Police Service Commission chairman Nizam Mohammed will know his fate in the next two to three days.Responding to questions at the University of the West Indies 50th Alumni Awards ceremony yesterday, President George Maxwell Richards said: "I am going to issue a press release in the next day or two; maybe by Wednesday."The President met with Mohammed during a 90-minute meeting to discuss the controversial issue on Friday.
It followed meetings with both Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley, who condemned Mohammed's racial imbalance statements made at a Joint Select Committee meeting.In a strongly-worded press release, Persad-Bissessar described his comments as "senseless and reckless."His comments to adjust the ethnic composition in the T&T Police Service have sparked widespread debate, with members of the public calling on him to resign from the post.However, Mohammed has maintained that he did nothing wrong.
A top legal source yesterday told Sunday Guardian that the President was not delaying his hand, but acting in accordance with procedural fairness.The source, who did not want to be quoted, said: "In order to remove from public office especially if the person is appointed in independent service commission it is important that the President does not act arbitrarily and acts in accordance with procedural fairness."Under the law of T&T a person is entitled to the roles of natural justice."