The Privileges Committee of Parliament will have to meet and discuss an alleged incident that took place in the precincts of Parliament during the debate on the motion of no confidence in Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
Opposition Leader Keith Rowley reported the matter to Speaker Wade Mark, who ruled on the matter just before the close of the sitting on Saturday afternoon.
The matter involved Opposition MP Donna Cox.
Mark stated, “The issue raised by the member for Diego Martin West (Rowley), if it did indeed occur, is cause for the intervention of this Honorable House.
"Members of this House must be free to go about their legitimate business in this House and its precincts, without being intimidated, harassed or molested in any way, either by another Member or by any other person.
"I therefore rule that a Prima Facie case has been made out for this matter to warrant investigation by the Committee of Privileges, and I so rule.”
The person who has been accused in the incident is Gary Griffith, National Security Adviser to the Prime Minister. However Griffith has told the media that he is not the one to blame.
Opposition Leader Keith Rowley reported the matter to Speaker Wade Mark, who ruled on the matter just before the close of the sitting on Saturday afternoon.
The matter involved Opposition MP Donna Cox.
Mark stated, “The issue raised by the member for Diego Martin West (Rowley), if it did indeed occur, is cause for the intervention of this Honorable House.
"Members of this House must be free to go about their legitimate business in this House and its precincts, without being intimidated, harassed or molested in any way, either by another Member or by any other person.
"I therefore rule that a Prima Facie case has been made out for this matter to warrant investigation by the Committee of Privileges, and I so rule.”
The person who has been accused in the incident is Gary Griffith, National Security Adviser to the Prime Minister. However Griffith has told the media that he is not the one to blame.
Griffith said he did not threaten Cox and stated that security cameras will tell the story.
“The incident that took place at level 2 and level 3, there are security cameras placed there, and it will show, in no uncertain way, that at no time did I ever confront Ms. Cox," he said.
“The incident that took place at level 2 and level 3, there are security cameras placed there, and it will show, in no uncertain way, that at no time did I ever confront Ms. Cox," he said.
"No time did I ever abuse her or move towards her in any way. I was speaking to Mr. Browne, I walked away, Ms. Cox was in the elevator, she started cursing me.
"When I went up to the second level heading to the dining room, she came out of the elevator and she continued to curse me to the point that a member of the media was also there and he actually said in the presence of myself and Minister Warner he never thought that such filth could come out the mouth of a female.”
Griffith said he made an official report to the police on the matter in which he expressed concern about MPs abusing civilians.
Griffith said he made an official report to the police on the matter in which he expressed concern about MPs abusing civilians.
He asked, "If citizens are abused by Parliamentarians in the corridors of Parliament, what happens with them?”
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