(Trinidad Express) Integrity Commission deputy chairman Justice Sebastian Ventour yesterday tendered his resignation saying he was “flabbergasted” with the Commission’s decision to terminate its investigation into Emailgate.
Ventour invited the media to his St Joseph home yesterday after numerous requests for an interview. In the 19-minute interview he made it clear he was a man who stood on principle and could not stay with a Commission that misled the country.
The Integrity Commission, which has a history of being plagued with controversies, now faces potential collapse as prior to Ventour’s resignation, another member, Dr Shelly-Anne Lalchan, tendered her resignation on Wednesday.
However, when the Express visited Lalchan’s medical office at Endeavour Road, Chaguanas, yesterday, her relative said she was not prepared to speak at this time. He insisted that Lalchan’s resignation had nothing to do with Emailgate and it was a personal family issue that led to her decision.
Ventour on the other hand had no qualms in speaking his mind and dared anyone to challenge his position.
The retired High Court judge said the Commission did not sufficiently investigate Emailgate, adding that the content of the e-mails must also be looked into.
He repeated that the letter sent to Israel Khan SC on May 19 was “incorrect” and he himself was surprised to learn about it as he saw it on television.
In a letter dated May 19, 2015, the Commission’s registrar Martin Farrell wrote Israel Khan, SC, stating that pursuant to Section 34 (6) of the act, the commission was “satisfied that there was no or insufficient grounds for continuing the investigation” into Emailgate “and accordingly this investigation is hereby terminated”.
Khan is the legal counsel for Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and former attorney general Anand Ramlogan in the emailgate affair.
President Anthony Carmona appointed Justice Zainool Hosein in November last year to head the Commission with members Ventour, Lalchan, petroleum and environmental engineer Deonarine Jaggernauth and accountant Pete London.
Ventour disclosed the Commission held a meeting on Tuesday this week-the very day the letter was sent to Khan-and at that meeting he did not like the way the discussions were going and he left. He confirmed that Lalchan also left the meeting after him.
Despite two members walking out of the meeting, the chairman pressed on with the move to issue the letter to Khan.
According to Ventour, Emailgate is far from closed.
Efforts to contact Hosein yesterday proved futile as calls to his phone went unanswered.
The Office of the President is expected to make a statement today on this matter.
