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| File: Herbert Volney |
Volney also has other wishes, one of which is for Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gaspard to be removed from office.
Persad-Bissessar fired Volney from cabinet for allegedly misleading cabinet on the Section 34 issue. She said he advised the cabinet that he had the support of both Gaspard and Chief Justice Ivor Archie although both men denied that.
Volney insisted that he was unjustly fired. However he is not blaming the PM. He said Persad-Bissessar acted "in good faith on a material misrepresentation" when she made her decision.
The former judge who left the bench for a political career within the People's partnership said, "I move at this time to do everything to re-engage with the government and to make way for the Prime Minister to reconsider the position that she had taken as regards me in order to be able to deliver on the campaign promise of criminal justice transformation."
He stated that the day before Persad-Bissessar fired him she had met with Gaspard and Chief Justice Ivor Archie and claimed that the minutes of that meeting stated that he gave an undertaking to meet with Archie and Gaspard before Section 34 was proclaimed.
Volney said that never happened and suggested that the person who wrote the minutes was previously vetoed by a senior Cabinet minister for a position. He insisted that he did not lie to cabinet and that he was "unjustly" dismissed. He said Gaspard is the one who needs to be fired.
"Quite clearly I can say without fear of contradiction that this DPP has no idea about doing his job the way the population expects of him and is entitled to have of him...No one in that Cabinet knew, to my knowledge, that the Piarco people would likely have benefitted," he said.
Volney also stated that he has written to both Persad-Bissessar and Finance Minister Larry Howai about a what he called "scandalous" development at the Justice Ministry with respect to the building of the Trincity Courthouse.
The former judge who left the bench for a political career within the People's partnership said, "I move at this time to do everything to re-engage with the government and to make way for the Prime Minister to reconsider the position that she had taken as regards me in order to be able to deliver on the campaign promise of criminal justice transformation."
He stated that the day before Persad-Bissessar fired him she had met with Gaspard and Chief Justice Ivor Archie and claimed that the minutes of that meeting stated that he gave an undertaking to meet with Archie and Gaspard before Section 34 was proclaimed.
Volney said that never happened and suggested that the person who wrote the minutes was previously vetoed by a senior Cabinet minister for a position. He insisted that he did not lie to cabinet and that he was "unjustly" dismissed. He said Gaspard is the one who needs to be fired.
"Quite clearly I can say without fear of contradiction that this DPP has no idea about doing his job the way the population expects of him and is entitled to have of him...No one in that Cabinet knew, to my knowledge, that the Piarco people would likely have benefitted," he said.
Volney also stated that he has written to both Persad-Bissessar and Finance Minister Larry Howai about a what he called "scandalous" development at the Justice Ministry with respect to the building of the Trincity Courthouse.
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