Finance Minister released $4.5B based on Cabinet decision

Jul 28, 2014 News

– Speaker’s ruling strange, there is no question of illegality – Ramotar

Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh

Minister of Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, was not acting on his own behalf when he authorized the release and expenditure of more than $4.5B from the nation’s purse that had been voted against by the majority in the House.

This is according to Head of State, Donald Ramotar, who over the weekend weighed in on the Speaker’s ruling to have Dr Singh referred to the Parliamentary Committee of Privileges over the alleged illegal spending.

“Ashni Singh was not acting on his own; this was a decision of the Cabinet, which I Chair.”

According to Ramotar, the issue of Statement of Excess, which the Finance Minister tabled documenting the expenditure, is not new to Parliament and the body has dealt with the same issue before in 2012 and 2013.

Ramotar said that the Speaker, Raphael Trotman, participated during both years.

He pointed too, to the decision of the Constitutional Court last year on the matter, “So there is no question of illegality.”

The President was adamant that at all times the administration was working legally and within the framework of the Constitution.

Ramotar said that he found the ruling of the Speaker stranger since he participated two years in a row, “and he is a lawyer.”

According to Ramotar, the Opposition likes to speak to the rule of law and operating within the confines of the law, “but we have a decision of the constitutional court on this matter and yet we have such a ruling.”

He observed too that the Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) has written to the Speaker, over referring two members of Opposition to the Committee of Privileges, but Trotman has been silent on that matter.

The PPP/C is looking to have Alliance for Change (AFC) Members of Parliament, Cathy Hughes and Khemraj referred to the Committee for conflict of interest.

The President said that they did not announce their interests in the Amaila Falls Project as well as the Specialty Hospital.

The President has also questioned the professionalism of the Speaker as a result of his ruling against the Finance Minister.

Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman

Questioned on what advice he would have relied on apart from that of the Attorney General, to spend the voted down monies and rely on Article 218 of the Constitution, Ramotar said “the court will finally decide who is right but as far as I am concerned the Attorney General is the Authority.”

The PPP yesterday also weighed in on the ruling by the Speaker, saying that the party is confident that the arguments made by the Speaker to justify his ruling and decision to send the Minister once again to the Committee of Privileges raises major challenges to the Constitution, Standing Orders and parliamentary norms and practices.

“Most notably absent in the Speaker’s arguments leading to his Ruling is any reference to the Chief Justice’s decision regarding Article 218(3) (b) except the inclusion of the words, “the National Assembly though aggrieved by the Chief Justice’s decision of January 29, 2014, sought to comply…”. According to the party, the Speaker once again has thrown the Legislature on a collision course with the Judiciary, the body mandated by the Constitution as the sole authority to interpret any constitutional provision.

“The PPP/C has paid special attention to this development and will be prepared to challenge this matter at the appropriate times and occasions…However, the PPP/C has found it of passing interest, the difference in the treatment of the APNU-AFC submissions to send the Minister to the Committee of Privileges with the treatment of the Government’s request to send two opposition Members of Parliament to the Committee of Privileges.

The PPP/C through its Chief Whip has indicated by way of letters to the Speaker on July 15, 2014 of its intention to call for Ramjattan and Hughes to be referred to the Privileges Committee for violations of privilege, namely conflict of interest and pecuniary interest in matters before the House which they did not declare, with regard to the Specialty Hospital and the Marriott Hotel, and the Amaila Falls Hydro-Project Falls Inc., respectively.

The PPP/C through its Chief Whip has not been contacted by the Parliament Office nor received any communication from the Speaker on the serious charges made against these Members of Parliament who are from his political party, the AFC.