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Top cop: No politics in decision to release David Lee's $2m SUV - Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

THE two million-dollar Mercedes G wagon which was at the centre of criminal charges against UNC deputy political leader David Lee and businessman and party financier Hugh Leong Poi was released from police custody on May 1.

The vehicle, which was stored in the basement of the Police Administration Building, Sackville Street, Port of Spain, was removed on the authority of acting CoP Junior Benjamin even though Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard, SC, is in the process of reviewing the Chief Magistrate’s decision to discharge the two men on the basis of insufficient evidence to commit them to stand trial in the High Court.

Lee was elected as the member of parliament for Caroni Central during the general election on April 28. He previously served as the member of parliament for Point-a-Pierre, now renamed Claxton Bay. Leong Poi is the owner of Sport Outlet and a licensed gun dealer. Lee will be among government ministers being sworn in at President’s House on April 3.

Senior police officers are fuming over Benjamin’s decision, claiming that it reeked of political bias even as the new government takes office.

Other senior officers say they see the acting CoP’s decision as an attempt to curry favour with the UNC administration to remain in the post as the tenure of the current office holder, Erla Harewood-Christopher, comes to an end on May 15. The decision was taken without any consultation or advice from DCP Intelligence and Investigations Suzette Martin or the DPP.

In a telephone interview on May 2, Benjamin said he acted on the advice of the head of the police service legal unit ASP Ramdath Phillip, which was supported by the head of the Anti-Corruption Investigations Bureau, Snr Supt Avinash Singh, to release the vehicle and politics played no part.

The acting top cop said he knows his decision “will have some rippling effect in terms of how some persons are going to see it.”

He said he will remain focused and committed to ensuring fairness and justice for all.

“I think sometimes we try to politicise the role that the police play.”

He said any perception that he was playing for an extension in office should be dismissed.

[caption id="attachment_1132600" align="alignnone" width="683"] In this file photo, UNC deputy political leader makes his way to Parliament. -[/caption]

“I am not even certain who is the minister of national security, as I say this thing happened long in advance so I had no idea what were the results and I had no idea that they were coming for the vehicle yesterday (May 1).

“The police more or less followed our protocols, standard operating procedures and all the necessary things to prove or disprove the facts in question, or the offence in question is already there.

“Based on those standing orders, once you have taken out the necessary pictures and all the other things to satisfy the offence were done, there was no need to literally keep the vehicle especially after the matter was discharged.

“So it was based on that understanding, trying not to have an undu

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