Manning takes off for Cuba

Former Prime Minister Patrick Manning is leaving for Cuba Monday for medical treatment as the House of Representatives meets to decide what action it would take with respect to the report of the Privileges Committee that determined that Manning was guilty of contempt of Parliament.

There are a number of choices, including expulsion for the remainder of the current session which ends in June or demand that he apologise to the House.

Manning was sent to the Privileges Committee for statements he made about the private residence of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar that the construction cost was in excess of $150 million when in fact she produced evidence to show the cost was around $4 million. In addition Manning alleged that finance for the house came from party financiers.

Manning will be away until Friday. He told reporters on Sunday he advised the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Wade Mark, about his travel plans, which he said were made since April and that he bought his ticket last Wednesday

Manning went to Cuba in 2008 to have a cancerous tumour removed from his left kidney. 

With respect to his legal matter, he told the media He his attorneys will handle everything.

Manning fought to have his lawyers represent him and question witnesses at the hearings of the Privileges Committee but Parliament denied him that. Now he is going to the High Court over the matter. A hearing is scheduled for Tuesday before Justice Maureen Rajnauth Lee.