Murdered state prosecutor Dana Seetahal was never offered the job as attorney general, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says. The Prime Minister made the comment in response to a front-page report in the weekend Mirror, which based its story on an e-mail purportedly sent by Seetahal to an employee in the Ministry of the Attorney General six days before she was killed. Asked on Saturday whether she had ever offered Seetahal the job as attorney general to replace Anand Ramlogan, the Prime Minister responded, “Not true.”
Also contacted for comment, the employee allegedly involved in the dialogue with Seetahal, Cecly Ann Mitchell, the former director of communications at the ministry, said all e-mails exchanged between herself and Seetahal “were work related, public and the contents were often shared with other members of staff.” The removal of Ramlogan had been bandied about as a possible motive for Seetahal’s killing after the story was reported on the weekend.
But yesterday, Mitchell suggested to the police probing the case that a search of the computer server at the Ministry of the Attorney General could clear up any ambiguity on the contents of the e-mails she exchanged with Seetahal. She said her “working relationship” with Seetahal was “initiated by the former AG Anand Ramlogan” with respect to organising a workshop on plea bargaining for criminal matters in April 2014.
But Mitchell said she demitted office in October 2014 and no longer had access to the e-mails she exchanged with Seetahal. Ramlogan resigned on February 2 in the face of allegations that he attempted to influence Director of the Police Complaints Authority David West to withdraw his witness statement in a civil lawsuit in support of Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley. He was replaced by Garvin Nicholas.
Ramlogan mum
Contacted on Saturday as well, former attorney general Ramlogan offered no comment on the Mirror story. A source close to Seetahal’s family also dismissed the story, saying that she would have never accepted a “political appointment.” One close relative said yesterday that Seetahal also never mentioned anything about an offer from the prime minister to be attorney general, and if such an offer was made, she would never accepted it because it would have meant she would no longer be independent.
The family source said the first part of the e-mail “sounds genuine” but noted Seetahal would never have had to tell someone she trusted to keep their conversation private. “The second part does not sound like her,” the relative said. The T&T Guardian has obtained what appears to be an e-mail submitted by Seetahal to Mitchell on April 29, 2014. The e-mail bears some resemblance to one published by the Mirror newspaper but differs significantly.
In a response to a text message yesterday, Irene Medina, the editor of the Mirror newspaper and the author of the story, said she was standing by her story.
Woodbrook ambush
Dana Seetahal, 58, was shot dead on May 4, 2014 after she left the Ma Pau Casino in Woodbrook. She was followed by her killers and intercepted near the Woodbrook Youth Facility on Hamilton Holder Street. She was shot five times at close range with a handgun, forensic investigations revealed. Seetahal, a former Independent Senator, newspaper columnist, law association president, and a leading advocate in high-profile criminal prosecutions for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, had been threatened by a radical Islamic group in the past.
A letter sent to Justice Mark Mohammed, signed by more than 100 prisoners, claiming that they are being persecuted because of the Muslim faith, is among the items being investigated by police as they try to find a motive behind her murder, reliable sources have said. The Police Service has made Seetahal’s investigation its number one priority and acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams said recently that the investigation was nearing completion.
The e-mails
Published by the Mirror newspaper
From: Dana Seetahal danaseetahal@gmail.com
Date:Tue, Apr 29, 2014 at 5.59 PM
Subject: Thanks
To:-----
Dear ------
This is just a note to say thanks for all you did to make the Workshop the success it was and for your words of advice on the other matter. I am relying on your professionalism and integrity to keep our conversation private. As I indicated-----there are issues I must consider before I accept that offer. I certainly don’t want to you to be caught in the cross fire.
I appreciate it.
DSS
Dana S Seetahal SC
El Dorado Chambers
120A St Vincent Street
Port of Spain
(p) 868 625 0552
(f) 868 627 9782
Obtained from Dana Seetahal’s
e-mail archive
From: Dana Seetahal <danaseetahal@gmail.com>
Date: 29 April 2014 at 17:59
Subject: Thanks
To: Cecly Ann Mitchell <ceclyannmitchell@gmail.com>
Dear Cecly
This is just a note to say thanks for all you did to make the Workshop the success it was.
I appreciate it.
DSS
Dana S. Seetahal SC
El Dorado Chambers
120A St Vincent Street
Port of Spain
(p) 868 625-0552
(f) 868 627-9782