Former Assistant Police Commissioner Calvin Brutus, who was dismissed from the Guyana Police Force (GPF) last week, faced a setback as the High Court rejected his attempt to retroactively halt his dismissal. This decision marks yet another dismissal of Brutus’s cases brought before the judiciary. Acting Chief Justice Roxane George delivered the judgement on Monday, declaring that Brutus’s case against the Attorney General, the Police Service Commission, and the three-member Tribunal lacked legal grounds. The court awarded costs totaling $300,000 to all respondents, to be settled by April 30.
Brutus’s legal representatives have since withdrawn the substantive case they had filed against the Tribunal and the Police Service Commission. The Attorney General’s Chambers issued a statement explaining that the Chief Justice found Brutus had clear knowledge of his dismissal, as he had included evidence of it in his affidavit for injunctive relief. Consequently, the Chief Justice ruled that granting a conservatory order would be pointless.
During the hearing, attorneys for the respondents argued that the case was unnecessary since the Tribunal had already fulfilled its duties and submitted its report to the Police Service Commission (PSC) on February 4, 2025. The Attorney General noted that Brutus’s legal team acknowledged this point. He attempted to introduce an amended claim shortly before the hearing, seeking an interim order to prevent the PSC and the Commissioner of Police from serving him with the termination letter.
The court learned that all attempts to serve Brutus with the PSC’s termination letter, dated February 5, 2025, had failed as he was evading service. The letter was also sent via registered mail to his last known address at Police Headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown. After hearing arguments from both sides, the Chief Justice denied Brutus’s request for an injunction as the situation had progressed beyond his initial relief request.
According to the Chief Justice’s ruling, there was no legal basis to prevent the communication of his termination to Brutus. He was represented by attorneys Darren Wade and Eusi Anderson.
The disciplinary charges against Brutus stem from alleged violations between August 2020 and July 2024, including issuing improper financial instructions and falsifying records. Currently, he is facing criminal charges related to these allegations. The PSC convened a tribunal under the Constitution of Guyana and the Police (Discipline) Act, with Shoshanna Lall as Chair and Keoma Griffith and Seelall Persaud as members.
The PSC reported that Brutus failed to attend a tribunal hearing on January 22, 2025, significantly hindering proceedings. His dismissal letter on February 5, 2025, highlighted his absence during the hearing, where two disciplinary charges were presented against him. These charges included the improper use of Welfare Funds, where he allegedly directed a payment of $13.67 million from the GPF’s Welfare Fund for government-procured goods, and falsifying records related to transactions at the Quartermaster’s Stores, where he purportedly misrepresented $101.43 million worth of goods.
Following the Tribunal’s completion of its work and submission of findings to the PSC, these findings were discussed at the PSC’s statutory meeting last week. Brutus’s dismissal letter was also forwarded to Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken, requesting that he ensure Brutus returns all documents, equipment, and other assets belonging to the Guyana Police Force in his possession.
