Warner met Bakr, refused to speak with AG on Bakr's behalf

Works minister Jack Warner confirmed Friday that he met with Muslimeen leader Yasin Abu Bakr three weeks ago at his office at Bakr's request.

He said Bakr had made several requests for a meeting. "I met with him three weeks ago, and he asked me to talk to the AG I told him immediately, 'No, I cannot do that'," Warner told reporters.

Bakr had been trying to get the government to back off from selling his properties.

The State proceeded with its auction of 10 properties but was able to collect only $5.2 million of the $42 million owed to the state for destruction of public properties during the failed 1990 coup.

Since then the State has served notice on other Muslimeem members saying they are liable for the debt.

Read the story: State plans to go after other Jamaat members to collect debt

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar stated that the auction was conducted under "a cloud of threats and intimidation". The opposition People's National Movement (PNM) has called the auction a "charade".

In a news release, Marlene McDonald said her party "considers the recently concluded auction and sale of properties to have been negligently executed in defraud of the interests of the people of Trinidad and Tobago."

She did not explain why the former government refused to take action to collect the debt. However she pointed out that it was the PNM government that obtained the court's permission to sell the properties.

McDonald said the present Government should have "proceeded with care to obtain the best price for the properties by placing, at minimum, an upset price at the auction of the properties...

"Further, the State ought, at minimum, to have proceeded against the cash assets of the Jamaat to prevent the devaluation of the total assets, which were available to satisfy the debt owed to the State."

She added, "The People's National Movement condemns the failure of the State to take these minimum steps to ensure that the orders of the Court, obtained by the previous government, were lawfully and efficiently carried out."