Deputy Police Commissioner Mervyn Richardson and his team of investigators have sought advice from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and senior counsel regarding their e-mail investigation.The T&T Guardian learnt the meeting took place yesterday morning, and followed interviews with several people named in the controversy.Contacted yesterday, Richardson refused to divulge any information about the investigation, except to say, "The investigation is at a very crucial stage right now."
Assuring that "all hands are on deck and are working feverishly to complete this investigation," Richardson said consideration was still being given to including foreign investigators to assist local agents.Reinforcing earlier statements that he would not run the probe in the public domain, Richardson refused to comment on the meeting with acting DPP Joan Honore-Paul.Honore-Paul will be assisting the police in the matter as DPP Roger Gaspard has recused himself because he too was named in the 31 e-mails which Opposition leader Dr Keith Rowley revealed in the House weeks ago.
During his debate on a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Rowley gave some of the contents of 31 e-mails. The e-mails addressed the Section 34 fiasco, offering the Director of Public Prosecutions a judgeship and the intimidation of a journalist who broke the story.The e-mails were purported to be from addresses belonging to the PM, Attorney General Anand Ramlogan, Local Government and Works Minister Suruj Rambachan and national security adviser to the PM, Gary Griffith. Persad-Bissessar and her Government has denied any knowledge of the e-mails, but the PM wrote to acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams, asking that it be probed. Williams in turn mandated Richardson to head the probe.
Richardson said while several interviews had already been done, there were several more to be completed,He refused to say who was yet to be interviewed, but said, "We are moving along and are focused on determining the matter."Calls to the cell phone of Local Government Minister Dr Suruj Rambachan went unanswered, whilst Attorney General Anand Ramlogan was unable to confirm any meeting.