Minister of Home Affairs, Ronald Gajraj says he does not recall instructing former acting commissioner of police Floyd McDonald to upgrade a firearm licence for Axel Williams.

McDonald has declined to comment on a July 2003 letter bearing his signature authorising the upgrade for Williams, who 11 months earlier had killed food vendor, Rodwell Ogle. Williams was subsequently killed by a gunman on December 10 amid allegations he was a member of a death squad formed to kill criminals.

Speaking to reporters after the swearing-in of Commis-sioner of Police Winston Felix yesterday, Gajraj said a commissioner had certain responsibilities which are statutory and he as a minister also had duties.

He said what there had been were certain relationships that existed between himself and the commissioner and these were necessary for both parties to discharge their statutory responsibilities.

Asked whether he had given an instruction to McDonald for the upgrading of Williams' firearm licence, Gajraj said, "I don't recall so doing."

He said the commissioner had certain responsibilities with respect to the issue of firearm licences and that even if such instructions were to come, whether from him or anybody else, he would expect the commissioner to exercise the discretion he considered most appropriate.

Alluding to the upgrade for Williams, Gajraj said irrespective of what a person's station in life might be, when an assessment was made for granting a firearm licence, discretion was exercised and the commissioner exercised that discretion in accordance with the law and the standing order procedures. "And the standing order procedures did not fall from above overnight, they have been perfected by an evolution process and we have talked time and time again about what are the best practices from other countries."

Gajraj said the police force was over 160 years old and the standing orders have been amended from time to time. "But in my time as minister there has been no amendment to any standing order or the law governing firearms and the issuance of firearms licences."

Section 18 of the Firearms Act states that an application for the grant of a licence under this section shall be made in the prescribed form to the prescribed officer for the area in which the applicant resides. The law states also that a firearm licence may also, on the application of the holder, thereof be varied from time to time by the prescribed officer for the area in which the holder for the time resides.

The law says that a firearm licence may be revoked by the prescribed officer for the area in which the holder resides, if the prescribed officer is satisfied that the holder is prohibited by this act from possessing a firearm to which this part applies, or is of intemperate habits or unsound mind, or is otherwise unfit to be entrusted with such a firearm.

Several persons had deemed Williams' behaviour towards Ogle as intemperate and also went on to link him with a number of violent crimes, which occurred after he was granted the upgraded licence.

Gajraj said it was the DPP who advised that Williams' firearm be returned to him and it was the DPP who also advised that an inquest be held. "Because it would appear that when the initial advice was given there were certain pieces of evidence that were not in the file and having had the benefit of those pieces of evidence, in particular the cause of death of Rodwell Ogle, he considers it appropriate to render such an advice."

The police had taken a statement from Ogle before he died towards the end of August 2002 and the DPP Chambers issued the advice to hold a coroner's inquest on September 12, 2002. This was the same day that the original advice that the police should charge Williams with murder was given. Deputy DPP, Roxanne George who is currently performing the functions of DPP admitted to this newspaper that the original charge was murder and it would have had to be changed by a very senior officer.

She told this newspaper that the direction to hold the inquest was not in the files of the DPP Chambers, but the police had provided the DPP Chambers with their file showing the chambers as advising that an inquest be held.

Gajraj told reporters that the question of an inquest was not for the Ministry of Home Affairs or the police, but one for the courts, adding that if these inquests were held probably lots of things would be cleared up.

Visas

With regard to the revocation of his Canadian and US visas, Gajraj said he been trying to get a reason for the embassies' actions. He said he had no objection to telling the public on what grounds his visas were revoked.

Stabroek News was told by high-level sources that the minister's visas were revoked because of allegations made against him by George Bacchus linking him to a death squad. He has dismissed these allegations as speculation.

According to Gajraj, both embassies have said it was a procedure they were taking. "So if it is procedure, it is in their discretion."

He said too that the revocation of his visas have not been affecting his work up to now. "I have certain responsibilities as Minister of Home Affairs which deal with national security and I will discharge those responsibilities to the best of my ability in accordance with the law."

Asked about the whereabouts of Bacchus, who the police have been trying to contact with respect to the allegations he made against the minister, Gajraj said he did not know where the man was. He told the media that the police had written several letters to him requesting that he come forward to give a statement with regard to the allegations he made. "I don't know where Bacchus is. He is a Guyanese. He is free like anybody else. If I make inquiries about Bacchus you know what you all are going to say, that I have ulterior motives in trying to find out about Bacchus."

Gajraj said with respect to Ashton King, Shawn Hinds and the late Mark Thomas who were charged with the murder of Bacchus' brother, specific allegations were made against them.

He said there were no reports against him at the police station with regard to the death squad allegations. "In the case of those people who have been charged, Bacchus made a statement and other people made statements as well."