President Anthony Carmona says “unwarranted attacks” which seek to bring members of his family and his office into disrepute will not be tolerated. A statement from his office yesterday confirmed a CNC3 report on Tuesday that attorneys representing his wife, Reema, had sent a pre-action protocol letter to comedienne and radio talk show host Rachel Price last Friday over alleged defamatory and offensive statements related to the First Lady’s attire at the UN last month.
The constitutional right of freedom of expression was not a licence to defame, the statement said. “The Office of the President respects and values the constitutional right of every individual to freedom of expression and the principles of fair comments. Freedom of the press remains sacrosanct,” the statement said.
It said the pre-action protocol letter was issued on the advice of Senior Counsel and was in respect of defamatory statements only. “The Office of the President will be vigilant to protect the dignity of Office of the President and ensure that the citizens of the Republic of T&T continue to maintain respect for the office,” the statement said. During her radio programme yesterday, Price said she was yet to get the letter. But saying it was an attack on freedom of speech and her right to speak on a public figure and on an incident which drew public attention and comment, Price vowed to fight it in court.
