Commissioner of Police, Mr Gary Griffith,  who is currently on vacation leave and is out of Trinidad and Tobago is being asked, along with Minister of National Security Stuart Young, to provide feedback and an explanation for the police exercise at the Trinidad Express “in the public’s best interest of understanding what transpired and why”.

This is from the Trinidad & Tobago Publishers & Broadcasters Association (TTPBA)  which issued a statement on Thursday expressing alarm about the recent search and raid at the office of the Editor in Chief of the Trinidad Express on Wednesday.

The TTPBA’s statement follows a late-night order from a High Court judge which restrained agents of the Police Service from reentering Express House in Port of Spain to conduct any further searches. The search followed the publication of a story by journalist Denyse Renne in last Sunday’s Express headlined “Cop in $2m cheque probe” which referred to Acting Commissioner of Police Irwin Hackshaw.

“While we understand that the officers of the Trinidad & Tobago Police Service (TTPS) acted based on the possible infringement of the indictable offence in the Proceeds of Crime Act referred to as “Tipping Off”, we stand by the belief in freedom of information, our commitment to the public, protection of our sources, and investigative journalism,” the TTPBA said.

“The TTPBA maintains its position in protecting the right of the people to know and to a fair and responsible media.

“This incident can be seen as an act of intimidation and an erosion of press freedom. As a democracy, we decry such attempts and hope that our leaders will step up and assist in bringing a better understanding of the events so our citizens and media fraternity can be assured that our press freedom is not endangered.

“We look forward to working together to ensure this matter comes to a speedy resolve in the best interest of all,” the TTPBA said.