Deputy Commissioner of Police (ag) Calvin Brutus, who is at the center of a high-profile investigation into alleged financial irregularities, has filed an application in the High Court, seeking to reverse decisions made against him in the course of the probe.
The legal action, filed on October Wednesday, names several respondents, including the Attorney General, Ministry of Home Affairs, Police Service Commission, Commissioner of Police (ag) Clifton Hicken, and the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU).
Brutus is represented by attorneys Earl Daniels, Yuborn Alicock, and Dominic Bess.
In court documents seen by the News Room, Brutus argues that he has been unfairly denied access to his bank accounts, which has prevented him from conducting business.
He also claims to have been subjected to victimization during the investigation. His application seeks multiple declarations from the court regarding actions he believes were improper.
However, he will first need to prove his claims to be true.
One of his primary claims is that acting Commissioner Hicken acted beyond his legal authority (ultra vires) by transferring him based on political directives and improper administrative procedures.
SOCU recommends dozens of charges for Brutus
Brutus argues that the transfer was designed to give acting Deputy Commissioner Ravindradat Budhram administrative experience.
Additionally, Brutus is seeking a declaration that a decision by the Cabinet on July 11, 2024, to instruct Hicken to place him on annual leave, due to the ongoing allegations, was also ultra vires.
He is also challenging a similar action by the Police Service Commission, which instructed Hicken to send him on leave effective August 22, 2024.
Brutus has further requested that the court declares that SOCU’s investigation has been “unlawfully and prematurely” conducted, including the restraining of his and his family’s bank accounts, the manipulation of evidence, intimidation and harassment of witnesses, and the unauthorized release of information to the media and social media.
He also argues that the investigation has been “inherently biased and irreparably tainted” due to extensive media coverage, which has impacted public perception, and that natural justice was not observed because the allegations against him were vague and he was not given a fair opportunity to respond.
Brutus takes annual leave, but Commissioner says no investigation is underway
Brutus is seeking several orders from the court, including the quashing of the decision to transfer him from his position as Deputy Commissioner (Administration) and the decision by the Minister of Home Affairs to place him on leave.
Brutus maintains that the investigation is part of a broader effort to harass him by restricting access to essential services, including the Central Housing and Planning Authority, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, and the Environmental Protection Agency, among others.
The investigation by SOCU, which has been underway since July 2024, initially focused on financial improprieties linked to the Guyana Police Force Credit Union.
SOCU investigation into Brutus commences
However, this inquiry did not produce sufficient evidence to bring Brutus before the court. The scope of the investigation was later expanded after millions of dollars were found in the bank accounts of Brutus and two other relatives.
Reports indicated that the funds, totaling more than $40 million, were transferred into these accounts following Brutus’s wedding last year and were purportedly gifts received at the event.
On October 1, 2024, SOCU concluded its investigation and recommended several charges against Brutus. The files have since been forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice on how to proceed.
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