Latest update November 26th, 2024 1:00 AM
Nandlall cannot replace Ashni in court- Harmon
Former Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh, who is a person of interest in the ongoing investigations of
Minister of State, Joseph Harmon
National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), should present himself for questioning, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon says.
Singh is said to be working in the US. His former colleague minister, Anil Nandlall, announced Thursday, that he is representing the former Minister of Finance and that any questions that the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), an arm of the police, has for his client should be forwarded to him.
However, Harmon, who made it clear the comments are in his personal capacity, believes that it is not an ideal situation. The minister was being questioned during the weekly post-Cabinet press briefings that he hosts.
“I don’t know that any lawyer, I mean I have had little practice at the bar, that you can actually put yourself in the place of a person who is under some investigation. The lawyer, at best, represents the interest of his client. He cannot replace his client…”
The minister said that if a scenario arises where SOCU or “anybody” else decides to charge, Nandlall, a former Attorney General under the previous administration, is not going to go and stand up in the docks for anybody.
“So it is important for us to understand that Mr. Ashni Singh is the person who is of interest and therefore it might be in his interest to present himself to be questioned.”
Harmon said that if Singh feels there is nothing he has to fear, “I think he can come back and deal
Former AG: Attorney-at-law, Anil Nandlall
with it. I don’t understand the insertion of Mr. Nandlall into this process. He is already being investigated. I think there might be an issue there but this is just my take on the matter.”
On Thursday, Nandlall, who himself was charged following SOCU’s investigations into 15 Commonwealth Law Reports that he has in his possession, wrote SOCU. He said he is the attorney-at-law for the former Finance Minister.
“In the circumstances, please feel free to contract me for any information you may require from, or questions you may wish to ask of my client.”
The letter was addressed to Lt. Colonel Sydney James, Head of SOCU, and copied to the Commissioner of Police, Seelall Persaud.
James and head of the State Assets Recovery Unit (SARU), Aubrey Retemyer, reportedly travelled to Florida earlier this week to talk to Winston Brassington, former head of NICIL.
The law enforcement agencies recently expressed interest in talking to both men with regards to their role in several multi-billion dollars transaction at NICIL.
Brassington is working in the US. He reportedly moved there since late 2015, months after the Coalition Government took office and ordered a number of forensic audits to be conducted, including into NICIL’s operations.
NICIL is the state agency that overlooks investments and privatizations for the Government and under the previous administration. The former Finance Minister was an integral part of the Board of Directors.
The forensic audit report in NICIL had highlighted several transactions, including the Pradoville
Former Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh
Two sale of lands to former government officials and their relatives; the construction of a High Street building at a cost of several hundred million dollars and the sale of two Duke Street properties to businessman, Gerry Gouveia, among others.
Investigators would also want to talk to Brassington and Singh about billions of dollars in dividends from state companies that NICIL collected and proceeds from the sale of scores of state properties.
The administration, while in Opposition, had insisted that billions of dollars were siphoned off and not accounted for, because of the deals, with the country’s best interests not taken care of.
Several former government ministers and officials and even ex-President Bharrat Jagdeo and Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon, have been hauled in for questioning by SOCU.
The Opposition has denied wrongdoing and has accused the administration of being on a campaign of witch-hunting.
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