Fazil Karimbaksh challenges police leave order amid rape allegations

Deputy Police Commissioner Fazil Karimbaksh, head of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), is challenging a directive from Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken to take compulsory administrative or pre-retirement leave. The dispute follows allegations of rape and threatening behavior made by a female police inspector, who has since been transferred to Regional Police Division 4 ‘A’.

Through his attorney, Rizwaun Mohamed, Karimbaksh disputes the legal authority of the Commissioner to mandate such leave, noting the absence of a Police Service Commission to issue such orders. The legal challenge also contests the calculation of Karimbaksh’s leave entitlement, with his counsel claiming he is owed 118 days rather than the 174 days cited by the police administration.

Karimbaksh, who is scheduled to retire in April 2027, has threatened legal action against the Guyana Police Force if he is forced from his position without lawful statutory power. His legal team maintains that Karimbaksh remains ready to discharge his duties and that the Commissioner’s command authority must align with constitutional requirements.