The investigation being headed by Deputy Police Commissioner Mervyn Richardson into Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley’s e-mail claims must be immediately quashed and foreign experts appointed instead, as it seems to have been poisoned from the root. And questions also now arise as to whether there has been political interference in the probe, as Richardson has admitted to getting e-mails from Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to conduct the investigation.
Making the statements yesterday was Rowley’s attorney and public relations officer of the People’s National Movement (PNM), Senator Faris Al-Rawi, during a news conference at the Opposition’s office at Charles Street, Port-of-Spain. Rowley was absent as he was in Tobago, so Al-Rawi spoke on his behalf.
The Opposition leader was interviewed by Richardson, Supt Nanan, Insp Sylvester and WPC Maynard-Wilson from the Police Service’s IT Department at the Opposition office on Monday after the claims were made in Parliament last week.
The contents of the e-mails allegedly exposed a criminal conspiracy by high office-holders to discredit and physically harm a journalist who broke the Section 34 story, to offer the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) a judgeship to get him out of office and to accept payment from an unnamed person in exchange for freedom in relation to the Section 34 fiasco.
The e-mails were purported to be from addresses belonging to the PM, Attorney General Anand Ramlogan, Local Government and Works and Transport Minister Suruj Rambachan and national security adviser to the PM, Gary Griffith. Persad-Bissessar and her Government have denied any knowledge of the e-mails, but the PM wrote to acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams, asking that it be probed. Williams in turn mandated Richardson to head the probe.
Saying that during the interview Richardson was “waving e-mail information” Al-Rawi said: “He (Richardson) asked whether the piece of paper in his hand, which he waved, was the original copy. “I asked him what did he mean an original copy and I asked him where he got that from...He told me got it from the Prime Minister. “I cannot understand how DCP Richardson would have been satisfied to have received something from the Prime Minister. That is not proper.”
Al-Rawi also accused the police of leaking sensitive information about the probe to the media, adding that the investigation was “poisoned at the very root.” He also questioned Richardson’s capability, adding he was not the man to carry out the probe. “This is a prejudice of the investigation in a most fatal way,” he said. “An investigation must be done on a structured and disciplined basis. The minute you go on a fishing expedition you are on dangerous footing because you have gone beyond the parameters of the law.”
Rowley was asked by police officers on Tuesday to hand over his computer. He told them he was willing to assist with the investigations, but also asked the police to put in writing the basis for their request, Al-Rawi said. He added that Rowley never told the police he would not hand over his computer to them, as was reported in the Express yesterday.
Al-Rawi said during the interview, Insp Sylvester asked Rowley whether he would be willing to hand over his computer. At that point, Rowley did ask the police whether he was the subject of an investigation. “The response from DCP Richardson was Dr Rowley was not under any investigation. But Insp Sylvester’s point was Dr Rowley would want to show he had nothing to hide,” Al Rawi said. “Dr Rowley indicated he would be willing to assist in any regard.”
Richardson, he added, then said he would write to Rowley, following which Rowley urged Richardson to do so expeditiously. He said since sensitive information about the probe was now in the public domain, it raised questions about the efficiency of the police and confidentiality.
“The statements by DCP’s Richardson team could only be coming out of that camp,” he added, noting it was only after the media contacted him, that he had to clarify what occurred at the meeting because of its inaccuracy. He maintained that justice in this now controversial matter could only be served by bringing in foreign experts.