Jagdeo blames justice protesters for school girl seeking no further action in probe of rape allegations against Govt. Minister

With the school girl who made rape allegations against former Government Minister Nigel Dharamall, opting to no longer pursue the matter, resulting in the case not meeting the Court, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo is blaming the teen’s decision on the public protests on the matter, although those protests were in support of the teenage schoolgirl.

During an interview that was released on his Facebook page today, the Vice President said the protesters were not interested in justice, but rather wanted to make a political point.

“Our objective was that there must be a fair process that leads to justice and being fair to both parties to have them present their cases and let those cases be determined by the relevant agencies,” Jagdeo said.

The Opposition APNU and a number of other groups including the Amerindian People’s Association and the Red Thread organization, have been protesting for justice to be done in the matter.

The protests have been continuing, although Dharamlall has since resigned as a Government Minister and Member of Parliament.

Mr. Jagdeo said the issue is a contentious one. He said that he does not believe that the young woman who made the complaint against Dharmlall was doing so as a political issue, but he believes it was made into one, once the protests started.

“Now that Nigel Dharmlall has resigned, they were calling for his resignation or for him to be fired, he has resigned now but they still continue the protest. In my view, they had not a single ounce of sympathy or empathy for this girl, they didn’t care anything about the accusation or the report for them it was a political issue,” Jagdo said.

Mr. Jagdeo described Dharamlall as a “good” Minister and efficient person who is committed to the task of National development.

Jagdeo said the matter has taken a toll on Dharamlall and his family.

The 16-year-old school girl detailed her allegations of rape and sexual assault in a statement that was released on social media, triggering the investigations.

She was immediately placed in protective custody and faced a number of interviews about the allegations. She maintained her position until the DPP requested additional information and further investigation.

The young girl opted to sign a “no further action” statement once she learned of the additional interviewing sessions that she would need to face about the alleged rape.