Maha Sabha threatens DPP with lawsuit

Sat Maharaj said Monday the organisation he heads intends to take the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to court over the "unreasonable delay" in taking action against two politicians linked to the award of a radio licence to People's National Movement (PNM) party financier Louis Lee Sing.

Maharaj is the Secretary general of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS), the leading Hindu organisation in Trinidad & Tobago.

His lawyer, Jagdeo Singh, has sent a pre-action protocol letter to DPP Roger Gaspard warning of the intended lawsuit, giving Gaspard 28 days to reply.

Gaspard told local media he has received the letter and is giving the matter his urgent consideration.

The Integrity Commission forwarded a confidential file to the DPP on the matter in June last year recommending criminal charges against two unnamed politicians for breaches of the Integrity in Public Life Act.

Maharaj had filed a complaint about the speedy award of a radio licence to Lee Sing's Citadel Limited, while failing to deal with the SDMS application for a radio license with the same urgency.

Former prime minister Patrick Manning and former Science and Technology Minister Hedwidge Bereaux, admitted that they had been interviewed by the Integrity Commission in relation to the complaint.

The matter of the Maha Sabha radio license was finally resolved at the Privy Council, which ruled that there was discrimination and ordered the Manning administration to grant the license for the station, which now operates as Radio Jaagriti

The legal letter stated: "This legitimate concern of the Maha Sabha is further exacerbated when one considers this unexplained and undue delay in the historical context of the prosecutions under the Integrity in Public Life Act."

It added, "The Maha Sabha has noted that in the past your office has acted with commendable alacrity in moving to prosecute Mr Finbar Gangar (former Enegry Minister) and Mr Basdeo Panday (former prime minister) under the same Integrity in Public Life Act.

"Thus, it seems extraordinary that this matter would be occupying your attention for such a long time without any hint at a resolution one way of the other."

Maharaj believes Manning was behind the move to deny his organisation a radio licence and noted that he cannot accept the public apology that Manning made to the nation last Friday.

"When he talks to us and apologises to the Hindu community then we will move to accept it because the greatest harm done to the Hindu Community was done by Mr Patrick Manning and his administration and the day I hear him say that I'll ask all my pundits to forgive him, he shouldn't go to hell," said Maharaj.