By Prior Beharry
GARY GRIFFITH did not attend a press conference that was scheduled for noon today at the Police Administrative Building in Port-of-Spain.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, he said, “I won’t be there.”
He said the Police Service Commission (PolSC) had granted permission for the conference to take place on Saturday and he also posted a photo of correspondence purporting to be from chairman of the PolSC Bliss Seepersad. See below:
Griffith said as the substantive police commissioner he could call a news conference.
In a release on Saturday morning, acting Police Commissioner Mc Donald Jacob cancelled the press conference that was scheduled for 12 noon Saturday.
The initial release was sent out on Friday, the Republic Day holiday, and Jacob went on the TV6 news that evening to say that he did not sanction that release which should have referred to him as the acting police commissioner instead of just stating his and Griffith’s names.
Griffith said, “I have decided to not attend as I do not seek to be part of anything that will further bring the TTPS into disrepute.
“This morning I was informed by the acting commissioner of police Mr Mc Donald Jacob that he will not be approving the news conference at Police Administration building. My training dictates that I respect his decision as he currently sits in the chair whilst I’m on leave.
“As I said just yesterday I have no fight with nor do I wish to fight with any independent institution in this country.
“Consequently I will not be attending any media conference today. I apologise to all media houses for the inconvenience this situation may have caused.”
The post was signed by Griffith as “Commissioner of Police (Ag).”
In an earlier post on Facebook on Saturday, Griffith said the communication by the PolSC to send him on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation by retired Justice of Appeal Stanley John was rescinded on September 23.
He said he remains on voluntary leave and continues as the acting Commissioner of Police of Trinidad and Tobago.
Griffith said, “In contrast to the misleading headlines of two newspapers, the focus should be on the fact that the P(ol)SC rescinded their instruction for me to remain on leave, and that in so doing, the P(ol)SC Chairman admitted breaches of proper human resource practices, and that she had no reason or justification to instruct me to remain on leave, thereby making my suspension null and void.
“Perhaps the reason for doing this, and avoiding going to court, is that the facts extracted, and minutes exposed, would be even more damning.”
Griffith’s application for leave to seek judicial review of the PolSC’s decision to send him on leave (which has since been rescinded) and for an injunction seeking to have the letter revoked which sent him on leave are fixed to come on for hearing on Monday before Madam Justice Nadia Kangaloo.
Initially the matter was fixed to be heard before Justice Rikcy Rahim. But activist Ravi Balgobin has filed an interpretation summons seeking to have the court declare that the PolSC did not have the authority to appoint Griffith to act as commissioner of police. That matter and Griffith’s application for the injunction was transferred to Justice Kangaloo who is the judge hearing the interpretation summons.
Griffith’s matter is scheduled to be heard at 10 am on Monday.
