(Trinidad Express) Seven directors of the board of Caribbean Communications Network Ltd (CCN) have received letters from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) requesting interviews on the issue of the airing of certain tapes on the Crime Watch programme on TV6.
CCN is the parent company of TV6 and the Express.
The letters, received yesterday, were signed by Ajith Persad, Acting Assistant Supt of Police with the CID, who himself led a controversial raid on the TV6 newsroom on December 29 of last year, seeking the tapes that were said to have aired on TV6 on October 24, 25 and 26.
The letters were addressed to CCN chairman Joe Esau, as well as directors Reginald Dumas, Kristine Gibbon-Thompson, Harold Hoyte, Tracey Bazie, Dawn Thomas and Faarees Hosein.
During the execution of the search warrant by the police on December 29, 18 police officers swarmed the TV6 newsroom searching for the tapes. Some employees reported being subjected to body searches by police officers.
The letter from Persad refers to the “matter under investigation involving the Crime Watch Programme on the 24, 25 and 26 October, 2011 hosted by Mr Ian Alleyne”.
Persad states that “pursuant to an investigation currently being undertaken, it has become necessary to conduct an interview with you, as it is alleged that breaches of the Telecommunication Act and the Sexual Offences Act were committed during the airing of the mentioned programme on CCN TV6.”
Persad’s letter states that the interview with the directors will be held under the purview of the Judges’ Rules, with particular reference to Section 22 of the SOA, Chapter 11:28, and Section 65 (b) of the TA, Chapter 47:31.
The letter, however, indicates that while the interview would be conducted in relation to those two sections, “the questions posed may not be restricted to these particular areas only”. It asks for a “timely response” to the request.