By Sue-Ann Wayow
SOCIAL activist Ravi Balgobin Maharaj is questioning why is former commissioner at the Police Service Commission (PolSC) Roger Kawalsingh refusing to say if he awarded the highest grade to Gary Griffith during his interview process for the Police Commissioner post.
In a statement on Wednesday, Balgobin Maharaj reminded Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi and Kawalsingh that he made an application under the Freedom of Information Act and that attorney Anand Ramlogan, SC, was acting legally on his behalf.
Ramlogan recently alleged that Griffith attended a birthday party at Kawalsingh’s home and alleged that Al-Rawi’s former vehicle was used as transportation. He questioned the reason for the visit and the links amongst the three individuals. Griffith said he stayed at the party for about five minute and used his official car.
Balgobin Maharaj asked, “Why is Mr Kawalsingh dodging the burning question of whether he gave the highest marks to Gary Griffith in his interview? If copying Gary was a mistake and he was simply replying to an email thread and the ongoing conversation was about the investigation into Griffith’s conduct by Justice Stanley John, it begs the question why was Griffith a party to this conversation?”
He asked, “Why would Ms Bliss Seepersad (PolSC Chairman) and Roger Kawalsingh be copying in and having such a conversation with Griffith given that he was the subject of the proposed investigation at the behest of the prime minister in his capacity as chairman of the National Security Council?”
Balgobin Maharaj stated, “I call upon Ms Seepersad to clear the air as a matter of urgency as tipping off or alerting someone to an investigation beforehand would amount to grave misconduct.”
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Griffith defended his visit to Kawalsingh’s home for a birthday party saying it was normal for him to be a visitor to people’s homes including Kawalsingh and and was invited to the homes of other commissioner and even Ramlogan’s on previous occasions.
Griffith said Ramlogan’s statements were simply to cause mischief and to have him ousted out of the top post permanently given that he was a key witness in a high profile case involving the former attorney general.
“It should be clear from his constant rants outside the court that he perhaps has an obsession to have me removed from office, and that he and his client in this matter are probably extremely close for him to have such an intimate interest in a court matter where he’s now trying to smear people’s character outside the court,” Griffith wrote.
Senator and attorney Jayanti Lutchmedial also said in a statement that she has no quarrel with Griffith but that she is concerned about political interference in the process.
She stated, “I have no quarrel with Captain Griffith. In fact, if the leaked opinion of retired Justice (Rolston) Nelson accords with the court’s ultimate finding, then my only issue is with the constitutional crisis created by PNM incompetence and their inability to make good laws.”
The matter involving Gary Griffith and the PolSC is before the High Court. Three PolSC’s commissioners including Kawalsingh have recently resigned.
