(Trinidad Express) Former National Security minister Gary Griffith has named Communications Minister Vasant Bharath as the minister who tried to influence him not to speak out in the alleged witness tampering matter involving fired attorney general Anand Ramlogan and Police Complaints Authority (PCA) director David West.
In his statement to police, Griffith said the move to silence him took place at a meeting on January 29 at the conference room of the Office of the Prime Minister in St Clair.
Griffith has also submitted to police text messages that were exchanged between him and Bharath on January 30 to support his claim.
The Sunday Express broke the story of the alleged witness tampering on January 25.
Both Griffith and Ramlogan were fired by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar on February 2.
The allegation levelled against Ramlogan is that six days before West was appointed director of the PCA he (Ramlogan) telephoned him and asked that he withdraw his witness statement in a defamation lawsuit relating to the failed extradition involving Section 34 applicants Steve Ferguson and Ishwar Galbaransingh in exchange for him being selected for the job.
Ramlogan has denied the allegation which is now the subject of a police probe.
The text messages were exchanged on the same day (January 30) West reported Ramlogan to the police.
Telephone records show that the text messages were from the same mobile numbers the Sunday Express have used to contact Bharath and Griffith from the time they were both given ministerial portfolios.
At the time the text messages were sent Griffith was still a member of Cabinet before being fired on February 2, 2015 by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar who said he had an obligation to tell her that he was asked to telephone West and find out if he had pulled back a “document”.
Griffith, who is a key witness in the matter, has dismissed the reason for him being axed from the Cabinet, insisting that he was removed because he did not agree with several Cabinet colleagues that he should deny the December 19, 2014 telephone conversation he had with West.
Griffith handed over the text messages along with two statements to police last week.
Text messages
The text messages exchanged between Griffith and Bharath commenced at 11.08 a.m on January 30 and read as follows:
Griffith to Bharath: Interesting that the same words being used by United National Congress (UNC) minions on the blogs is exactly what u used to try and influence and intimidate me not to speak the truth. I hope u all prepared to finish what u start. U all underestimating my capabilities
Bharath to Griffith: Wht r u talking about
Griffith to Bharath: Check blogs. Word for word
Bharath to Griffith: I don’t get blogs. I have not uttered a word to anyone
Wht does it say
Whatever it says I can guarantee u did not come from me
Griffith to Bharath: “Steups. Pile of crap from UNC that I should be fired. Why I didn’t report it etc. Nonsense. There was never anything to report
My statement drafted does not implicate or go against anand. It is my involvement in the matter
Bharath to Griffith: “I can assure u that has not come from me. And in any event my comments were y West didn’t report it…not you…. All I ask you was whether your partners at the oval would believe that u didn’t know what statement AG was referring to
Griffith to Bharath: “Ok. But exact angle being used by bloggers who are minions to the cabal
Bharath to Griffith: “I am not a member of the cabal….so i don’t know who they are. U need to look elsewhere…I would have hoped that u would have known me better than that….a little disappointed if honest
Griffith to Bharath: “So how you think I feel to be given the option to be thrown under the bus in an attempt to save anand
I hearing about firing all over the place. Up to now she has not even asked to see me to find out or the Commissioner of Police (CoP) who would confirm that I am not under investigation or implicated in any way. So I hope everyone treading carefully and looking down the road
Bharath to Griffith:Have u tried contacting her
Griffith to Bharath: Several messages. No response. I gave her my draft statement. No response
Text messages exchange ended at 4.09 p.m.
The meeting
On January 29, the day before the text messages were exchanged between Griffith and Bharath, a meeting was held in the conference room of the Office of the Prime Minister in St Clair while the weekly Cabinet meeting was in session.
Details of the meeting are listed in one of the statements Griffith handed over to police last week.
Griffith told police that Labour Minister Errol McLeod who was the acting Prime Minister at the time, Leader of Government Business and Housing Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal and Bharath were present at the meeting.
In his statement, Griffith also said that at no time did Moonilal and McLeod try to persuade him from doing what he intended.
Griffith further told police that both Moonilal and McLeod said “nothing of significance” but were observing.
An excerpt from Griffith’s second statement reads: “On Thursday January 29, 2015 I went to a Cabinet meeting which was to be held on the third floor of the Office of the Prime Minister located at St Clair. I arrived at the Office of the Prime Minister at around 9.50 a.m. and the Cabinet meeting started at around 10 a.m. The Cabinet meeting was being chaired by the acting Prime Minister Errol McLeod. At the meeting also were most of the other Cabinet ministers including Housing Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal and Trade and Communications Minister Vasant Bharath.
“At around 10 a.m. Mr Roodal Moonilal requested that I accompany him to the Prime Minister’s conference room which is situated on the third floor next to the Prime Minister’s office. I accompanied him to the conference room and I met the then acting Prime Minister Errol Mc Leod and Minister Vasant Bharath there.
“I cannot recall who stated that my presence there was to discuss my involvement pertaining to the investigation involving the Attorney General Anand Ramlogan (former) and the PCA director Mr David West. I informed them that I would be obligated to speak the truth and stated what I know pertaining to this matter.
“I stated that this meant that I will be obliged to state that the Attorney General Anand Ramlogan (former) did contact me to ascertain if Mr West had withdrawn a document which they had dismissed previously. I also told them that I didn’t know the specifics of the document. While there Mr Bharath stated let us walk this through. He (Bharath) said if I was aware of the implications which would take place if I pursue the matter in that direction and that it can affect the Government. I informed him that if the Government is affected I am not to be blamed as the inappropriate action was committed by the attorney