THE COUNCIL of the Law Association a statutory body established, - TopicsExpress

THE COUNCIL of the Law Association a statutory body established, among other things, “to protect and assist the public in Trinidad and Tobago in all matters relating to the law” yesterday condemned as “wrong and highly improper” the meeting between Integrity Commission chairman Ken Gordon and Opposition and PNM political leader Dr Keith Rowley at Gordon’s private residence on May 15 in the absence of the Commission Registrar. The Association noted that the matter involved the chairman meeting with a complainant at home to discuss matters reportedly before the Commission. “It is wrong and highly improper for the chairman of the Integrity Commission to meet privately with a complainant,” the body said in a press release. The Association advised that provisions of the Integrity in Public Life Act – the legislation that governs the Integrity Commission – bar a chairman from conduct which affords undue preferential treatment to any individual. “We remind the Integrity Commission, and in particular, the Chairman, that they are bound by the Sections 24 (1) (a) and (b) of the Integrity in Public Life Act which provide that a person holding public office, including the Chairman, shall be fair and impartial in exercising his public duty and afford no undue preferential treatment to any group or individual,” the Association said. “The Council states further that the Integrity Commission has an integral part to play in serving the public interest. In order to do so it is vital that the Commission conducts itself with the highest degree of propriety.”