Former minister granted bail on second rape allegation

A former leading Guyanese government minister who was a year ago forced to step down amid swirling allegations of rape of an indigenous woman is once again facing similar allegations, this time from an older woman who said she was determined to follow the matter to the end.

Member of parliament and former local government minister Nigel Dharamlall was on Tuesday, May 14 released on $2,500 bail by police after he had spent hours being interviewed by police on an accusation that he had raped Sarah Hakh, a 28-year-old former employee of his ministry three years ago.

Hack had held a press conference on Friday where she had detailed the circumstances surrounding the issue, alleging that he had forced himself on her despite her pleas to the contrary. Dharamlall, who has always been seen as a rising star in the governing People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has denied the accusations, saying that Hakh has “embarked on a campaign to malign and tarnish my reputation. This was manifested through several fake profiles on social media, surreptitious leaks of information to the traditional media, and a whisper campaign to anyone willing to listen.”

Mid last year, President Irfaan Ali was forced to accept his resignation as a senior minister following a detailed video message from a then 17-year-old indigenous woman who had alleged that she had been raped at the minister’s home months earlier. She was detained by the child services department while the issue was investigated by police and other authorities. It was reported that the matter had been settled after her parents had accepted a $50,000 settlement from persons linked to Dharamlall.

The complainant then withdrew the allegations saying that she had been under enormous pressure from the state apparatus to do so, had been detained like a prisoner at a barricaded state facility, mobile phone seized and was just unable to deal any longer with the pressure of the issue anymore. The state prosecutor’s office then advised police not to proceed any further with the probe that had attracted worldwide attention. Hakh said she feared a similar process will play out in her case but she had the evidence and was unafraid to follow through.

The police interview of Dharamlall occurred in the same week when a group of indigenous leaders from the interior called on authorities to establish an impartial commission to probe mainly sexual abuse by people in authority who interact with Amerindian communities.

“We would like to call on the government to launch an impartial inquiry into these alleged sexual misconducts committed in the confines of our Amerindian villages which in most instances are hampered by political interference into those allegations,” said spokesman Anthony Rodrigues. He said village leaders are aware of reports of sexual abuse from the indigenous affairs ministry by persons in positions of influence and authority. Politicians always intervene to protect the accused, Rodrigues said.