Like Prime Minister Patrick Manning said when he addressed Parliament last Friday on the controversial Chief Justice/AG/ DPP/PM subject, I am hereby making no attempt to pass judgment on the guilt or innocence of CJ Sat Sharma in this extremely unfortunate imbroglio.

But there are some issues that beg to be aired in the wake of Mr Manning telling the House of Representatives, “with a heavy heart,” that he had advised President George Maxwell Richards to appoint a tribunal to investigate certain allegations against the honourable gentleman.

I can assure readers that I have obtained advice from imminent counsel who assured me that despite Mr Manning’s gratuitous advice to journalists, commenting on the issue at this stage in no way violates the sub judice provision.

Out of an abundance of caution I won’t go into issues which strike at the heart of the matter at this time, but let us look for the time being at one salient point in Mr Manning’s address.

I am referring to his revelation that in order to ascertain the culprits responsible for the leaks to the media he recruited the assistance of two members of the London-based Scotland Yard.

Apart from the questions of who and how much was paid for this unsuccessful “assistance,” I would like Mr Manning or the Government’s spin doctor supremo, Maxie Cuffie, to please tell the nation under what authority this SY team carried out its assignment in Port-of-Spain?

It is no secret that Scotland Yard has absolute no investigative powers in T&T. Absolutely none! So was Mr Manning misled when he decided to bring the duo to undertake a virtually illegal exercise?

And I wonder if SY had informed Mr Manning or the Government that the Yard had no business snooping on anybody in T&T?

Remember the calamitous result when, under the first Manning administration, a team of SY officers was brought to Port-of-Spain to investigate allegations of corruption in the Police Service?

After being frustrated at every turn in the prosecution of their assignment, the officers put their tails between their legs and hightailed it back to London?

One would have thought that arising out of that experience another similarly stupid mistake was preventable. If I am wrong I want anyone including Maxie to tell me so.

I am amazed that such an operation took place and the officers of MATT have said not one word against what was a clear infringement of the legitimate duty of journalists.

Another thing that makes this illegal SY intervention suspicious has to do which of the parties “benefited” from the leaks.

Which one of the gentlemen was made to look “bad” by the leaks? We all know whose reputation took a beating from those leaks.

I don’t want to stray from the matter but why hasn’t the Prime Minister thought it fit to bring in SY to investigate why our police cannot put a handle on the spate of kidnappings in this country?

The whole thing stinks.

And I am wondering if Mr Manning, in taking that dubious course of action, wasn’t signalling the direction in which his preliminary investigation was taking?

Almost every day people are being murdered or snatched from their homes/business places or what have you, large sums of ransom are being paid and they cannot find at least one SY to help solve this problem?

Another “funny curious” aspect is how come the letter that former DPP Mark Mohammed wrote following the December 6 meeting with the CJ and the AG was not leaked?

Why?

My information is that if and when this matter goes further the citizens of this country would hold our heads together and bawl in shame because of the revelations that would come out.

If one should ask me, I was disappointed with the decision taken by the Prime Minister. I was hoping that in the interest of easing the racial charges and counter charges in the country, Mr Manning would have chosen to end this grievous episode sooner than later. If you know what I mean.

Mr Manning would have achieved statesmanlike stature if he had done the opposite to what he did.

I think that Mr Manning, without imputing improper motives, lost a golden opportunity to silence those in our midst who are saying that the action was racially motivated.

I know that no prime minister is permitted the luxury of taking important decisions based on fickle assumptions or sentiments of an emotional nature, and in this particular task he would have taken several important factors into the equation.

But the fact remains we have reached a critical juncture in one of the principal institutions of our democratic system and how it comes to an end is critical to our continued development and growth as a nation.

I am tempted to end by saying let the games start, but this is too serious a matter to be treated so flippantly, so I would simply say we anxiously await further developments.