http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/COP ... 18294.htmlCOPS WARN SASHA
E-mails came from Sasha's home
Story Created: Jun 17, 2011 at 11:54 PM ECT
Story Updated: Jun 17, 2011 at 11:54 PM ECT
SASHA MOHAMMED, special adviser to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, was yesterday issued a stern warning by police after their probe uncovered that the threatening e-mail sent to Express editor-in-chief Omatie Lyder and reporter Anna Ramdass originated from the computer at her home.
Police had initiated an investigation after Lyder and Ramdass reported that they were threatened in an e-mail on January 30 sent to them by someone adopting the alias "Janice Thomas" in connection with the Reshmi Usha Ramnarine story being investigated by the Express.
The report was made on January 31 at the Port of Spain CID office to ASP Ajith Persad and now-deceased Supt Lennard Gay.
Gay and Persad immediately instructed Cpl Rennie Grant of the CID to conduct the investigations.
Lyder and Ramdass had submitted statements to Grant during the course of the investigation including copies of the e-mail, which was also posted on the Caribbean Talk website but subsequently removed following complaints from the two journalists.
The e-mail, which targeted Lyder and Ramdass,was addressed to editors and reporters of the Express and staff of CCN-TV6 as well as other media houses, accused Lyder and Ramdass of a personal vendetta against Ramnarine.
The e-mail stated that "their day in the sun is over" and "this is the beginning... they will understand the consequences of their actions..."
The Express first broke the story of the questionable appointment of Ramnarine to the post of director of the Strategic Services Agency (SSA) and had at the time been investigating how she came to be hired as director of the SSA with false credentials.
Mohammed, in company with her attorney Om Lalla, yesterday went to the CID office around 2.30 p.m. where they met with ASP Ajith Persad and Cpl Rennie Grant .
Attempts to reach Mohammed yesterday were unsuccessful as calls to her cell phone went unanswered up to late last evening.
Lalla, when contacted, confirmed that he and his client were at the CID yesterday, but did not wish to say more on the matter.
Mohammed, a former journalist, joined the People's Partnership Government as engagement adviser to Persad-Bissessar, six months after the May 24 general elections last year.
Police said Mohammed, who remained silent throughout yesterday's interview, was given a stern warning that the action was a serious criminal offence which carries fines and jail sentences.
After Lyder and Ramdass reported the incident to police on January 31, Persad and Grant summoned officers from the Police Cyber Unit to assist in tracing the IP address of the sender of the email.
Cyber-crime police were able to determine the e-mails were sent from an IP address in the name of Mohammed at her Boundary Road, San Juan, home.
The Internet provider was also identified as Flow Trinidad Ltd.
Police said they wrote to Flow seeking official information after Mohammed's IP address was identified as being used to send the "hate mails" but the company said the police had to produce a court order before any personal information regarding any of its customers could be released.
An order was subsequently issued by a Clerk of the Peace at the Port of Spain Magistrates' Court in May which paved the way for Flow to release the information sought by police.
The information provided by Flow revealed that the threatening e-mail originated from Mohammed's computer and Internet account.
Cpl Grant went to the PM's St Clair office on Thursday where he spoke with Mohammed on the status of the police probe.
At yesterday's meeting, police said Mohammed was told that if anyone had accessed her computer during the period the offences took place and such persons could not be identified, Mohammed could be held culpable, according to the law.
The investigations into the complaint by Lyder and Ramdass were supervised and monitored by head of the CID Snr Supt Glen Hackett.
Attempts to contact Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar were unsuccessful yesterday.
