By Sue-Ann Wayow
THE Executive Council of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) is denying that any of its members have been interviewed by police in connection with the leaked audio tape.
The Office of the Chief Secretary issued a press release on Sunday declaring that a news report aired on CCN TV6 on Saturday was false.
The report stated that “Some members of the THA Executive Council have been interviewed by police.”
“This statement is unequivocally false, as no member of the THA Executive Council has been interviewed by any law enforcement agency up to the present date,” the release stated.
In the report, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Intelligence) Curt Simon answered “yes” when asked if members of the THA have been interviewed.
The Chief Secretary Office stated, “It is crucial to clarify that the members of the THA encompass its Presiding Officer, Assemblymen and Councillors. For absolute clarity, the 16 members comprising the majority firmly declare that they have not been subjected to any interviews conducted by law enforcement authorities.”
The THA executive is asking for a retraction and apology from TV6 for that report.
The release stated, “It is expected that responsible news reporting adheres to the basic standard of contacting the individuals who are the subject of the report, for their comments. If this fundamental principle of news gathering had been followed in this particular instance, TV6 would not have fallen into the regrettable trap of disseminating such an embarrassing error.”
The THA executive also maintained that it respects the role of the 4th Estate, but confidence in journalistic integrity must be preserved.
Chief Secretary Farley Augustine, while he admitted that the conversation heard in the audio tape was in fact accurate, it was not acted upon.
