No conflict in appointment of chair of Clico probe: Ramlogan

Attorney General Anand Ramlogan has stated that there is no conflict of interest in relation to the Government’s choice of Sir Gavin Lightman QC as the chairman of the Commission of Inquiry into Clico.

Ramlogan was responding to comments from opposition Senate leader Pennelope Beckles-Robinson who said in Parliament earlier this week that Sir Gavin was the lead attorney for CL boss Lawrence Duprey in the Republic Bank takeover. 

She told legislators, "there may be a real or perceived conflict of interest in his appointment to that Commission of Inquiry.”

However Ramlogan said Wednesday that's not an issue. And he denied that Lightman had once worked for the former CL chairman. "It is an unfortunate and unfounded accusation that is completely without merit," Ramlogan told local media.

He added, "In consulting persons to serve on the Commission I did inquire about conflict of interests and was given the assurance that none existed.

"Subsequently to the Senator’s allegations I spoke with Mr Gavin Lightman and Peter Carter (counsel to the inquiry) and they both confirmed that they in fact never worked for Clico or any of its affiliates or Mr Duprey,” Ramlogan told the media.

"He was a serving judicial officer. He was not in private practice," Ramlogan said.

But Beckles is not yet ready to apologize or back away from her allegations. "If I am wrong, I will apologise," she told reporters.

According to Sir Gavin's resume he had been a Judge of the UK High Court’s Chancery Division and in 1996 he became a judge at the UK Administrative Court.