(Trinidad Express) Today could very well be D-Day for Integrity Commission chairman Ken Gordon.
Will President Anthony Carmona ask Gordon to resign or will he revoke his appointment? Or, will Gordon resign on his own volition?
The future of the embattled commission chairman remains uncertain as controversy continues to rage over his secret meeting with Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley.
The Express understands that following a meeting between Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and President Anthony Carmona yesterday, the President has called for a meeting with Gordon today but this could not be confirmed last night.
Meanwhile, the Integrity Commission advised the media via e-mail yesterday that Gordon would be holding a press conference today “for the specific purpose of addressing issues related to the chairman’s meeting with the Opposition Leader, Dr Keith Rowley”.
Hours later, however, the Commission sent another e-mail, cancelling that media conference.
“The Office of the Integrity Commission of Trinidad and Tobago has reconsidered the hosting of a news conference tomorrow, Friday, June 21. The Commission’s chairman, Mr Kenneth Gordon, will release a statement on the issues related to his meeting with the Leader of the Opposition tomorrow at 2 p.m,” the e-mail stated.
Persad-Bissessar yesterday kept the details of her hour-long meeting with Carmona close to her chest.
While saying that she was “not at liberty to discuss the details of the meeting”, Persad-Bissessar described it as “cordial”.
“I have no further statement on this matter, I raised my concerns with His Excellency and I am not at liberty to disclose the details of our discussion,” she said as she exited the grounds of President’s House in St Ann’s.
Persad-Bissessar was already in her official vehicle convoy on her way out, but stepped out to address reporters as she left President’s House.
The meeting, which was planned for 1 p.m. at President’s House, got off to the late start as Persad-Bissessar arrived shortly after 2 p.m.
There has been speculation that the meeting was held to discuss three appointments to the Integrity Commission to fill existing vacancies and Gordon’s secret meeting with Rowley.
Carmona had given a two-week deadline to make the appointments and that timeframe comes to an end this week.
“His Excellency is in the process of putting together that information and we should be hearing from him, shortly in writing before the end of the week,” Persad-Bissessar said.
Persad-Bissessar also denied that this was her first meeting with Carmona in over a month, saying that contrary to reports, they had “regular meetings”.
“Someone carried a report that the last time I met with His Excellency was May 8. That is totally incorrect. In fact, we meet regularly or we speak regularly and I was here just a short while ago in meetings. So it is not correct to say that more than a month ago I met with His Excellency. We did in fact meet in June on more than one occasion,” she said.
Persad-Bissessar has met with Carmona in the midst of a controversy over a secret meeting between Gordon and Rowley at Gordon’s private home days before Rowley was due to take his motion of no confidence in the Prime Minister to Parliament last month.
There have been several calls for Gordon to resign as a result.
Rowley has accepted blame for the meeting and Gordon has said he did the right thing.
