DEREK ACHONG
A social activist has promised to pursue litigation over the disclosure of alleged communications from Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds and successive police commissioners over the fast-tracking of firearm user's licence (FUL) applications.
Vishal Persad, of the social media blog Millennials for Change, stated the position in a press release issued yesterday.
Persad noted that in July, he made requests to the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), the Ministry of National Security and the Office of the Police Commissioner under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) after reports of alleged communication among Rowley, Hinds and former police commissioner Gary Griffith.
He requested any messages that were sent between January 2020 and July, this year.
Persad noted that the OPM and the National Security Ministry acknowledged that WhatsApp messages are subject to the legislation, but the commissioner's office claimed that they were exempt from disclosure.
He pointed out that in its response the OPM stated that Rowley did not possess any messages relative to his request.
Persad claimed that Hinds' ministry acknowledged 92 related messages and confirmed messages that were purportedly sent to him by Griffith and published by the media.
However, he noted that the ministry refused to disclose one message related to Griffith's opinion on the conduct of senior police officers and 47 messages related to ongoing police investigations.
Persad raised concerns over the ministry's response.
"It is particularly troubling that the Commissioner has kept the Minister informed of live criminal investigations, as this relationship ought to be insulated from political influence," Persad said.
"The integrity of ongoing investigations is paramount to public trust, and any overlap between law enforcement and political communications raises serious concerns," he added.
Persad promised to pursue a lawsuit over the non-disclosure of certain messages by the ministry and the stance taken by the commissioner's office.
"This legal challenge is essential to uphold the principles of transparency and accountability in our government," Persad said.
Persad is being represented by Keron Ramkhalwhan, of JurisX Chambers.