Opposition says finance minister can't hide behind apology

Finance Minister Karen Nunez-Tesheira has promised to clear the air Tuesday on all matters raised by her political and other critics regrading her alleged conflict of interest regarding her dealings with a bailout for CL Financial while she was a shareholder of the conglomerate.

And her main accuser, Siparia MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar is warning that the minister should not hide in the Senate but stand in the House of Representatives "to face the fire of Opposition".

The former attorney general told the Trinidad Express Monday, "Whatever statement the Minister makes in the Senate tomorrow is inappropriate since she should be reporting to the House and so face MPs in the house of which she is a member; financial matters are the purview of the House-so she should not content herself with hiding in the Senate but should make a statement in the House."

The minister is under fire on two fronts.

She is accused of being in conflict of interest for not disclosing that she owned more than 10,000 shares in CL when she was presiding over a rescue package for the organization. She told the media she didn't disclose that information in Parliament because she had done it in a declaration to the Integrity Commission.

But Persad-Bissessar said her checks and those of the media revealed that no such declaration was made.

Then there is the other issue of the minister withdrawing funds from CL's subsidiary ahead of the announcement of a bailout package. Now there are reports that she may have been in breach of government regulations.

Persad-Bissessar has demanded the minister's resignation. But Nunez-Tesheira is standing firm, saying she has done nothing wrong and quitting is not an option.

"It is difficult to see that statement the Minister of Finance can make tomorrow that would be credible since she has already made so many conflicting statements on these issues but we shall listen and comment thereafter," said Persad-Bissessar.

Persad-Bissessar said she will relentlessly pursue this matter pointing out that it was opposition pressure that forced former PNM minister Franklin Khan and Eric Williams to resign over allegations of criminal behaviour.

"As representatives of the people it is our duty to expose possible wrongdoing whenever and wherever we can and to try to bring the perpetrators to account and to justice.

"If all this fails, then at the end of the day, it is the people who decide on their government and, these issues will be weighed in their scales when they exercise their franchise," Persad-Bissessar said.