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| PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar: "I am of the opinion that persons unknown (at this point in time) have hatched a nefarious and diabolical plot to damage and scandalise my good name..." |
However she said due to the sensitive nature of her position as PM and chair of the National Security Council her lawyer and an IT expert must be present when police examine the devices.
In a letter to the lead investigator dated June 10, 2013 she said:
"I am the Chairman of the National Security Council and there is sensitive data on the said electronic devices concerning the safety and security of the State and other matters of a confidential nature and, I am advised by Senior Counsel that the police investigators in this matter should only examine and inspect the said electronic devices used by me for the month of September, 2012 in the presence of my attorney, my IT expert and myself."
She also made it clear that she had nothing to do with any exchange of emails as stated by opposition leader Keith Rowley.
"I wish to emphatically and categorically state that I did not send or receive any such emails as alluded to by the Leader of the Opposition, Dr. Keith Rowley," Persad-Bissessar said.
In a letter to the lead investigator dated June 10, 2013 she said:
"I am the Chairman of the National Security Council and there is sensitive data on the said electronic devices concerning the safety and security of the State and other matters of a confidential nature and, I am advised by Senior Counsel that the police investigators in this matter should only examine and inspect the said electronic devices used by me for the month of September, 2012 in the presence of my attorney, my IT expert and myself."
She also made it clear that she had nothing to do with any exchange of emails as stated by opposition leader Keith Rowley.
"I wish to emphatically and categorically state that I did not send or receive any such emails as alluded to by the Leader of the Opposition, Dr. Keith Rowley," Persad-Bissessar said.
She called Rowley's attempts to involve in a plot "a nefarious and diabolical plot to damage and scandalise my good name and to bring the Office of the Prime Minister and the Government into odium, hatred and ill-repute."
The PM's letter is reproduced below:
"I am the Prime Minister of The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. When I took the oath of office on the 26th May 2010, I swore on the Holy Bhagavad Gita to uphold the Constitution and the law and do right to all manner of people without fear or favour, attention or ill-will. I have conscientiously, impartially and to the best of my ability, been discharging my duties as Prime Minister in this regard. I wish also to state that I have been an Attorney-at-Law for the past twenty-six (26) years during which time my character has been impeccable and, I have maintained a strong commitment to honesty, fair-play and justice for all.
"I wish to place on record that from the very inception of my Government, the Leader of the Opposition, Honourable Dr. Keith Rowley had been predicting the downfall of the duly elected Government. Several unfounded criticisms have been levelled in Parliament against the Government and in particular the Prime Minister and Attorney General in various 'No Confidence Motions’, filed by the Leader of the Opposition. I viewed the unfounded criticism as the normal cut and thrust of the politics in our parliamentary democracy.
But during the last ‘No Confidence Motion’ filed by Dr. Keith Rowley in the House of Representatives, he stated on Monday 20th May, 2013 that he had in his possession a document which revealed thirty-one (31) email messages involving the Prime Minister, the Attorney General and other Ministers, and a Public Official which connected us to a wheel "criminal conspiracy". Indeed he stated that "the Government of Trinidad and Tobago was engaged in criminal conspiracy", (Source: Hansard, Dr. Keith Rowley, House of Representatives, May 20th 2013).
He stated to the country at large, under the protection of parliamentary privilege, that the aforementioned persons were involved in conspiracies to murder, pervert the course of justice, to spy on the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) and procure from the Chief Justice a "Judgeship" for the DPP in order to remove him from the Office of the DPP. There were several other allegations of criminal acts.
The PM's letter is reproduced below:
"I am the Prime Minister of The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. When I took the oath of office on the 26th May 2010, I swore on the Holy Bhagavad Gita to uphold the Constitution and the law and do right to all manner of people without fear or favour, attention or ill-will. I have conscientiously, impartially and to the best of my ability, been discharging my duties as Prime Minister in this regard. I wish also to state that I have been an Attorney-at-Law for the past twenty-six (26) years during which time my character has been impeccable and, I have maintained a strong commitment to honesty, fair-play and justice for all.
"I wish to place on record that from the very inception of my Government, the Leader of the Opposition, Honourable Dr. Keith Rowley had been predicting the downfall of the duly elected Government. Several unfounded criticisms have been levelled in Parliament against the Government and in particular the Prime Minister and Attorney General in various 'No Confidence Motions’, filed by the Leader of the Opposition. I viewed the unfounded criticism as the normal cut and thrust of the politics in our parliamentary democracy.
