PCA chairman: Judgment on Newsday raid in seven days

The Police Complaints Authority (PCA) has embarked on an evidence-gathering exercise to determine if Head of the Anti Corruption Investigation Bureau Snr Supt Solomon Koon Koon, who led the raid at Newsday, has committed any breach. Yesterday, PCA chairman Gillian Lucky confirmed that a member of the authority’s legal unit had been instructed to gather evidence to determine if any breach was made by Koon Koon, after receiving an official complaint from the T&T Publishers and Broadcasters Association. Lucky said she would indicate what the next step would be by Friday. “We are working on a timeline of seven days. It is a very serious allegation. We are now embarking on evidence to determine whether there was any breach. It all depends on those who want to come forward and those who have the relevant evidence.”

 

Whatever the finding, Lucky said, the authority would educate the public, which would include police officers about their roles and the law, mainly in the execution of search warrants. “Many of the complaints received from the public concerns allegations of abuse and misconduct of police officers during the execution of search warrants.” She said the PCA had to make an independent and objective finding. Lucky said the PCA’s function was to solely determine whether in the execution of the search warrant on Thursday at Newsday, if there was any breach. “If it is that the investigations shows that there is any serious police misconduct the PCA would make a determination with regards to what action would be taken which includes, whether the file be sent to the DPP or the Police Service Commission, which could come under Section 21 of the PCA Act.”