(Trinidad Express) First it was the TV6’s offices last December, and now the police have stormed Newsday’s offices at Chacon Street in Port of Spain.
At approximately 10 a.m. yesterday, nine policemen attached to the Anti-Corruption Investigation Bureau (ACIB), led by Senior Supt Solomon Koon Koon, executed a warrant and searched the desk and computer of journalist Andre Bagoo, allegedly with respect to an article he wrote on December 20, 2011 about a row between Integrity chairman Ken Gordon and deputy chairman Gladys Gafoor.
Nearly two hours later, close to noon, the police were seen leaving Newsday with a computer reportedly used by Bagoo in their search for information about the sources he used to write his story. Police also reportedly went to Bagoo’s home and seized his personal computer as well.
After Bagoo’s story was published, Gordon had requested that police investigate a possible breach of the commissioners’ “Oath of Secrecy” because of the confidential information relating to the commission’s meeting on December 19 that had been revealed in the article.
Attorney General Anand Ramlogan yesterday said that Commissioner of Police Dwayne Gibbs should be called to account for the police exercise at Newsday.
“I want Gibbs to explain what took place and why,” said Ramlogan in a telephone interview with CNC3 yesterday evening.
Earlier, police public relations officer Sgt Wayne Mystar told the Express yesterday a team of officers went to the Newsday “to deal with some issues” and that the ACIB would be releasing a statement on the matter soon. Up to press time, no statement had been received by the Express.
During the weekly post-Cabinet news briefing at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s yesterday, Bagoo’s colleague, Clint Chan Tack, raised the issue of the raid. In response, Foreign Affairs and Communications Minister Dr Suruj Rambachan said it was the first time he was hearing about the incident but that the government “always and will continue to uphold the freedom of the press, and the right of the press to report in a fair and just manner.”
