PARAMARIBO, Suriname, CMC -Former justice and police minister, Jennifer van Dijk-Silos, says she is not worried about a statement made by Police Commissioner, Bryan Isaacs, that the police are contemplating legal action over remarks she made last week.
“I wish to state that I did not suggest anything emphatically. All the matters I raised are common knowledge,” Van Dijk-Silo said, adding that she does not want to get into “a yes-or-no discussion and will therefore not comment on the content of the briefing.
Jennifer Van Dijk-Silos (File Photo)
“ I will therefore calmly await the proposed legal measures,” she said.
Isaacs told a news conference over the last weekend that the statements by the former minister, which suggested that some members of the police force were part of a drug war, were unfounded.
“We will not allow our integrity to be messed with,” the top cop said, adding that the police are now considering legal action against Van Dijk-Silos.
“It is highly inappropriate to criminalize institutions. And to make it seem as if every police officer is untrustworthy. You wonder what the motives are for this.
“We characterise these allegations against, among others, the chief of police and the police management as unfounded, undermining, and patently false. Therefore, we emphatically reject the statements made,” Isaacs said.
Isaacs said that the police’s rules of engagement are laid down in law and that his organization is obligated to adhere to them.
“If Ms. Jennifer van Dijk-Silos knows that anyone has broken the law, I think it would be wise for her to report it to the Public Prosecution Service,” he told reporters.
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