CS boss: Bomana’s no brothel

 By MOUA OMOA

CORRECTIONAL Service boss Martin Balthazar has rebutted and condemned The National’s  frontpage story yesterday about Bomana jail becoming a brothel. 

  The commissioner told a media conference yesterday the report was very provoking to officers who were working tirelessly to recapture notorious criminals William Nanua Kapris and Raphael Walimini.

Balthazar said the March 24 Correctional Service report, referred to by The National, was “legally an allegation” and that the female officer involved was currently on suspension without pay.

He said the allegations, raised by a demoted officer were most disturbing and “can be very sensitive to some officers as most male officers at Bomana, as well as many female officers in other parts of the country, are hardworking”. 

The report, captioned “highly sensitive and confidential” is a compilation of all the correspondences on security issues which have gone to the management.

The correspondences were copied to The National and makes the Kapris sexual affair in Bomana look tame by comparison as the instance reported in this paper’s front page story yesterday illustrated.

The demoted officer has complained that he has been badly and unfairly treated, as well as his warder wife, for raising sensitive issues. 

Balthazar said yesterday: “I wish to outrightly condemn and rebutt the poor level of journalism, as I was not consulted to give the department’s position.

“The article referred to an incident that had been investigated and the suspect arrested but police failed to lay charges under the Criminal Code because there was no evidence of sexual penetration at the time the arrest was made.

“My correctional institutions around the country are not brothels and Bomana jail is a good jail with bad staff, both males and females, and under my management we are trying our best with little resources to bring back discipline.”

Balthazar said he planned to install a new management team at Bomana and improve its security.

“The management is going through a process of making staff changes at Bomana jail but officers are declining transfers as some have worked 20 to 30 years and feel like it is their private business, therefore not performing,” he said.

Balthazar appealed to the public to cooperate with police and CS officers in their efforts to recapture Kapris and Walimini.

He cautioned people to be careful as the two escapees were armed and highly dangerous.