Kamla not impressed, wants Manning's resignation

Opposition leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar wants Prime Minister Patrick Manning to resign and call a general election immediately.

The UNC leader was commenting on the dismissal of the UDeCOTT board announced Tuesday by Attorney General John Jeremie.

Read the story: T&T gov't fires UDeCOTT board; AG sends Uff report to DPP, CoP

Persad-Bissessar said acting against the board is "too little, too late" and suggested that it is unacceptable that the government refuses to act on serious allegations against UDeCOTT, its former executive chairman Calder Hart and senior executives.

Persad-Bissessar said, "The firing of the UDeCOTT board members is too little too late," adding that the Government has long dragged its feet on the issue.

"In the circumstances there is concern that evidence may be destroyed and the Prime Minister should now fire himself and call the election now," she stated.

She said he doubts that the criminal probe into UDeCOTT will result in tangible action anytime soon and gave the assurance that a UNC government take decisive action on the issue of corruption.

"I give the undertaking that when we form the Government we will ensure all are investigated and those who have to go to jail will go to jail according to law," she stated.

The UNC leader is on record as proposing the establishment of a special court to deal with criminal trials involving allegations of political corruption against public officials.

According to attorney Anand Ramlogan, "There is precedent for this is in the way the Dole Chadee prosecution was conducted. The need for an independent investigation into this (UDeCOTT) fiasco is yet another reason why this government should be removed from office as soon as possible."

Writing in a column published on JYOTI, Ramlogan said, "The right hand cannot investigate the left hand. History has proven that the PNM cannot be trusted to investigate." Ramlogan also suggested that the line minister for UDeCOTT be fired.

Read the column: Column: PNM, T&T authorities incapable of probing UDeCOTT

In an interview with Jyoti, Persad-Bissessar expressed disappointment over Jeremie’s failure to help police find the Hart and suggested that the Jeremie's statement Tuesday is just window dressing.

She wondered why Jeremie is cherry picking in terms of what investigations are given priority. Persad-Bissessar said the Uff report called for:

• a full investigation of the award of the $368 million Ministry of Legal Affairs construction contract to CH Development Limited
• an audit of the conduct of all of UDeCOTT’s senior staff and directors for the period 2004 to 2009 as to their “involvement in errors and omissions” concerning the Brian Lara project
• an investigation into what steps were taken by UDeCOTT’s managers to control and reduce delay at the $3.2 billion Government Campus Plaza project in downtown Port-of-Spain
• a review and redefinition of the roles of UDeCOTT and related state agencies

She noted that all these appear to have been glossed over.

The opposition leader also noted another significant issue raised in the Uff report - an investigation into the circumstances in which 9 hectares of lands owned by the National Union of Government and Federated Workers, which had been sold to the NUGFW at subsidized rates, was purchased by UDeCOTT, at a profit for NUGFW.

That sale occurred while Senator Michael Annisette was both a UDeCOTT board member and shareholder in the NUGFW holding company that sold the land.

She also made reference to another forensic probe of the Cleaver Heights project and asked why this issue continues to engage such prominence when three previous investigations have shown that there is nothing to support allegations of impropriety by former cabinet minister Dr Keith Rowley.