Integrity Commission: Forced to request police probe media leaks

The Integrity Commission yesterday said it was committed to the freedom of the press in T&T. It said however that it was forced to request a police investigation into systematic leakage of information to the media. Following is the full text of the commission’s statement, which comes in the wake of police raids on the offices of Newsday and the home of its reporter Andre Bagoo on Thursday. A free and independent media is one of the cornerstones of our Constitution and our democracy. The Integrity Commission is fully committed to this fundamental concept and asserts that it must not be compromised in any way.

Equally, the Integrity Commission is a fundamental independent institution created by the Constitution. Its work is founded in its ability to preserve the confidentiality of matters before it so that justice and equity are served. This is a basic tenet of its operations. The commission regrets that this confidentiality has been compromised by an ongoing and worsening pattern of leaks to the media over an extended period; conduct which is both destructive and illegal. It has therefore been forced to request a police investigation to unearth the facts surrounding this systematic leakage and plug the leaks. The Commission is not in a position to direct the manner of this investigation.