Caroline Hay, former Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions - file photo
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Former Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Caroline Hay
A suggestion is being made for simultaneous investigations into allegations of corruption at agencies of the Education Ministry by the Police and Parliament's Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC) to continue.
Former Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Caroline Hay has argued that the two can proceed at the same time because they serve different purposes.
She said the PAAC has its mandate and the police serve a different purpose and have wider powers.
She sought to explain Wednesday night on TVJ's All Angles, pointing out that "under the Proceeds of Crime Act, the FID has tremendous evidence gathering powers. They can monitor your account, they can seize information from your computers and compel you to hand over keys, they can execute search warrants, they can do production orders, they can inspect, they can summon the use of the tools in the legislation."
"There's also been significant amendments to the Evidence Act, which allows you to take depositions, which allows you to take video recorded statements of vulnerable witnesses when you perceive they will become vulnerable based on who they are," she stated.
On Wednesday, Director of Public Prosecutions Paula Llewellyn criticised the release of what she deemed sensitive information about the corruption probes in the public domain.
Most of the information have come through the PAAC.
However, Mrs Hay said the complaints may be counter-productive.
"When you're dealing with this kind of investigation, your job as the investigative agency is to be very aware of the level of sensitivity and use the tools available to you. But complaining about the fact that the lion eats meat is a waste of time," she declared.
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