ONLY IN TRINIDAD .......NEWSDAY JUNE 05, 2 K 13 AG, SURUJ HIRE PAMELA ELDER SC By Nalinee Seelal Wednesday, June 5 2013 click on pic to zoom in Attorney General Anand Ramlogan and Minister of Local Government and Works Dr Suruj Rambachan have retained the services of prominent senior counsel (SC) Pamela Elder in the ongoing email probe. Ramlogan and Rambachan had previously said they were to meet with the police on Monday but this meeting never took place. The interviews were deferred to yesterday, however events took a new turn when instead Elder contacted Deputy Police Commissioner Mervyn Richardson advising him she had two statements to submit on behalf of her clients, Ramlogan and Rambachan. At about 10 am yesterday, a team of officers led by Supt Baldeo Nanan went to Elder’s office in Port-of-Spain and collected the two written statements. Sources revealed that attached to the two statements were reports from two IT experts whose findings were that the email correspondence now being probed by the police was fabricated. The statements indicated Ramlogan and Rambachan were willing to make themselves available for interviews and to hand over any equipment from which they sent or received emails between September 5 and September 30 last year. This is the period during which emails were allegedly sent among the two ministers, as well as Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and her national security adviser Gary Griffith in a purported conspiracy to pervert the course of justice in relation to Section 34 and to commit murder. Persad-Bissessar is due to provide a statement to the police soon, although she has not said if she would hire an attorney to represent her interests. She told Newsday yesterday she received a letter from Richardson in which he asked for a statement and any equipment used to send or receive emails between September 5 to September 30 last year. However, because of her busy schedule last week with the visits of US Vice President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Persad-Bissessar said she was unable to provide a statement and hand over equipment to the police but intends to do so soon. “I have nothing to hide and my hands are clean, my heart is pure and I have all the confidence in the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, so I will be making available the statement and equipment to the investigators and I will cooperate fully,” she told Newsday. Persad-Bissessar declined further comment stating that because it was now a police investigation she could not divulge any further information. It was the Prime Minister who referred the matter to the police, after Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley disclosed the email trail in a 31-page document to the House of Representatives on May 20 during a no-confidence motion against the Government. In her rebuttal in the Lower House, Persad-Bissessar had described the email trail as a “total fabrication” and a “great deception”. Rowley has since been interviewed by Richardson and other investigators in the presence of his lawyer Faris Al-Rawi, a PNM Senator and the party’s public relations officer. The meeting was recorded and released by Al-Rawi as proof of Rowley’s willingness to hand over his computer once investigators submit a written request. Newsday understands Ramlogan and Rambachan decided to hire Elder based on the recommendation of legal luminaries who advised they should have legal representation as the police investigated the authenticity of the emails and allegations made about Government officials. Ramlogan and Rambachan, as they did in Parliament, denied the claims against them in their statements. Sources revealed that after the police collected the ministers’ statements from Elder, they met with Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Joan Honore-Paul who reviewed the correspondence and told the officers she will meet with them again to give a date when Ramlogan and Rambachan should be interviewed and for devices used to send emails to be handed over. Rambachan did not comment yesterday on the hiring of Elder or the statement sent to the police. Asked whether he had turned over his computers and smart phones to police investigators, Rambachan replied he had not met with the investigating officers. “I have not met with the police as yet. Mr Richardson was busy yesterday,” he told reporters after the sod-turning ceremony for the Brickfield Packinghouse at Torrib Tabaquite Road, in his constituency yesterday. Rambachan said the “best talent” should be utilised by investigators to “get to the bottom” of the email trail, commenting on plans by the police to bring in IT experts to analyse electronic devices. “It is a very serious matter where people have made serious claims against ministers of Government and even the Prime Minister and I think it is very important that the best resources be used in order to get to the bottom of this,” he added. Asked about the incident in which Richardson was heckled about the email investigation while shopping with his wife at a supermarket, Rambachan said, “I think it is very unfortunate when people descend to that level to attack the police in terms of the conduct of their duties.” “I have every respect and regard for the Police Service in Trinidad and Tobago. I think they have demonstrated a sense of independence in the past, I think they are not influenced by the politics of the day,” he said. The team of investigators spent most of yesterday reviewing statements already in their possession, including one given to them by Gary Griffith who yesterday confirmed he was interviewed at the Office of the Prime Minister. After he received a letter from Richardson requesting an interview, Griffith said he telephoned the lead investigator and arranged for officers to meet with him at 1 pm, last Wednesday. He said the officers spent several hours with him and at the end of the interview he provided a statement and handed over his blackberry phone and computer hard-drive. Griffith said the investigators acted in a professional manner throughout the interview. “I have nothing to hide and I was more than willing to provide the officers with any information and I am willing to cooperate with those officers anytime they may require further information,” he said. Griffith welcomed Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams’ decision to bring in foreign IT experts and added he will cooperate with all those involved in the probe. “I think that my actions speak for itself, I have the utmost confidence in the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and I want to advise all citizens that they should cooperate with the police in any ongoing investigation,” he said. Sources said the investigators are being guided every step of the way by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). DPP Roger Gaspard delegated Honore-Paul to advise the police since his name was called in the email controversy. Police said at the end of all interviews they will be teaming with the foreign IT experts who will be responsible for viewing computers and devices handed over by persons of interest in the probe. Richardson yesterday said several interviews are scheduled to take place in the coming days and advised that the public will be informed at specific times about the status of the investigation. On Monday, investigators went to the office of the Integrity Commission in Port-of-Spain where they met with registrar Martin Farrell and obtained the original email correspondence which Rowley sent to former President George Maxwell Richards. The former President had forwarded the email correspondence to the Integrity Commission but no probe was carried out. spacer
Posted on: Wed, 05 Jun 2013 21:49:31 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015