Kamla connects Manning, Hart to Guanapo church, reports matter to Police, DPP and IC

Story reproduced below originally published on May 16, 2010

Kamla Persad-Bissessar on Saturday made a direct connection to Prime Minister Patrick Manning and the controversial church under construction at the Heights of Guanapo in Arima.

And she produced documentary evidence to show a link between Manning and UDeCOTT for the construction.

The opposition leader told the media that she has forwarded copies of the relevant documents to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), the Acting Commissioner of Police and have asked for a criminal investigation into the conduct of Prime minister Patrick Manning in this matter under the Section 3 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

She also said she has written to the Integrity Commission requesting an investigation into Manning's conduct to determine whether he violated the Integrity in Public Life Act 2000 by his conduct in the matter.

She said the documents suggest that:

• The Prime Minister was involved in the initial design of the Church for The Lighthouse of Our Lord Jesus Christ, being built by his spiritual adviser, Ms Juliana Pena
• The then Chairman of UDeCOTT, Mr Calder Hart, was directly involved in the design of the Church
• The date for general election was announced on the same day that the Town and Country approval for development of the property was awarded
• The building was started and continued without the requisite approvals from statutory bodies as is necessary for all such buildings
• The Church being constructed at Cemetery Street, Guanapo is exactly the same as the building designed by Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tongii University (Group) Co., and captioned “Outdoor stage project of Prime Minister’s House”
• The contractor for whom the design was done is listed as Shanghai Construction Group, the same contractor who is currently building the church, and to whom the government had awarded the construction of the Prime Minister's house which cost well over $100 million above the contract cost for construction.
• It is alleged that Shanghai Construction Group is building the Church for free
• Despite the public utterances of the Minister of Finance and the Prime Minister himself, the UDeCOTT is listed as the client of the design of the building titled Outdoor stage project of the Prime Minister’s house but eventually used as the Church of the Lighthouse of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Persad-Bissessar said the facts that she revealed suggest criminal conduct and the abuse of State funds and lands by the Prime Minister for personal gain.

She also noted that her contrary to what the PNM is alleging her concerns about the church are based on Manning’s apparent corruption and are not a negative stance against the Born Again Christian faith, "or any other religious denomination for that matter."

She said, "It is my understanding that Manning has been telling this community they will be discriminated against under a People’s Partnership government. That is an absolute lie.

"Nothing could be further from the truth. But the fact that he is willing to say it signifies the mark of a desperate man.

"For the record, I remain now and always, committed to the freedom of speech, freedom of worship, of all my brethren, in every church, mosque, temple or home. I am willing to defend that freedom with my life," Persad-Bissessar said.