Senator says PM was out of place in "probing" Kamla

Independent Senator Dana Seetahal said Friday Prime Minister Patrick Manning has no business investigating any Member of Parliament. Her comment was made in reference to Manning's disclosure on Tuesday that investigations have shown that Siparia MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar was receiving privileged information from the Integrity Commission.

"First of all I find that he's damn farse to be keeping an eye on anything of that nature, unless he had some information that there was something untoward," Seetahal said.

"If there was any thing untoward he's supposed to report that to the police and the authorities and let them do it. I don't know what keeping an eye on means, because if it means that he is taking his private security which is provided by the State then its misusing our resources and if it is not and it is some other way then I think he's wasting his time and this is not something becoming of a Prime Minister," the senator said.

Seetahal said she has confidence in both present and past chairman of the Commission and if there was a leak, they would have dealt with it.

She said the commission has treated matters professionally and to date she has not heard of anyone's confidential information in the public domain.

Bissessar has denied Manning's allegations and called on the Integrity Commission to respond to Manning's allegations and provide proof, if any, that he may have provided to support his claims.

Former Integrity Commission Chairman Gordon told the Trinidad Express he does not wish to make any comment on the matter and referred the paper to the current chairman of the commission.

"I have nothing to say whatsoever," he told the paper.

The Special Anti Crime Unit of Trinidad and Tobago (SAUTT) said in a news release Friday it was never instructed by Manning to investigate the Siparia MP.

The SAUTT response followed a report in the Newsday newspaper that it was the security body that instructed Manning to investigate Bissessar.

"The allegation is completely false. SAUTT has never been asked by the Prime Minister to carry out 'special surveillance' on Kamla Persad-Bissessar or any other member of Parliament," stated SAUTT.