Kareem Musa: Budna’s Rights Were Violated, Probe Needed

Minister of Home Affairs Kareem Musa has finally broken his silence on the abduction of Joseph Budna. Minister Musa holds the view that a crime was committed against Budna. He says that while Budna is one of the most dangerous personalities the nation has seen, he deserves to have his rights respected. Weighing in on leaked surveillance footage from the night of the incident, the Minister of Home Affairs says it leaves a lot to be answered. The Prime Minister ordered Musa to submit a report on the ongoing investigation by the end of the day today. Musa told reporters that the P.M. would be receiving that report by four p.m. today. He noted that the Commissioner of Police, Dr. Richard Rosado, was returning from a work-related trip overseas. ComPol Rosado called a virtual press conference this afternoon for four-thirty p.m. only to quickly postpone that press conference to Monday. As for the details of the incident leaked to the public over the last few days, Minister Musa says an independent investigation is warranted.

 

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs

“ It leaves a lot to be answered. As you might have heard yesterday, the Prime Minister called me and requested that we wrap up, that the police wraps up the investigation and delivers the file by today. And so the Commissioner of Police arrives back in the country, I think about one o’clock this afternoon. But I’ve already communicated to him and he has ensured and assured me that it’s going to be ready by four o’clock this evening. 3Investigations take a while in any given case. This particular case is no different, and so the police has been investigating that matter. But what you might have seen from that video footage yesterday is a police officer coming to the scene and then thereafter, I don’t know if you recognize somebody. You can’t make out the faces based on the video footage, but the person then tells him to leave. And so that has created a huge question. And so the Prime Minister has said that after receiving the investigative report from the police department, he will review it and decide whether or not we need to have an independent investigation. My personal take on it, and I’ve mentioned it to the Prime Minister, I think regardless of the outcome of the investigation by police because of the interest of this particular case,  in terms of openness and transparency, it warrants an in independent investigation.”

 

Paul Lopez

“People will want to know, based on what you said,  how is it that this the first time you’re seeing any surveillance footage from this incident?”

 

Kareem Musa

“I’m not the police Paul, so I don’t get to see what’s happening in an investigation. I don’t have access to that.”

 

Paul Lopez

“Do you know if there is high quality videos out there, or at least in possession of the police?”

 

Kareem Musa

“I think by the end of today, when that file is turned over, we will know what the police has in its possession.”

 

Paul Lopez

“Do you know if the police has gone ahead to identify any of those individuals in the video?”

 

Kareem Musa

“Again, that’s something that only investigators can see and that’s going to be revealed in the report today.”