FORMER chairman of the Police Service Commission Dr Marie-Therese Gomes yesterday stood by her decision to send the name of acting DCP Deodat Dulalchan to former President Anthony Carmona for appointment as the next Police Commissioner.
Gomes, whose tenure ended on January 28, also dismissed claims by the Prime Minister and other government members that the PSC manipulated the process in selecting Dulalchan.
On Wednesday night, the government rejected the PSC’s nomination in the absence of the Opposition, who had earlier walked out of Parliament.
Rowley then revealed, “We are sending it back to the PSC to follow the law, follow the order and not follow unseen hands in trying to give us a CoP.”
He also promised that government will return to the Parliament to ensure a proper selection process for a CoP.
Yesterday Gomes said she was at the University of the West Indies when the debate was taking place on Wednesday night and did not understand what the Prime Minister meant by saying the matter would be sent back to the PSC.
“You either accept the PSC’s nomination or reject. There is a nominee that was recommended, then sent to the President who signed it and sent it to the Parliament.
“I do not know what the new chairman will do, I have not spoken to anybody and I wish them well.”
She maintained that the PSC under her stewardship did not manipulate the process, which she said had been rigorous and started from February 2016.
Asked by Newsday if she stood by her decision to send Dulalchan’s name to the then President, Gomes said, “I have to stand by my decision, because that is what came out of the process.”
She also said Dulalchan had the highest scores in all categories and that was why he was selected. She said two candidates were rejected when it was discovered they were over 60.
In Parliament on Friday, Rowley said two names mysteriously disappeared from the list of candidates. Gomes said the PSC acted in accordance with the Police Service Act in not accepting the two over 60.
Newsday asked if it was true that former Minister of National Security Gary Griffith was the PSC’s choice because of his high marks, but Gomes said the information was incorrect, and if Griffith had the highest marks he would have been the PSC’s choice.
On Wednesday, Griffith told his lawyers to send a pre-action protocol letter to the PSC for reportedly breaching several legal notices. He accused the commission of using a biased merit system and asserted that it had no right to do its own assessments in grading the list of candidates, as that was not in the legal notice.