Mysterious e-mail to take centre stage at Manatt Enquiry

More developments are expected on Monday as the Manatt/Dudus Commission of Enquiry turns its attention to a mysterious e-mail which was allegedly forwarded to Solicitor General Douglas Leys and attorney-at-law Harold Brady.

Verna McGaw, a former secretary to Senator Dorothy Lightbourne, the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General is scheduled to take the stand when the Enquiry resumes at 9:30 at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston.

Miss McGaw, who was last week added to the list of persons to testify at the Enquiry, has already presented a statement to the three man Commission.  

There have been conflicting reports about the origin of the September 16, 2009 e-mail and its author.

It was introduced during last Wednesday's sitting by attorney Oliver Smith, who is representing the Solicitor General.

Miss McGaw has been summoned to appear before the Manatt Commission to provide clarification about the email she allegedly sent on Miss Lightbourne’s behalf.

However, Miss Lightbourne has maintained that she does not recall asking the secretary to send the e-mail.

It outlined extradition procedures, and several issues surrounding the Christopher "Dudus" Coke case.

Copies of the email are believed to have been forwarded to both the Solicitor General and Mr. Brady.

Forgery

While giving testimony on Thursday, the Attorney General and Justice Minister testified that she would not rule out that forgery was involved in the crafting of the email.

In his cross examination of Miss Lightbourne, Lord Anthony Gifford, who is representing the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, questioned whether the email could have surfaced through several areas.

They included either by forgery, crafted by a former secretary, or drafted on the instructions of Ms. Lightbourne, who later forgot that she did so.

Given the dispute surrounding the document, the Commission subsequently decided to call Miss McGaw as a witness.

Another Senior Director in the Ministry of Justice is also scheduled to give testimony this week.         

Support for former Justice Minister’s secretary

And members of the civil service are planning to be at the Commission of Enquiry Monday morning in solidarity with Miss McGaw.

"We are very supportive of what is happening and we’re taking note of how the other civil servants are being treated. In that sense, I’m getting the feeling that other civil servants will be there to support her," Robert Chung, Vice President of the Jamaica Civil Service Association, told RJR News.