Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley has completely shut down suggestions that there’s an attempt by his government to force DPP Roger Gaspard out of his position and says nothing is further from the truth.

To the issue of understaffing at the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Prime Minister says the government is exploring the possibility of sourcing foreign attorneys as many of this country’s top lawyers are in private practice.

Dr. Rowley was speaking at Thursday’s Post Cabinet media briefing.

Dr Rowley said, “I made no allegation against any person. I made a statement of fact about a Government tenancy in a private building that was rented by contract for three years for a particular purpose.

I also mentioned that somewhere between the Office of the DPP and the Special Branch there was some issue … but the end result of that is that the building had not been used for over three years.”

The Prime Minister highlighted that it cost taxpayers $45 million to outfit and lease the currently unoccupied building.

Dr Rowley noted that “it is not correct for the Guardian to say that some allegation made against somebody by the Prime Minister is what caused the DPP to be responding. The record will show that the DPP spoke on i95 on the 8th of March … I spoke on the 9th. So how could the DPP be responding to allegations made by the Prime Minister?”

Prime Minister Rowley maintained that the Government remains committed to pursuing white-collar crime in Trinidad and Tobago. He said, “we will continue and where there is a basis for investigation we will investigate. We will make it available to the police and let it go down that road.”