US information technology expert Jon Berryhill says the Section 34 e-mails presented to Parliament by Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley during his a no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister on May 20 are “fraudulent.” Berryhill was hired by Israel Khan, SC, who was retained by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar in the Section 34 e-mail matter, which is being investigated by the police. The Integrity Commission is expected to conduct its own investigation when a new board is appointed by President Anthony Carmona in a few days. “The analysis of this document provided overwhelming proof of its fraudulent nature,” Berryhill said. “There are many inconsistencies and questionable points that by themselves would easily lead any analyst to the conclusion that none of the documents can be trusted.”
Berryhill was expected to arrive in Port-of-Spain last night to release his forensic report and answer questions from reporters at a news conference at Khan’s office on Abercromby Street, Port-of-Spain, this afternoon. The e-mails from addresses of Persad-Bissessar, Attorney General Anand Ramlogan and other government officials spoke about alleged intentions of the People’s Partnership Government to tap the phone of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the intimidation of the Guardian journalist who broke the story about the early proclamation of Section 34 of the Administration of Justice (Indictable Proceedings) Act 2011. That legislation would have made it possible for two former financiers of the United National Congress, a member of the People’s Partnership coalition, to have their court matters relating to the Piarco Airport project dismissed. The allegations have been denied by Ramlogan and other Government ministers. The executive summary of Berryhill’s report said in part: “The authenticity of an e-mail message requires corroborating information from multiple sources. “If the authenticity of an e-mail is in question, a single-source printed copy would never be sufficient to resolve the issue,” it added. “The analysis of printed e-mails in the absence of other data can never prove its authenticity.”
Berryhill, in his report said, “If an analysis discloses multiple fatal flaws there can be no doubt the document has been tampered with and none of the documents (e-mails) can be trusted.” His report lists many of the irregularities and inconsistencies previously expressed by Ramlogan, including problems with the header and Ramlogan’s four-character gmail address. He listed the most significant fatal flaws and provided an in-depth analysis of each message in the report. In a brief interview with the T&T Guardian yesterday, Khan said Berryhill’s full report will be “devastating” for all who think the e-mails were authentic. The Guardian has been informed that Ramlogan has retained the services of Pamela Elder, SC, in the e-mail investigations.