By Raffique Shah
May 24, 2015
If the adage “the law is an ass” is held to be true-and over the years, I have heard eminent persons, many of them lawyers, cite it as gospel-then I must confess that some very senior attorneys in this country are confusing me to the point where I am beginning to think that I am an ass, or they are a pack of donkeys.
Hear me out, eh, before you ask me to stop braying.
Continue reading The law is an ass
By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
May 24, 2015
Part of the glory of being a Trinbagonian is that someone always arises in our time of need. These are people who always place the needs of country before self, our communal health before blind egotism, and truth before falsification. On May 21, for yet another time, Sebastian Ventour, deputy chairman of the Integrity Commission and one of our distinguished citizens, rejected conformity to reaffirm the sterling quality of our personhood.
Continue reading Talking Loud and Saying Nothing
Ventour disagrees with Emailgate statement…
‘Time to stand up’
By Renuka Singh
May 21, 2015 – guardian.co.tt
Deputy chairman of the Integrity Commission, retired Justice Sebastian Ventour, yesterday resigned, throwing the body into disarray yet again.
In a telephone interview yesterday, Ventour, whose departure came a day after member Dr Shelly Anne Lalchan also quit, said he took the decision because he disagreed with the media release from the commission which had stated that the prolonged Emailgate investigation had been “terminated.”
Continue reading IC Deputy Chairman Ventour Disagrees, Resigns
By Multimedia Desk
May 20, 2015 – trinidadexpress.com
FORMER Attorney General and senior counsel Ramesh Lawerence Maharaj on Wednesday issued a statement related to the position taken by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar that she has been vindicated by the letter issued by the Integrity Commission, which terminated its investigation into emailgate. Maharaj’s position is that the letter is not a vindication, and it was premature of her to make such a determination.
Continue reading Ramesh: Not so fast, Kamla
By Anna Ramdass
May 19, 2015 – trinidadexpress.com
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar last night declared victory following the Integrity Commission’s termination of its investigation into emailgate.
She added this vindication was proof Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley was unfit to lead Trinidad and Tobago.
Continue reading Integrity Commission ends its emailgate probe
PM, AG on Emailgate counter-attack
By Yvonne Webb
May 19, 2015 – guardian.co.tt
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar last night called on Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Joan Honore-Paul to step aside in the Emailgate matter over a statement she made on the issue last week.
Her comments came hours after Attorney General Garvin Nicholas expressed his disappointment and concern over Honore-Paul’s judgment last week in criticising Persad-Bissessar for suggesting that she and her colleagues had been cleared in the probe when the case was still open.
Continue reading Joan out of line
By Richard Lord
May 15, 2015 – guardian.co.tt
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar yesterday admitted to becoming stressed out after reading the reports of Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Joan Honore-Paul criticism of her over the Emailgate probe.
She made the admission during a Mother’s Day function at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s.
The PM initially began by recalling to the gathering “all the good times and memories” she had as a child growing up. She then recalled a personal incident with her grandson, who had told his aunt that he was stressed.
Continue reading PM responds to Deputy DPP’s Emailgate statement: I am stressed
BY THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS
RE: INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE EMAIL DISCLOSURES IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES BETWEEN MAY 20, 2013 AND MAY 24, 2013
Through various reports in the electronic and print media, it has become obvious that certain correspondence from the United States Department of Justice, sent to the Police Investigative team through the Central Authority, has found its way into the hands of parties who are not members of the Investigative or advising Prosecutorial teams. While the articles are numerous, the following excerpts are instructive:
Continue reading Deputy DPP Press Release on ‘Emailgate’
By Irving Ward
May 14, 2015 – guardian.co.tt
Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Joan Honore-Paul last night slammed Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar for her suggestion that she and her colleagues should be cleared in the Emailgate probe, saying the police were far from done with their investigations and the case was still wide open.
She also chastised Persad-Bissessar for releasing contents of reports provided to the police from the US Department of Justice, saying that the treaty under which this information was provided prohibited anyone else other than the national security parties probing the matter to use it.
Continue reading Deputy DPP slams PM for Emailgate claims: No One Cleared
Risk consultancy on Rowley suspension
A global consultancy specialising in political and security risks has warned United Kingdom company BG Energy Holdings Group that the suspension of Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley from Parliament highlights a lack of reliable state administration and widespread disregard for the rule of law in Trinidad and Tobago.
Continue reading Disregard for rule of law in T&T