An online petition has been started for the police to arrest and charge former government ministers and a former senior police officer were allegedly involved in a cover-up after a small quantity of marijuana was found at the private home of former prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
During the general election campaign, then political leader of the Independent Liberal Party, Jack Warner, claimed a quantity of marijuana was found at Persad-Bissessar’s Philippine residence in April 2013. Warner said that he, with the assistance of two other ministers and a former senior police officer had covered up the crime.
Nazma Muller, leader of the Caribbean Collective for Justice and lobbyist for marijuana legalisation, is now calling on the acting Commissioner of Police, Stephen Williams, to arrest all those implicated in the matter.
Muller said while she does not think anyone should be arrested for possession of marijuana, she has become frustrated with “poor people” being arrested for possession of marijuana and people who have power not being convicted. She said the catalyst for the petition was an incident where one of her friends was arrested for possessing a small quantity of marijuana recently.
“Three quarters of all cases in the court are for marijuana possession. My point is the law is only being applied to poor people who have no power,” Muller said.
When asked why, as a marijuana activist, she wants people to be prosecuted for a marijuana-related offence, she said: “Personally I don’t care if anyone is smoking weed. I think anyone should have the right to do so without being incarcerated. If you are going to prosecute me or you, then I want the ones with power to also be prosecuted.”
Williams declined to comment on the petition because he did not know one was created. When asked about arresting those involved in the alleged cover-up, Williams also declined to comment as he did not have the completed file yet. The petition, which was created on October 23, had only three signatures up to press time yesterday.