UNC to refer AG to Privileges Committee
Al-Rawi: Its a sign of desperation

2960234

Renuka Singh

Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi is calling the Opposition’s plan to refer him to the Privileges Committee as a sign of desperation.

Al -Rawi dismissed the allegation that he mislead Parliament as “ridiculous” and “easily answerable/”

“It is material to note that the debate on the Evidence Amendment Bill is ongoing and that the Attorney General has yet to answer submissions made in the debate including those made in the public domain by the Law Association and the Assembly of Southern Lawyers,” he said.

Al-Rawi said Persad-Bissessar has had years of experience in the Parliament and should know that “by no stretch of the imagination can any breach of the privilege of the House arise in the circumstances as alleged by her.”

“The question that is now begging in Trinidad and Tobago is quite simply whether Mrs. Persad- Bissessar SC has anything of value to contribute to the Evidence Amendment Bill. She has offered no comment whatsoever in relation to the law which is in issue!” he said.

The AG said that he was now urging Persad-Bissessar to step up to the debate on the law in the Parliament “from which she has been habitually and noticeably absent and to stop engaging in cheap political theatre in relation to an issue which is affecting and paining the most vulnerable in society who are crying out of sustenance and relief”.

“As someone who considered herself deserving of receiving silk from herself, a more principled position on the law is expected if progress in Trinidad and Tobago is to be made,” he said.