PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) — Lawyers representing Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley have all but dismissed a request from Attorney General Garvin Nicholas that their client provide information regarding allegations that the coalition People’s Partnership government had hired “their friends” to assassinate him.

Last week, Nicholas had written to Rowley giving him 48 hours to respond to his request or face the possibility of a criminal probe. Nicholas had also warned of possible libel charges against Rowley, who made the statement during a public meeting of the main opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) in Tobago earlier this month.

Rowley had accused the government of wanting him dead.

“First time in Trinidad and Tobago, the Opposition leader is under attack from the Government. And when I’m not under attack from their friends who they hire to kill me, I’m under attack from their friends who they hire to lie about me.”

Rowley told supporters that a few months ago he had informed people in the country that for the first time “in my 30 years (in public office) I feared for my personal safety”.

In their letter, Rowley’s attorneys said they “are very deeply concerned that as the purported “guardian of the public interest”, you have, in seeking to obtain further and better particulars with respect to the statements made by our client on the threat to his life, wholly predetermined the matter by describing his statements as outrageous, scandalous, false, baseless, inflammatory, provocative, slanderous and libellous.

“You have also, without obtaining the facts, sought to refer our client to section 8 of the Libel and Defamation Act Chap 11:16.”

They reminded Nicholas, a candidate of the United National Congress (UNC)-led coalition People’s Partnership government in the September 7 general election, that as attorney general he is “expected to conscientiously, impartially and to the best of your ability discharge your duties and do right to all manner of people without fear or favour, affection or ill-will.

“However, in this instance, where the Leader of the Opposition has informed the public of a real threat to his life, which was brought to his attention by no less than the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, you have most regrettably permitted yourself to taint your office by permitting partisan politics to inform your judgement.

“Your wholly unfair and injudicious approach to this matter as the Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago has resulted in our client being disinclined to involve you in what is a very serious matter, with no room for political gamesmanship.”

They said as a result, while Nicholas is free to communicate with the Integrity Commission and the Council for Responsible Political Behaviour “our client will be communicating with both the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Commissioner of Police to express to them his very serious concern that they not share any information whatsoever with you insofar as this ongoing investigation is concerned”.

Further, Rowley’s lawyers told Nicholas that “it is therefore somewhat surprising that we would have to point out to you that when defamatory words… are spoken and not written, that would constitute slander and not libel.

“Accordingly, your use of the word ‘libellous’ and reference to section 8 of the Libel and Defamation Act is simply misconceived.”