Attorney General Anand Ramlogan is frustrated with the pace of investigations into Calder Hart and Juliana Pena.
Hart was the former executive chairman of the Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (UDeCOTT). He is under investigations for allegations of corruption during his tenure under the former Manning People's National Movement administration.
Pena was the spiritual adviser to former prime minister Patrick Manning and is under investigation with respect to a church at Guanapo that was allegedly being built with state funds.
Ramlogan expresed his frustration during his contribution to the Finance Bill at the Senate.
He said he has been "at pains" to impress upon Police Commissioner Dwayne Gibbs that the Anti Corruption Investigations Bureau (ACIB) has been ineffective in handling these matters.
"I am fed up with the need to impress upon them the need to get along with these investigations," the AG said.
Hart was the former executive chairman of the Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (UDeCOTT). He is under investigations for allegations of corruption during his tenure under the former Manning People's National Movement administration.
Pena was the spiritual adviser to former prime minister Patrick Manning and is under investigation with respect to a church at Guanapo that was allegedly being built with state funds.
Ramlogan expresed his frustration during his contribution to the Finance Bill at the Senate.
He said he has been "at pains" to impress upon Police Commissioner Dwayne Gibbs that the Anti Corruption Investigations Bureau (ACIB) has been ineffective in handling these matters.
"I am fed up with the need to impress upon them the need to get along with these investigations," the AG said.
"Up to now the country does not know whether they interview Rev Juliana Pena to find out where she get the money from to build that church, who it belong to, not even a stick of iron, we don't know where the money come from," he said.
"We don't know whether they interview Calder Hart, the street lighting programme in T&TEC, corruption in the HDC, corruption in the URP and the list goes on and on," said Ramlogan.
"I raise these matters consistently with the Commissioner of Police and I asked even that he take a look at the officers to do a hard performance appraisal to see what needs to be done if needs be but the reality is there was no serious meaningful progress as far as I was concerned," he added.
"I want to make it clear because people keep asking allyuh ain't lock up nobody, we can't lock up nobody, the police have to do their work, it is the police, in law, who must investigate, they are responsible for the detection of crime, investigation of crime after it goes to the DPP and if there is sufficient evidence he decides if to charge or not.
"We don't know whether they interview Calder Hart, the street lighting programme in T&TEC, corruption in the HDC, corruption in the URP and the list goes on and on," said Ramlogan.
"I raise these matters consistently with the Commissioner of Police and I asked even that he take a look at the officers to do a hard performance appraisal to see what needs to be done if needs be but the reality is there was no serious meaningful progress as far as I was concerned," he added.
"I want to make it clear because people keep asking allyuh ain't lock up nobody, we can't lock up nobody, the police have to do their work, it is the police, in law, who must investigate, they are responsible for the detection of crime, investigation of crime after it goes to the DPP and if there is sufficient evidence he decides if to charge or not.
"The Government can't lock up nobody, but what the Government has done is all that it could do in accordance with the law to initiate civil fraud claims," he said.
"If the Government wanted to adopt a Machiavellian cloak and dagger approach to governance I could interfere in the ACIB, keep it under me, put who you want, manipulate the system and apply political pressure," said Ramlogan.
He said if he could, he himself would interview Hart and Pena.
"Now the Police Service Commission will have to do its job in conducting its own performance appraisal for those who are responsible for the management of the Police Service," he said.
"If the Government wanted to adopt a Machiavellian cloak and dagger approach to governance I could interfere in the ACIB, keep it under me, put who you want, manipulate the system and apply political pressure," said Ramlogan.
He said if he could, he himself would interview Hart and Pena.
"Now the Police Service Commission will have to do its job in conducting its own performance appraisal for those who are responsible for the management of the Police Service," he said.
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