AG pleased with change in consent order; Rowley, Maharaj want whole legal challenge dropped

Attorney General John Jeremie is trumpeting the amendment of the consent order regarding the UDeCOTT affair as evidence of the Manning administration's commitment to transparency and accountability.

And he said Friday he hopes the change would allow the Uff commission to "meet its objectives" now that the court has allowed it to continue with its work.

He said attacks from the opposition and interest groups regarding the matter were unfounded.

But one of the chief critics, Diego Martin West MP Dr Keith Rowley, is still not pleased. He welcomed the change in an interview with local media, saying he is happy with the decision to removal of the block on the proceedings.

However he said what is needed is for UDeCOTT to drop the whole judicial review. And he went further. "The Government should remove the board, withdraw the lawsuit and all the attendant issues will disappear," Rowley said.

Opposition MP Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj supported that. On Sunday the former attorney general threatened to file private criminal proceedings if the State failed to act on the evidence submitted in the enquiry.

On Friday he told reporters the entire lawsuit needs "to be vacated". He said that would allow the inquiry to continue and "there will be no question of going back to the court or of frustrating it".