Police probes into top officials, including Manning and Tesheira, making slow progress

Politicians and prominent legal personnel in Trinidad and Tobago are concerned about the slow progress being made into investigations of some high profile people in the country, including former Prime Minister Patrick Manning and Former Finance Minister Karen Nunez-Tesheira.

And they have complained that the delay is making some of the potential evidence "stale". In addition some key witnesses are no longer available.

The investigations that remain incomplete include:

• A police investigation, ordered since March 20, 2009 by Ag Director of Public Prosecutions Carla Brown-Antoine, into allegations that then Finance Minister Karen Nunez-Tesheira and Central Bank Governor Ewart Williams used inside information over deposits they held at Clico Investment Bank (CIB)

• A police investigation into Clico/CL Financial which has seen the production of several reports since a State intervention in January 2009

• A police investigation into UDeCOTT and its former chairman Calder Hart, ordered since March 9, 2010 by the Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard. That came almost two years after then MP Ramesh L. Mahharaj alleged a family link between Hart and a UDeCOTT contractor

• An investigation recommended since May 21, 2009, into former Prime Minister Patrick Manning into allegations that Manning and Muslimeen leader Yasin Abu Bakr had a deal through which Manning would grant favours to Bakr in return for help to the PNM in winning the 2002 general election. DPP Gaspard is reported to be reviewing a police file on the matter.

• An investigation into the construction of a church at the Heights of Guanapo in the name of Juliana Pena, spiritual adviser to Manning. PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar made the allegagtions on May 15, 2010 in her capacity as opposition leader at the time.

• An investigation into a complaint, forwarded by the Integrity Commission to the Office of the DPP on the issue of an application for a radio licence involving the Maha Sabha and the then Manning Cabinet and a series of Integrity Commission investigations into dozens of complaints filed with the Integrity Commission.

Read more about the story: Investigations drag