By: Staff Writer
July 23, 2021
St Lucia leader of the opposition said it is “very strange” for the director of public prosecution (DPP) to be making statements on police shooting investigations days before the general election, calls for separation between the executive and judiciary and expresses “confidence” in his election chances this coming Monday.
Philip J Pierre, leader of the opposition, speaking on a radio broadcast, said that since the last seven years that the IMPACS investigations had begun there was nothing from the DPP, but two days before the general election they are making announcements that are “very strange.”
Mr Pierre said: “I’m a strong believer in the separation of powers. I think that the free governance structures must be distinctly separate and independent from each other. This is my belief. So if we are saying that the executive, the judiciary, and the parliament should be separate.
“Now, I don’t want to cast any aspersions on the DPP. I think he tries to do the best job that he can. But it’s very strange that the day before policemen are asked to vote, that DPP makes a statement on all the most pressing issues that face the police over the last five years. I mean, if you ask any policeman, he will tell you, what has affected him the most is, apart from the normal social and economic issues that the police, like citizens, go through, they will tell you IMPACS is the one that’s on their mind.
The investigation is a probe launched in 2014 by CARICOM’s Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS), which then prime minister and leader of the SLP, Dr Kenny Anthony, investigated allegations that members of the Royal St Lucia Police Force committed extra-judicial killings from 2010 to 2011, prior to his coming to office in 2011.
The investigation has been dragging on, only to now come to a definitive crossroad on the eve of the general election this coming Monday.
Mr Pierre also said: “Now, also, the people who were involved, both the victims and the police, IMPACS is on their mind. So to come two days before the election, makes it sound very, very strange.”
Daarsrean Greene, Saint Lucia’s Director of Public Prosecutions, in a statement on the matter, said that: “On February 2, 2017, I convened a meeting with the press to provide an update to the public on matters generating great public interest and concern.
“This included the status of investigations involving police shootings, spanning the period of 2010 to 2011. These shootings resulted in the loss of life of 12 citizens in 2011. This figure sets the record for the highest number of police shootings ever recorded in this State within any even given year.
“This attracted significant publicity both at a domestic and international level based on allegations that they were extrajudicial killings by the police. Simply put, they were alleged to a great extent to be unjustified and therefore illegal.
“Consequently, the Government of the United States of America imposed sanctions widely referred to as the “Leahy Law” against our nation as these alleged illegal shootings were potentially gross violations of human rights. This resulted in the suspension of financial assistance and training to the entire Royal Saint Lucia Police Force from August of 2013.”
Facing mounting pressure up to June of this year prompted Mr Greene to press harder in bringing some resolution to the matter, he said that there is “no time limit” to an investigation and oftentimes it takes time to properly conclude a matter.
Mr Pierre on the other hand feels that this is politicking and denounced the announcement the day it happened, he further added: “As I said, I don’t cast aspersions. I’m very careful on casting aspersions on civil servants and public servants. I’m very, very careful. As you know, I’ve never I’ve never publicly castigated any public servant, but i have warned them to be careful.”
He also said that is is “confident” in the work he and the SLP is putting in on the ground despite not having fielded the full 17 candidate slate for this election.
Mr Pierre added: “People really are fed up with the corruption, with the victimization, with the vindictiveness of the government.”