By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS
Tribune Staff Reporter
lmunnings@tribunemedia.net
FREE National Movement leader Michael Pintard said the government is duty-bound to give a complete report into the police investigation of claims made against Housing and Transport Minister JoBeth Coleby-Davis.
This comes after Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander revealed on Friday that there is “insufficient evidence” to proceed with investigations into claims made against the Elizabeth MP.
Mrs Coleby-Davis has repeatedly denied claims that she assaulted a police officer with her vehicle at a Carnival event in May last year.
However, in the days following the alleged incident, the Police Staff Association released a statement saying the officer involved retained an attorney as he had to seek medical attention for injuries and was then discharged.
Mr Pintard has previously urged the Prime Minister to present the facts regarding what allegedly took place between the Cabinet minister and police officer.
“The government is duty bound to give a complete and candid report on the nature of that investigation, on whether or not they have questioned the minister herself (JoBeth Coleby-Davis), the officer who was (allegedly) assaulted, and the numerous witnesses that were present,” Mr Pintard said yesterday.
“Secondly, the government should release all of the videos that they have in their possession (of) the incident. As we are aware, that videos were in fact taken of some dimension of this incident,” Mr Pintard continued.
He noted that despite the public’s “low” expectation of investigations, the police chief has a duty to share the specifics of the matter.
Prime Minister Phillip “Brave” Davis has previously defended Mrs Coleby-Davis, saying he was satisfied with her account of what happened that day.
“I’ve spoken with the minister and I’m satisfied of her explanation to me and to others,” Mr Davis said previously.
At a press conference at police headquarters on Friday, Commissioner Fernander revealed that the officer in question is expected to return to work.
The Marco City MP, however, claimed that the police officer was under “tremendous pressure” to abandon his story.
He said: “We (the FNM) understand that the officer was under tremendous pressure to abandon his story, and the average citizen when in any conflict with persons in authority, particularly at a ministerial level, faces tremendous scrutiny and pressure.
“What is also true is that the very same minister (JoBeth Coleby-Davis) that is involved in this incident has had a pattern of behaviour that suggests that not only is she above the law, but that she lacks supervision by the Prime Minister.”
He also said: “She (JoBeth Coleby-Davis) has been accused by no less than the taxi union who have had private conversations with her and she’s been accused of issuing in excess of some 600 taxi plates without following the proper procedures required by law without gazetting the issuance of those plates.
“And we are aware that the Prime Minister has called for persons within her ministry, who work in close proximity to her, to be suspended. Yet we do not have any detailed report on what role she played in the saga that has affected a number of other persons surrounding her,” he said.
“Thirdly, she launched a subdivision without providing the appropriate documentation in Pine Crest. The very same documentation that was the basis for her and the Prime Minister cancelling a previous project started under the previous administration.”
