The Trinidad and Tobago Police are investigating an allegation against another Cabinet minister in connection with the witness tampering scandal made by fired National Security Minister Gary Griffith in the defamation case brought by former Attorney General Anand Ramlogan against Opposition Leader Dr. Keith Rowley.
Ramlogan, who was also sent packing by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar recently, is under a police probe.
Griffith has named Trade and Industry Minister Vasant Bharath as the minister who allegedly tried to influence him not to speak out in the witness tampering matter involving Ramlogan and Police Complaints Authority (PCA) Director David West.
Griffith said the move to silence him took place at the Diplomatic Centre, St. Clair, Port of Spain on Jan. 29.
The allegation levelled against Ramlogan is that six days before West was appointed PCA director, he (Ramlogan) telephoned him and asked that he withdraw his witness statement in a libel case relating to the failed extradition involving Section 34 applicants Steve Ferguson and Ishwar Galbaransingh (two United National Congress (UNC) financiers) in exchange for him being selected for the job.
Ramlogan has denied the allegation, which is now subject to a police probe.
Police sources say that the former National Security Minister has reportedly implicated two other Cabinet ministers in the chain of events in the alleged witness tampering matter.
Griffith is alleging that Labor Minister Errol McLeod, Housing Minister Dr. Roodlal Moonilal and Bharath were present during a meeting he attended at the Prime Minister’s Office in Port of Spain on Jan. 29, while she met with the rest of the Cabinet in a separate room.
He said that neither McLeod nor Moonilal made any contribution in the meeting, but they would have witnessed the discussions between Bharath and himself.
An advertising executive Guyanese-born Ernie Ross is also implicated in the issue. He is accused of calling a meeting with Griffith and his wife, Nicole, at his Port of Spain office as a media adviser to the government but there was no attempt to change the veracity of the former National Security minister statement.