But during the last ‘No Confidence Motion’ filed by Dr. Keith Rowley in the House of Representatives, he stated on Monday 20th May, 2013 that he had in his possession a document which revealed thirty-one (31) email messages involving the Prime Minister, the Attorney General and other Ministers, and a Public Official which connected us to a wheel "criminal conspiracy". Indeed he stated that "the Government of Trinidad and Tobago was engaged in criminal conspiracy", (Source: Hansard, Dr. Keith Rowley, House of Representatives, May 20th 2013).
He stated to the country at large, under the protection of parliamentary privilege, that the aforementioned persons were involved in conspiracies to murder, pervert the course of justice, to spy on the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) and procure from the Chief Justice a "Judgeship" for the DPP in order to remove him from the Office of the DPP. There were several other allegations of criminal acts.
I wish to emphatically and categorically state that I did not send or receive any such emails as alluded to by the Leader of the Opposition, Dr. Keith Rowley.
Indeed I am of the opinion that persons unknown (at this point in time) have hatched a nefarious and diabolical plot to damage and scandalise my good name and to bring the Office of the Prime Minister and the Government into odium, hatred and ill-repute.
Consequently, I welcome this investigation. You will recall that it was I, as Prime Minister and Leader of the Government, who reported this matter to the police within hours of the unprecedented and scandalous revelation of these false allegations.
Thus, I will readily adhere to the request made by the Deputy Commissioner of Police Mr. Mervyn Richardson that I make available to the police investigators the electronic devices used by me to send and receive emails during the month of September, 2012, but, I am constrained to do so in the presence of my Attorney-At-Law and my Information Technology (IT) expert.
I am the Chairman of the National Security Council and there is sensitive data on the said electronic devices concerning the safety and security of the State and other matters of a confidential nature and, I am advised by Senior Counsel that the police investigators in this matter should only examine and inspect the said electronic devices used by me for the month of September, 2012 in the presence of my attorney, my IT expert and myself.
Senior Counsel is of the opinion that this modus operandi of inspecting and examining the electronic devices will afford not only protection for the integrity of my electronic devices, but for the police investigation.
Such an exercise in Senior Counsel's view will ensure that the inspection and examination of the said electronic devices remain transparent and aboveboard for all concerned.
I offer my full cooperation in the police investigation into this matter and hope and pray that the police will soon discover the perpetrators of the wicked and malicious falsehoods made by the Leader of the Opposition, the Hon. Dr. Keith Rowley.
I am also advised by Senior Counsel to attach to my statement a report which he commissioned from Mr Jon Berryhill, a computer forensic investigator, of Berryhill Computer Forensics Inc. based in the United States, vis–à–vis the authenticity of the purported emails disclosed by Dr. Rowley.
I am very much obliged and if there is any other assistance I can render to you in your investigation into this matter please feel free to contact me via my Permanent Secretary or my Attorney-at-Law, Mr. Israel B. Khan SC.
Sincerely, Kamla Persad-Bissessar SC
Dated this 10th day of June, 2013.
Senior Counsel is of the opinion that this modus operandi of inspecting and examining the electronic devices will afford not only protection for the integrity of my electronic devices, but for the police investigation.
Such an exercise in Senior Counsel's view will ensure that the inspection and examination of the said electronic devices remain transparent and aboveboard for all concerned.
I offer my full cooperation in the police investigation into this matter and hope and pray that the police will soon discover the perpetrators of the wicked and malicious falsehoods made by the Leader of the Opposition, the Hon. Dr. Keith Rowley.
I am also advised by Senior Counsel to attach to my statement a report which he commissioned from Mr Jon Berryhill, a computer forensic investigator, of Berryhill Computer Forensics Inc. based in the United States, vis–à–vis the authenticity of the purported emails disclosed by Dr. Rowley.
I am very much obliged and if there is any other assistance I can render to you in your investigation into this matter please feel free to contact me via my Permanent Secretary or my Attorney-at-Law, Mr. Israel B. Khan SC.
Sincerely, Kamla Persad-Bissessar SC
Dated this 10th day of June, 2013.
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