Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley said acting Police Commissioner (CoP) Stephen William’s claim that the Section 34 e-mails were false was premature. Rowley said so in a news release yesterday after Williams’ remarks were published in a daily newspaper. He said he noted that Williams was not the lead investigator in the matter and his acting appointment was recently extended by six months. Williams appointed Deputy Commissioner of Police Mervyn Richardson to investigate the 31 e-mails which were presented by Rowley during the May 20 debate on a motion of no confidence in Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
The e-mails, Rowley said, were from addresses in the name of Persad-Bissessar, Attorney General Anand Ramlogan and other government officials. They spoke about threats to a T&T Guardian reporter and about moves to bug the offices of Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gaspard. The Government has repeatedly said the e-mails were fabricated. Rowley said yesterday it was curious Williams had chosen “not to identify what it was that he had before him which formed the basis for his conclusions, while at the very same time he admitted that the investigation was ongoing.”
He said he also noted that Richardson in another article admitted the investigation was hamstrung by not having the Prime Minister’s electronic devices and those of other named members of the Government. He added: “It is very noteworthy that the acting commissioner’s conclusion as to the authenticity of the e-mails has been made without resort to the servers. Williams’ ‘conclusions’ as to the authenticity of the e-mails are premature at best.” Rowley said he noted the article said the investigation was ongoing as to whether the content of the e-mails disclosed a plot to cover up the Section 34 debacle.
The Opposition had always maintained, he said, that the contents of the e-mails were “matters of a very serious nature and of grave public concern,” and that was why he had called for an investigation into the matter. Commenting on reports of monitoring electronic devices (bugs) having been found in the office of the DPP, Rowley said: “It would have been useful if, in like manner to today’s comment on the e-mails, the acting CoP would have been in a position to definitively rule that no such situation existed, as this is a matter which falls squarely in his department and for which an investigation was promised.” Rowley said the Opposition maintained the Integrity Commission, with its wide range of powers, was the proper body to conduct such an investigation and should proceed to do so forthwith.