By Sheila Rampersad
May 08, 2015 – trinidadexpress.com
When incumbent Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar was an opposition MP, she read into the Hansard a letter written by People’s National Movement (PNM) councillor Dhansam Dhansook. The letter, addressed to then-Prime Minister Patrick Manning and read in Parliament by the Siparia MP on April 28, 2005, alleged Dhansook paid then-Energy Minister Eric Williams a $75,000 bribe and then-Works and Transport Minister, Franklin Khan, a $120,000 bribe. Dhansook further alleged he had received death threats in relation to the matter.
Continue reading Down a provocative path
In April 2014 Jaishima Leladharsingh said in an insensitive Facebook comment said that he was “glad (ANR) Robinson (had) gone forever.” Soon after, he launched a racial assault on Anthony McLeod, whom he didn’t know but who he obviously thought was black. McLeod’s photo in fact shows him a mixed race person. Leladharsingh was clearly misled by the name: he must have assumed that Anthony looked like Errol. The Minister should take note.
We join the call for a full investigation into the payment of legal fees by the Office of the Attorney General during the tenure of Anand Ramlogan. A thorough forensic audit would be the best way to explain the phenomenal 300 per cent-plus increase in payments to private attorneys hired by the State during Ramlogan’s tenure. It would also serve to deal with the many questions and complaints that have been raised by some of the private attorneys involved since the payment figures were released. If there are discrepancies between the figures supplied to Parliament and the actual figures, these would need to be identified and resolved.