(Trinidad Guardian) The Integrity Commission (IC) is defending itself following Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s criticisms.
Prime Minister Rowley accused the Integrity Commission (IC) of “deliberately attempting to tarnish [his] reputation” by launching another investigation into him.
In a media statement on Tuesday, the Commission said, “While it is perhaps understandable for persons in public life to feel concerned or even irritated when asked to answer questions about the role that they may have played in the making of certain decisions, it is irresponsible to allow that concern or irritation to drive them to make accusations of collusion or mischief based on nothing more than the mere fact that they have been asked to answer questions.”
It noted Rowley’s statement in a Guardian article published on Sunday, “with concern”.
The article detailed that Rowley was being investigated after the Commission, of its own volition, decided to investigate the awarding of four state contracts to Rowley’s friend Allan Warner.
“The Commission has a constitutional duty to ensure transparency in decision-making. In discharging that duty, the Commission may be required to ask questions of persons in public life, such as the Honourable Prime Minister, about the role that he may have played in the making of certain decisions” the Commission said.
“It is my view that in the most incomprehensible of ways, the Commission in attempting to generate something here has based its actions on specifically four contracts, identified by the Commission. Two of these contracts were not done by Warner (as initially alleged by the UNC) and the other two are contracts awarded in Tobago by the autonomous Tobago House of Assembly” Rowley said.
He added that the Commission “clearly knows something that nobody else knows” and was awaiting the outcome of “their expedition.”
The Commission in response said, “The Commission has never acted in cahoots with anyone in discharging its constitutional duty. It must be understood that answering questions about the role that one may have played in the making of certain decisions comes with the territory, when persons enter public life.”
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