By JADA LOUTOO Thursday, January 26 2012

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Gladys Gafoor...

AN ATTORNEY representing deputy chairman of the Integrity Commission Gladys Gafoor has written to Commissioner of Police (CoP) Dwayne Gibbs informing him that his client did not divulge information to Newsday reporter Andre Bagoo as to what transpired before the commission at its December 19, meeting.

Her denial is contained in a letter to the commissioner, a copy of which Newsday obtained.

Sittings at the Integrity Commission have been suspended, pending a report from Commissioner Gibbs surrounding an alleged breach at the commission, resulting in confidential information being leaked to a daily newspaper. The matter is currently being investigated by the Anti-Corruption Investigations Bureau.

The suspension followed a newspaper report highlighting the intensified stand-off between chairman Ken Gordon and deputy chairman Gafoor that has led to a pre-action protocol letter being served to the commission’s registrar Martin Farrell. The legal move against the commission followed the attempt to block Gafoor from deliberating on the land deal matter involving former attorney general John Jeremie. In his letter, Gafoor’s lawyer Israel Khan, SC, said he was flabbergasted that investigators probing an alleged breach at the body, has asked his client whether she had committed criminal offences.

The letter, although addressed to the Police Commissioner, speaks directly to Senior Superintendent Solomon Koon Koon, head of the ACIB. Khan noted that several attempts had been made to question his client in relation to the police’s investigations during which time Gafoor had asked whether she was a suspect in the matter.

“You indicated she was not,” Khan said. He pointed out that Section 20 of the Integrity in Public Life Act contemplates information pertaining to declarations submitted to the commission and the records in respect of those declarations and information relating them.

Section 35 contemplate the records of the commission and any information revealed by a witness or production of documents of witnesses.

“The Oath of Secrecy, taken by the Commissioners, does not cover administrative matters before the Commission. It appears to me that the contents of the Newsday article fall squarely within this ambit,” Khan said in his letter.

“Be that as it may, why zero into Justice Gladys Gafoor? One of your questions to her was: Do you have any information as to who may have provided this information? I guess that you will have to pose those questions you asked of my client to all other persons who were present at the meeting of December 19, 2011. You, yourself noted in your letter to my client, the other persons who were present at that meeting were chairman Kenneth Gordon, commissioners Neil Rolingston, Professor Annmarie Bissessar and Registrar Martin Farrell.”

The Newsday has reported on an ongoing row at the commission which has embroiled the constitutional body in controversy for yet another time in its history.

On December 20, 2011, journalist Bagoo reported on the row between Gordon, Gafoor, and commissioner Seunarine Jokhoo. Newsday carried reports that Gordon appeared to unilaterally accede to a request from Jeremie to have Gafoor and Jokhoo removed from a 20-month-old investigation into him (Jeremie), stemming from his role in a reported land transaction involving former Chief Magistrate Sherman McNicholls, who was once the key witness in proceedings aimed at removing former Chief Justice Satnarine Sharma.

Gordon later confirmed the story on live television during an appearance on CNC’s Early Morning Show, but the commission, on the same day, issued a press release denying the story. The paper subsequently covered reports that Gafoor and Jokhoo were later forced off the commission in relation to matters involving Jeremie after a vote was taken.