The Integrity Commission has terminated its investigation of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar in relation to the emails presented by Opposition leader Keith Rowley in 2013, saying there are “no or insufficient grounds” to continue the probe.
Persad-Bissessar’s attorney Israel Khan, SC, confirmed last night that he received a letter to that effect yesterday afternoon from the commission.
Khan confirmed the situation following a press statement yesterday from the Office of the Prime Minister, which stated the Registrar of the Integrity Commission had yesterday written to Khan in connection with the Emailgate allegations.
The commission and the police had been investigating the Emailgate issue following Rowley’s May 20, 2013 presentation in the Parliament of emails which alleged a multi-pronged conspiracy by the PM and senior Government officials.
The emails purported to have emanated from those officials’ email addresses and alleged a conspiracy concerning the controversial Section 34 issue, including a plot to “harm” a journalist and also to “bug” the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). (See Page A10)
Rowley had called on the commission to probe the matter.
Persad-Bissessar, after hearing of the emails in Parliament, immediately sent a letter on the emails to acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams, stating: “The correspondence purporting to be email exchanges between government office holders, alleges serious criminal conduct. I hereby request that you cause an investigation into these very serious allegations and ascertain the authenticity of those emails and take such action as is required according to the laws of T&T.”
The police probe, headed by DCP Glen Hackett, is still ongoing. However, according to Khan, he received a letter via messenger yesterday around 3.45 pm from the Integrity Commission. In it, he said the commission, citing Section 34(6) of the Integrity Act law, indicated that it had insufficient grounds to continue the probe and it was dropped. Khan said he immediately sent the letter to the PM.
The OPM subsequently issued a statement which noted that Commission Registrar (Martin Farrell), in a letter captioned “Investigation into alleged ‘email affair’ by the commission, stated: “...The commission, pursuant to Section 34(6) of the Act is satisfied that there are no or insufficient grounds for continuing the investigation into the above matter and accordingly this investigation is hereby terminated.”
The OPM statement said the letter “effectively clears her and the Parliament of any impropriety with respect to the Opposition Leader’s ‘fake email’ allegations.”
Sordid period
According to the OPM statement, the Prime Minister said: “This is a major victory for the Office of the Prime Minister and the sovereignity of the Parliament of T&T. I am pleased the finding of the Integrity Commission has vindicated me. Of course I always knew that I had acted appropriately.
“Now we can move on to the real issue here. That is the Opposition Leader’s arrogant actions in misleading the Parliament and impugning members of the Government... If he will do this to the Office of the PM, what would he do to those less able to defend themselves? If elected, whom would he bully and harass?
“Now that the IC has pronounced and concluded their investigations, the country must move on to the real issues facing us and resolve to deal with the challenges that face us at this time. The Opposition Leader’s leadership is again called into question and once again it shows that he is unfit to lead our country.”
Saying she felt humbled by the ruling, the PM added: “I thank all those citizens for their deep concern and support during what has been a sordid period.”
Contacted about obtaining a copy of the letter, OPM officials said it would likely be released in Parliament today. Commission spokesmen and Farrell did not answer calls last night.
While the commission, which examined possible violations of the Integrity in Public Life Act concerning the emails, has terminated its probe, the police probe will have a different focus.
Recently, acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams told T&T Guardian what the police were examining were not electronic emails per se, but the email “threads.” Williams and Hackett didn’t answer calls yesterday.
Last week, deputy DPP Joan Honore-Paul had warned the PM and others about speaking about information received from the US Justice Department concerning email service provider Google and other experts’ opinions on the emails.
Both the PM and PP House leader Roodal Moonilal had said the documents had deemed the emails “fake.”
However, Attorney General Garvin Nicholas, in a strongly worded statement, had appealed to the deputy DPP to maintain the independence of the office.
He said he was particularly troubled by the tenor of Honore-Paul’s statement that “no man should be judge in his own cause,” which could leave a reader with the perception that there was a case to be answered before the courts. Persad-Bissessar also on Monday called on Honore-Paul to step aside from the Emailgate matter since her statement last week had demonstrated “a clear bias.”
Yesterday, Nicholas said he had not received any response from Honore-Paul or an acknowledgement of his statement or the Prime Minister’s.
Al-rawi wary of claim
Opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) PRO Faris Al-Rawi last night said there were still outstanding issues in the matter.
“The publication by the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) of a letter of advice from the Integrity Commission (IC) has not disclosed the parameters of the investigations pursued by the Integrity Commission,” he said.
“In any event, this publication must stand opposite to the press statement from the Office of the DPP last week when the population was informed that the Emailgate saga is far from over because it involves an investigation beyond the four corners of whether actual emails existed or not and poured into whether the substance of the allegations in the Emailgate saga were true or not.”
He said the statement attributed to the Integrity Commission had in fact left more issues than answers.
“One is left to speculate as to whether the commission confined itself to disclosures made by Google or whether it was broader and included investigations and statements from the DPP, Chief Justice, Special Branch and other interested parties.
“The PNM awaits the outcome of the police investigations as the nation is surely conscious that the office of the DPP would not make statements of the kind published last week, either glibly or capriciously.”