Kissoon claims Norton sexually harassed her; Norton says she will not drop out of re-election race – Demerara Waves Online News- Guyana

Last updated on Wednesday, June 19, 2024, 17:27 by Denis Chabrol

Politician Vanessa Kissoon of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) party on Wednesday accepted the challenge of her party leader Aubrey Norton to come clean about her sexual harassment allegations, claiming that the incident took place despite his vehement denials.

In response, Mr Norton told Demerara Waves Online News that Ms Kissoon’s claim that he showed her his gun and asked her for sex would not affect his decision to run for re-election at the PNCR congress scheduled to be held from June 28 to 30. “Absolutely not! I am running for party chairman,” he said.

The PNCR chairman said he would take legal action not only against party supporter Egland Gomes, who first posted the allegation on Facebook, but also against Ms Kissoon, who said the incident occurred in Mr Norton’s vehicle.

She did not say when or where the alleged threat was made, but said she never gave Mr Gomes permission to release details of a conversation she had with him in the presence of a third party. “Because my story came out without my having instigated it, and it was my right, I maintain that it was wrong, regardless of the motive. It hurts to be forced to confront this publicly because of someone else’s actions,” she said.

She did not immediately say whether she would report the alleged incident to the police.

On Wednesday morning, the PNCR chairman had described the “malicious and false” allegations as part of a conspiracy to target him as he has received the most nominations for the post of party chairman. “At no point was I involved in sexual harassment of anyone at home or abroad,” he said. He said Mr Sharma Sharma Solomon never asked him to take Ms Kissoon to Linden and they never went to the south-eastern town alone in a vehicle.

Mr. Solomon did not immediately answer calls or respond to messages.