Assistant Commissioner of Police Fazil Karimbaksh has taken legal action against Leroy Smith, operator of the popular online news platform, Big Smith News Watch. Karimbaksh, through his attorneys at Satram & Satram, issued a letter on October 15, 2024, accusing the news site of publishing defamatory articles that have severely damaged his reputation.
The letter references a series of articles published between October 13 and October 14, 2024, which allegedly make damaging claims about Karimbaksh’s qualifications, integrity, and leadership of the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU). The articles in question include titles such as “No Listed Qualifications for Socu Head to Support Promotion to DC”, “BREAKING: SOCU Head Gave Brutus/Wife Large Amount of Cash on Wedding Day but Remained Silent”, and “Text from Gov’t Minister Exposes Plot to Have SOCU Target Top Cop/Brutus”.
Karimbaksh’s attorneys argue that these articles, along with other content shared on the Big Smith News Watch website and Facebook page, have essentially portrayed their client as unqualified for his current role and unworthy of further promotion within the police force.
Furthermore, the articles have implied that Karimbaksh is guilty of criminal offenses and susceptible to political interference in the performance of his duties.
The legal letter, signed by Satram & Satram, also notes that the articles were widely circulated, with more than 30,000 views and over 1,500 shares on Facebook. According to the attorneys, these defamatory remarks have not only injured Karimbaksh’s reputation but also ridiculed him in the eyes of the public, lowering his standing as one of Guyana’s highest-ranking police officers.
The publication is accused of alleging, through both direct statements and innuendos, that Karimbaksh is corrupt, involved in bribery schemes, and incompetent as the head of SOCU. The lawyers state that these accusations have caused significant harm to Karimbaksh’s credibility and that of SOCU, a unit responsible for high-stakes investigations into organized crime and corruption in Guyana.
Karimbaksh’s legal team is demanding an immediate retraction of the statements and a public apology approved by their client. Failure to comply with these demands could result in further legal action against Big Smith News Watch.
