THE Integrity Commission has asked for more time to respond to a second call by UNC activist Ravi Balgobin Maharaj to reopen its investigation into the Prime Minister’s declaration of the purchase of a townhouse in Tobago.

On Thursday, the commission’s acting registrar wrote to Maharaj’s attorney, Vishaal Siewsaran, asking for an additional 14 days to provide a response. The commission initially committed to a response by September 1, but said it needed until September 14, after further assessing Siewsaran’s preaction letter dated August 17.

“This request is made in order to facilitate a thorough review of the pre-action protocol letter and adequately address the issues detailed therein.”

In that letter, Siewsaran, on behalf of Maharaj, demanded the commission reopen its investigation to consider the valuation of the townhouse.

Maharaj took issue with the value Dr Rowley ascribed to the townhouse in his declaration of income and assets under the Integrity in Public Life Act (IPLA).

Siewsaran, of Freedom Law Chambers, headed by former attorney general Anand Ramlogan, SC, argued that the commission’s original 18-month investigation was done in a “piecemeal manner,” and was “skewed, biased, and incomplete.”

Maharaj first challenged the commission’s decision to terminate its investigation on August 3.

In its response, the commission defended its decision the decision to terminate the investigation

It also rejected that its actions reeked of political bias.

Although it did find that Dr Rowley did breach the act by not declaring the Shirvan property on Form B,it terminated its investigation because there was no criminal offence and accompanying sanction within the statutory boundaries of the IPLA regarding his omission.

The Integrity Commission also said the IPLA requires a false declaration to be “knowingly made.”

It said from the evidence obtained, it believed Dr Rowley “did not knowingly provide false information in his declaration.”

The commission also acknowledged that the Prime Minister received a “gift” in the form of a discount on the price of the townhouse, which was valued at $1,680,000 but that the discount was not connected directly or indirectly with the performance of his duties as PM.

The commission noted that the discount the Prime Minister received on the purchase was $480,000.

However, in the second pre-action letter, Siewsaran said when Dr Rowley and his wife signed the deed for the purchase price of $1.2 million, he said, they would have been expected to pay stamp duty on that figure, and the attorney who acted for them would have had to present a valuation report to pay the stamp duty.

“It is clear that the BIR became suspicious of this transaction and hence commissioned an independent valuation from the Valuations Division,” which, he said, valued the townhouse at $1.68 million, not $1.2 million.

That would mean, he said, that Dr Rowley knew the true value of his property “but knowingly failed to disclose the same in his Form A and hence a strong prima facie case wa