Integrity Commission chairman Dr Eric St Cyr has said he has not thought about resigning following Government's criticism of comments he reportedly made about Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar's stay at a Tunapuna house last year. He said it was a "possibility" he could recuse himself if there was any Integrity Commission probe of the issue. St Cyr made the comments yesterday after Government criticised him. On Wednesday, Opposition Leader Keith Rowley said Persad-Bissessar might have breached the Integrity Act by staying at the Tunapuna house owned by her friend, Ralph Gopaul, after last year's general election.
St Cyr was subsequently reported to have said the current controversy about the award of a $40 million NP contract-in which Gopaul was a bidder-could have been avoided if Persad-Bissessar had stayed at a hotel. Yesterday, COP leader and Finance Minister Winston Dookeran headed a line-up of ministers at the post-Cabinet media briefing in Tobago to complain that Government had taken umbrage to St Cyr's comments and that St Cyr had brought the Integrity Commission into disrepute. Dookeran said: "I think it is more than improper for the chairman of the Integrity Commission to express a view that may prejudice whatever investigation ought to have taken place-admitting it is not being investigated and not the view of the commission-but saying it is his opinion.
"But by any aspects of legal, as well as ethical behaviour, this is a very improper statement. "We want to take umbrage at the chairman of the Integrity Commission going beyond the bounds and being improper, giving a position on a matter, or matters, which he says is not being investigated nor is it a view of the commission." Dookeran said the commission must be able to stand scrutiny at all times.
He said statements, like St Cyr's, would comprise the commission's ability to stand scrutiny of that or any other matter. Dookeran added: "We feel strongly about this, We feel the time has come to establish the process by which we can ensure the processes by which we can ensure the integrity of the governmental process is intact."
He said that required the work of all the scrutiny organisations, like the commission and others as well as the Government system, to ensure that was so. Dookeran said: "We take serious concern at the chairman of the Integrity Commission expressing a point of view, assuming it was indeed a point of view." Persad-Bissessar was absent from the briefing. Afterwards St Cyr said: "I should probably have not said anything." Asked if he would resign from the commission, he said he hadn't thought about it.
Asked if he would recuse himself from any probe, he said: "I don't know if I can recuse myself. It's a possibility but I don't know. Let it play out," adding he was not commenting further on the situation.
The Integrity Commission chairman, head of an independent body, is appointed by the President.
PNM MP Colm Imbert said, bearing in mind Government's concern about the situation, St Cyr should indeed recuse himself from any probe of the Prime Minister. Imbert added: "That's no big deal because there are several members of the commission. They will probably appoint an investigator for a probe so it will not be members who will do the groundwork, "The question as to whether he should have expressed a personal opinion or not is something that will be determined in due course as to whether people in his position are entitled to have a personal opinion, I can't say."
Imbert added: "If St Cyr had gone the other way and said there was no need for any investigation Government would have been jumping for joy. "But they have interpreted his comment to be biased when he is only expressing an opinion. "He was simply saying a public figure should be careful when they do things like that."