AG on Gordon’s statement: IC further compromised

Friday’s press release issued by Integrity Commission chairman Ken Gordon has further compromised the commission’s integrity and independence. Attorney General Anand Ramlogan was commenting on Gordon’s statement, which ended all speculation that he was not going to resign and instead stood firm to his position that his meeting with Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley at his Glencoe, home on May 15, was the rational thing to do.

Ramlogan said Gordon’s release raised more questions than answers because “it reinforced the public’s perception that he is unable to see the error of his ways. Mr Gordon has re-affirmed his commitment to doing things his way, regardless if it is right or wrong.

“What he should have sought advice on was whether he had any power in his own right as a mere member of the yet-to-be constituted commission. Had he been properly advised on this issue, he would have realised he had no power to exercise, in his own right, without the commission being appointed. Instead, he sought legal advice on whether the commission could investigate a matter when there is no commission.”

Ramlogan asked on what authority Gordon sought advice, why was it sought, and why was it released to the public at a time when the e-mail fiasco was backfiring and dying away? “Was he trying to give political support and credibility to Rowley’s allegations?” the AG asked. The commission’s work by law is secretive and confidential, he said. “Mr Gordon’s intransigence is damaging to the commission and will further erode public confidence. He has compromised the integrity and independence of the Integrity Commission.”

Ramlogan could not say if President Anthony Carmona had sought legal advice on the matter, but stated that he had “the power on certain grounds” to remove Gordon. Gordon’s wife Marguerite, who answered their residential line yesterday, said her husband was out of town and was experiencing problems with his phone.

Guardian