THE Police Service holds firmly to the rule of law.
Acting Commissioner of Police (CoP) McDonald Jacob reinforced this point on Saturday in reference to an Assistant Commissioner of Police being charged with two offences of misbehaviour in public office on Friday.
In a statement on Saturday, the police said ACP Nazrudeen Pragg, a member of the police executive, was charged on Friday with two offences of misbehaviour in public offence after he recommended a soldier and a civilian be exempt from vehicle tint regulations on the false premise that they were employed as intelligence officers of the police.
Pragg who was released on $200,000 bail by a justice of the peace will be suspended from duty pending the outcome of the case, senior officers said.
In a brief comment on this matter, Jacob said, "We adhere to the rule of law and we take into consideration of innocence until people are charged."
He added, "The Police Service continues to demonstrate that it can investigate its own, as an independent and autonomous body."
Jacob congratulated officers of the Professional Standards Bureau for their ongoing work in this regard.
In its statement, the police said Pragg was charged with two offences after investigators got advice from Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gaspard SC.
The first offence alleged Pragg knowingly entered false and misleading information on an application form issued by the Transport Division of the Works and Transport Ministry for a tinted window exemption certificate for a black Kia Sportage.
The applicant is a civilian but indicated on the application form to being employed with the police as an intelligence officer, to procure an exemption certificate from the Transport Commissioner.
The second offence was seeking a tinted window exemption certificate from the Transport Commissioner for a Nissan Navara. In this instance, the applicant is a member of the Defence Force but applied as an intelligence officer with the police to gain an exemption.
Pragg, 59, of Preysal, Couva, was last assigned as the head of the Central Intelligence Bureau, which has responsibility for the Criminal Gang Intelligence Unit, covert intelligence unit, Interpol, counter-trafficking unit among other departments. He is due to appear at the Port of Spain Magistrates’ Court on June 30.
The charges laid against Pragg come against the background of public concern about the actions of other officers.
In September 2020, the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) completed its preliminary investigation into the allegations of unusual financial transactions involving Deputy Commissioner of Police Irwin Hackshaw, now retired, and sent its findings to the DPP. The allegations against Hackshaw surround claims that he deposited close to $2 million in his personal bank accounts received from several businesses on the premise that they were donations to help offset the costs of official police functions.
[caption id="attachment_957127" align="alignnone" width="911"] ACP Nazrudeen Pragg -[/caption]
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