After several months of investigating in illegal use of emails by former government members, TNT police have submitted their findings to the Director of Public Prosecution.
Emailgate
The Trinidad and Tobago police say they have completed their investigation into the so-called “emailgate” controversy in which several former government ministers had been accused of being involved in a sinister move to undermine the judiciary, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) and the media.
In the hands of DPP
Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams, speaking on a police sanctioned television show over the last weekend said the matter is now in the hands of the DPP, Roger Gaspard.
Sinister move
On May 20, 2013, then Opposition Leader Dr. Keith Rowley told Parliament he had received 31 emails purporting to show correspondence between then Prime Minister Persad Bissessar, then attorney general Anand Ramlogan, local government and works minister Suruj Rambachan and security adviser Gary Griffith, in a sinister move to undermine the judiciary, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) and the media.
Rowley told legislators that he had received the emails in December the previous year, from a “whistle blower” indicating how operatives within the government had sought to undermine those institutions. He said he had passed them on to the Office of the President.
Rowley said the emails, dating back to September 2012, were from people concerned with the government’s defense of the early proclamation of Section 34 of the Administration of Justice (Indictable Proceedings) Act that had the effect of allowing people, whose trial has not started after a 10-year period to walk free and a verdict of not guilty entered against their names.
Aimed at supporting part financiers
Critics said that the clause was aimed at supporting businessmen Ish Galbaransingh and Steve Ferguson, who have been described as financiers of the ruling United National Congress (UNC), the biggest partner in the four-member coalition government.
The two are facing fraud and laundering charges relating to the re-development of the Piarco International Airport in 2001. They are also wanted in the United States on a number of related charges.
However, the then government officials have all denied the accusations and Persad Bissessar and Ramlogan had sent pre-action protocol letter alleging that Rowley on May 23 at a public meeting continued to use the e-mails as the basis for his assertion.
