By Glenda Anderson, Staff ReporterTHE POLICE will press ahead with investigations into allegations of 'tainted money' coming out of the recent deputy leadership campaign and elections in the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), despite Opposition Leader Edward Seaga's retraction of his earlier charges.
First stop will be the offices of Mr. Seaga who, the police hope, will provide details on the grounds for his charges.
"Mr. Seaga made the allegations of tainted money, so we'll be making an appointment to speak with him on Monday to get information on what he knows," Deputy Commissioner of Police, Lucius Thomas, said yesterday.
Mr. Thomas said the police would not be deterred despite subsequent reports in the press that the charges had been withdrawn, and that Mr. Seaga was now 'satisfied' that the campaign funding was legitimate.
"That will not stop us one way or the other. Whatever they (either party) say it doesn't affect us. We are going ahead with the investigation."
QUESTIONS ABOUT FINANCING
In an earlier interview he had told The Sunday Gleaner that while he had heard that Mr. Seaga had said he was now satisfied the sources of the funding were genuine, he had received nothing from either party to formally discontinue the investigations.
"We have not been told officially so we will begin our investigations come Monday, as we have got correspondence from the Commissioner to go ahead. Mr. Vaz wrote asking us to investigate, since then they have not spoken to us."
Meanwhile Daryl Vaz, former campaign manager for James Robertson, said he would not be personally asking the police to pull back from the investigation. "I can't make that decision alone. It's now a criminal matter, and a legal matter. That decision has to be a decision of the entire management team," he said.
