Keith Desmond knights believes this shifted the position of all allegations and evidence submitted thus far, since all allegations thus far are that the minister gave these shooting orders moments before the fatal shooting.
Phone call records could not show any calls between the minister and commander anytime before the fatal shooting.
