Integrity Commission hands over emails to police: Report

The Newsday newspaper reported on Wednesday that police have received from the Integrity Commission a document containing emails allegedly written by top government officials.

Opposition leader Keith Rowley raised the issue of the emails on May 20 in opening debate in an opposition sponsored no confidence in the government. He claimed the documents were emails exchanged among the prime minister, the attorney general and others, including the PM's national security adviser.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and others named in the emails denied any connection to the documents and Persad-Bissessar immediately passed the matter to police for investigation. The persons named stated that the emails were bogus and pointed to several discrepancies.

Rowley claimed that the emails unveiled a major conspiracy by the government to eavesdrop on the Director of Public Prosecution and interfere in the judicial system as well as kill a reporter.

Despite the seriousness of the accusations he stated that he did not go to the police, choosing instead to hand the material to former President Max Richards on January 8, 2013, two months after he first received it. Richards subsequently stated that he send the documents to the Integrity Commission two months later, days before the commissioners left office.

Rowley has stated that there should be an independent investigation and stated that he has no confidence in the police to conduct such as probe.

Newsday said police investigators met with Martin Farrell, registrar of the Integrity Commission, for about an hour Wednesday and that Farrell handed over the documents to police. The paper also reported that Farrell told the police that the commission had not conducted any investigation of the matter.