Police Complaints Authority (PCA) chairman David West has “blanked” COP leader Prakash Ramadhar’s bid to intervene in the issue concerning West and Attorney General Anand Ramlogan and Ramadhar’s attempt to speak to West on the matter.
The AG is at the centre of witness-tampering allegations that six days before West was appointed PCA director, Ramlogan asked him to withdraw his witness statement in the defamation lawsuit involving PNM’s Keith Rowley, relating to the failed extradition concerning Section 34 applicants Steve Ferguson and Galbaransingh, in exchange for West being selected for the PCA job.
The Congress of the People’s executive met Monday on the matter and Ramadhar issued a statement saying:
“Notwithstanding much of the noise surrounding the issue in the public domain, the COP renews its call for clarity and truth in prompt fashion so as to erase suspicions of guilt where they do not belong and to expose guilt where it exists.
“The fact is some extremely strong allegations were made by a newspaper regarding two senior public office holders and what must be done now in the interest of fairness and justice is to identify where the truth rests.
“If there’s no truth to the article then action must be taken against the media house and the journalist where libel, slander, defamation and criminal conduct is concerned.“
He said: “The COP remains committed to truth and justice but also to fairness and ethics in all our public exchanges where reputations and characters are concerned.
“With that in mind, I have already spoken to the Attorney General on the issue and have extended an invitation to the Director of the PCA for discussions aimed at clearing the air on this matter and bring it to a conclusion once and for all.”
COP officials said it was felt that while the PCA was independent, Ramadhar’s Legal Affairs Ministry had oversight.
But hours after, West declined the invitation to meet with Ramadhar. He responded in writing to Ramadhar explaining in detail his reasons for declining the invitation.
West stated that the “allegation of misconduct” was being levied against the Attorney General and did not relate to the PCA or the director of the PCA in his performance of the functions of that office, as the matter which is being ventilated in the public domain was not relevant to the office of the director of the PCA but to West in his personal capacity.
West reminded Ramadhar of the independence of the PCA. He referenced Section 19 of the Police Complaints Authority Act, which states:
“The authority is not subject to the direction or control of any other person in the performance of its functions under Section 21 and the exercise of its powers under Section 22.”
West reiterated that the PCA did not have a line ministry and was not a department, division nor statutory authority of the Ministry of Legal Affairs.
West added that the PCA was an independent, corporate body accountable to the Parliament of T&T and that the minister’s responsibility must be understood as limited to speaking on behalf of the authority in accordance with parliamentary custom or practice and no more.
West assured Ramadhar that the PCA remained committed to delivering its mandate to the public.
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Ramlogan said he spoke with Ramadhar on Monday and repeated statements refuting and denying the allegations which he deemed “spurious.”
Asked if he would sue the newspaper in which the allegations were made, Ramlogan said he had refrained from suing the media in his term in recognition of freedom of the press and to “avoid being athe obvious bias on the part of some in the media.
“I’ll take it one day at a time. My primary concern is for the defamation case to be tried ASAP,” he said, adding his relationship with West was cordial and professional.