Another indigenous woman alleges sexual assault by a powerful Guyanese political figure.
Economist Sarah Aneesah Hakh held a press conference online in Georgetown to accuse former Minister Nigel Dharamlall of sexually assaulting her in 2020 and 2021. She claimed the first incident happened during a business meeting, with Dharamlall in his role as Guyana's senior minister of regional development.
"It's crazy to me that he's still in that party," Hakh said.
Dharamlall, a well-known Guyanese politician, was recently appointed to the executive committee of Guyana's ruling People's Progressive Party. He has been photographed with President Irfaan Ali and Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo recently.
Denying the charges, Dharamlall posted a statement on his Facebook page: "I wish to categorically and most vehemently deny each and every one of the allegations made." He alleged that Hakh is trying to ruin his reputation and that her behavior changed toward him after he refused to engage in an intimate relationship with her.
CNN reached out to Dharamlall for comment and contacted President Ali's office.
Dharamlall quit Guyana's cabinet and parliament in 2021 after an indigenous teenage girl accused him of rape in an unrelated incident. After the girl retracted the claim and no charges were filed, Ali said in a video statement: "We did not intervene, from day one."
Red Thread, a Guyanese women's rights group, criticized officials for mishandling the situation: "The public nature of this complaint, the powerful political status of the suspect, the discontinuance of the matter at this early stage, and the haste with which this investigation was ended will reinforce the perception of impunity and inevitably discourage other victims of sexual violence from coming forward."
Hakh, once considered a rising star in Guyana, alleged that Dharamlall first assaulted her in 2020 when they met to discuss her taking a role as a regional executive officer. She claimed that Dharamlall took her into his bed at the Anna Regina State House, undressed, and forced oral sex on her without her consent.
At the meeting, Hakh told Dharamlall to stop and revealed she is a lesbian, stating, "This is not something I came here expecting to do and can't offer anything."
Hakh alleged a second incident happened in 2021 in the Cummings Lodge neighborhood outside of Georgetown when she went to discuss grievances with Dharamlall. According to her, Dharamlall attempted to remove her clothes.
Fearing police corruption, Hakh decided not to file a police report in 2020 or 2021 and feared being ostracized publicly and within her family, which did business with Dharamlall. She filed a police report on May 9 and cyberbullying charges against Dharamlall the day before.
Hakh feels compelled to go public with her story, saying, "I need to give victims the strength to know they're not alone, and that there is no shame in what happened to them."
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Despite the ongoing allegations against Dharamlall, he continues to hold influential positions in the political sphere of the Americas. The People's Progressive Party, a prominent political entity in the world, recently appointed him to their executive committee.
Source: edition.cnn.com
