Fired Partap gives his side of story: I was not drunk

I was not drunk. So said former Minister in the Ministry of National Security Collin Partap, as he responded to allegations arising out of an incident on August 26 outside the recently re-opened Zen nightclub, Port-of-Spain. “At no point in time was I drunk or under arrest,” Partap, an attorney, said. Yesterday’s statement was his first since the incident and his dismissal a day later from Cabinet by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.  “I just want to give my side of the story. I am not a drunk and I did not refuse to take a breathalyser test,” he said. While addressing the media and scores of his supporters at his Sangre Grande constituency office, Partap sought to give his version of the events which led to his dismissal. He admitted to being stopped by a group of police officers outside the nightclub. “I was not arrested or detained. The officers asked me to go to the Belmont Police Station and I complied. I never said no,” Partap said. 

 

The MP for Toco/Manzanilla claimed his eventual call to Police Commissioner Stephen Williams came after he heard the officers making comments when he was stopped. He said: “I didn’t ask the commissioner to bail me out. I called the commissioner to be an independent observer of the breathalyser test.”  Partap’s versions of the event differed slightly from statements made by National Security Minister Jack Warner and Williams, immediately after the incident. Warner and Williams said Partap called him (Williams) due to an alleged confrontation with police officers. Both parties stated an initial investigation contradicted Partap’s claims about the officers’ behaviour. While speaking at the weekly police press briefing last Wednesday, Williams said the incident was under investigation and upon completion a file on the issue would be sent to Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gaspard for his consideration as to possible criminal charges. 

 

Partap yesterday denied allegations that calling the Police Commission in the situation was an abuse of power. He repeatedly denied refusing to take the breathalyser test when asked by police. He said when he did take the test, almost an hour after he was stopped by the police, his breathalyser reading was well under the legal alcohol limit. He claimed his breathalyser reading would not have changed significantly during that period. Partap said he was ridiculed after news of the incident went public and called on the police to investigate two pictures of him on the internet following the incident. “Those pictures were taken by police officers. I am sure of it. There were no civilians at the station at the time,” Partap added. When asked about reports which said he was driving a vehicle which had blue flashing lights used by the protective services, Partap said it was a mistake. “When you are in the vehicle you can’t see the lights. I may have put them on by accident when I was turning on the air-condition,” he added. Partap said he was not disappointed by Persad-Bissessar’s decision to revoke his appointment, saying he will now devote his time to his constituents who need his assistance.