Kamla pledges to publish unedited Uff report

The Leader of the Opposition on Monday promised to make public the unedited Uff Report into UDeCOTT and the construction sector when her party gets into office.

kamla Persad-Bissessar made the pledge in a media release. She was responding to the handover of the report to President max Richards Monday morning by commission chair, Prof. John Uff.

"The nation has been waiting for this report since the revelations made during the public hearings, which unearthed evidence of what appears to be corruption in the highest offices of UDeCOTT," the leader of the United National Congress (UNC) stated.

"Recent reports of investigations into the actions of former chairman Calder Hart, and the Prime Minister’s steadfast, open and vocal support of Mr. Hart during the inquiry have made the public sensitive to the possibility of a cover up.

"Today the Prime Minister used the opportunity to address the Senate to recycle old promises of new health facilities but then advised that these will be managed by UDeCOTT, the same company which continues to operate under a haze of uncertainty, the stain of corruption and the failure to establish proper procurement procedures, and which was the subject of the Commission of Inquiry," Persad-Bissessar stated.

"Where is he going to find the funds to finance his promises? Who is he fooling? Once more these actions are illogical, insensitive and inappropriate," she added.

The opposition leader noted that during the Commission of Inquiry Prime Minister Patrick manning openly supported Calder Hart "whose actions whilst in office were being reviewed by the Commission."

She added, "Now in the face of the report the Prime Minister shows open disregard and disdain by awarding hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts to UDeCOTT, without the benefit of the findings of the Commission of Inquiry!

"The PM appears to be using his office to heap contempt upon contempt on the people of Trinidad and Tobago and the legal process. I call on the Prime Minister to back off!" she declared.

"His actions and words do not match. Whilst saying “Let the law takes it course” and “nobody is above the law” the Prime Minister seems inclined to ignore the findings of the Commission of Inquiry even before knowing what they are.

"I challenge the Prime Minister to lay the Uff Commission Report in the Parliament NOW. Stop hiding behind red herrings and mamaguy. Lay the report now, and face the consequences," she said.