…says unanswered police abuse complaints raise questions over accountability
(Kaieteur News) – Forward Guyana Movement Member of Parliament, Amanza Walton is demanding a full and independent investigation into allegations of sexual assault and abuse of authority involving Deputy Commissioner of Police Fizal Karimbaksh, amid renewed scrutiny of earlier complaints against the senior police officer.
In a statement issued yesterday, Walton-Desir said a female police inspector has publicly alleged that Karimbaksh sexually assaulted her on two occasions and threatened to shoot her.
The allegations have not been tested in court and no finding of criminal liability has been made against Karimbaksh in relation to the latest claims.
Walton said the inspector told Minister of Home Affairs Oneidge Walrond about the allegations on September 20, giving the Minister direct knowledge of the matter.
Amanza Walton, MP, leader of the FGM
The MP is now calling for the allegations to be investigated “fully and without interference”, arguing that the process must follow the evidence and, where warranted, result in criminal charges.
The latest controversy comes against the backdrop of allegations dating back several years concerning Karimbaksh and female police trainees.
Walton said that in March 2020, then Assistant Commissioner Simon McBean submitted a report to the Police Service Commission concerning complaints by two female trainees at the Felix Austin Police College against Karimbaksh, who was then Deputy Force Training Officer.
According to Walton, the report found that nothing presented had disproved or discredited the allegations and that there was sufficient prima facie evidence to support a criminal charge of sexual harassment under the Prevention of Discrimination Act.
Previous reporting has also documented allegations against Karimbaksh. In 2021, then Police Service Commission member Clinton Conway publicly stated that an investigation by McBean had resulted in a recommendation for disciplinary action against Karimbaksh over complaints by female recruits. Conway also alleged that a separate investigation had involved 11 female trainees. Those claims were disputed and were not findings of a court.
Karimbaksh was subsequently appointed a Deputy Commissioner of Police. He was among senior police officials sworn into the rank in December 2024 and has served as head of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU).
Walton also linked the latest allegations to a separate investigation ordered by the Ministry of Home Affairs earlier this year into alleged sexual exploitation, abuse of authority and misconduct at the Guyana Police Force Academy.
On January 20, the Ministry announced that the Criminal Investigation Department and the Office of Professional Responsibility had been instructed to conduct full investigations into the allegations. The Ministry said anyone found to have engaged in wrongdoing, regardless of rank or position, would be held accountable, while stressing the need for due process and investigations free from interference.
Walton said she subsequently raised the matter in the National Assembly during consideration of the 2026 Budget Estimates for the Ministry of Home Affairs on February 13.
According to the MP, after Minister Walrond assured her that she was certain the investigation had commenced, she sought to ask when it would be completed. Walton-Desir said Speaker of the National Assembly Manzoor Nadir disallowed the follow-up question.
She described the incident as part of a wider failure of institutions to provide accountability for allegations of sexual abuse within the Police Force.
“This is precisely how this conduct survives in Guyana,” Walton said, arguing that the allegations are being “shielded at every level”.
She said the latest allegations must not be treated differently because of the rank of the person involved.
“Every Guyanese has the right to go to work, earn a living and return home with their dignity intact,” Walton said, adding that no woman should have to choose between her safety and her job.
The MP stressed that the allegations against Karimbaksh must be treated as allegations until properly investigated.
“The investigation into Fizal Karimbaksh must go wherever the evidence leads,” she said. “If the evidence permits, he must be charged.”
The Ministry of Home Affairs had not, in the material reviewed for this report, publicly announced the outcome of the January investigation into the Police Academy allegations.
Source: Kaieteur News
