Integrity Commission support police probe on leak of confidential information

The Integrity Commission in Trinidad & Tobago on Friday issued its own statement on the police investigation and the Newsday incident in which police siezed a computer hard drive and peripherals from the desk of reporter Andre Bhagoo and also seized three laptop computers from the home of the reporter.

Bhagoo had written a story about an alleged rift within the Integrity Commission involving the chairman, ken Gordon and the Deputy Chairman, Gladys Gafoor over the investigation into former Attorney General John Jeremie. 

The Integrity Commission asked for a police investigation of the leak of confidential information. Police asked Bhagoo to name his source. However the reporter refused.

The commission's statement is published below:

A free and independent media is one of the cornerstones of our Constitution and our democracy.

The Integrity Commission is fully committed to this fundamental concept and asserts that it must not be compromised in any way.

Equally, the Integrity Commission is a fundamental independent institution created by the Constitution. Its work is founded in its ability to preserve the confidentiality of matters before it so that justice and equity is served. This is a basic tenet of its operations.

The Commission regrets that this confidentiality has been compromised by an on-going and worsening pattern of leaks to the media over an extended period; conduct which is both destructive and illegal.

It has therefore been forced to request a police investigation to unearth the facts surrounding this systematic leakage and plug the leaks. The Commission is not in a position to direct the manner of this investigation.