By Sue-Ann Wayow
PRIME Minister Dr Keith Rowley and Attorney General Reginald Armour, SC, are being called upon to apologise to Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard, SC, for statements they have made regarding his office.
The call comes from Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar who claimed there was a failed plan to “bait the DPP.”
Speaking at the United National Congress (UNC) Monday night forum in Sangre Grande, Persad-Bissessar said Dr Rowley has failed to answer serious questions regarding the DPP’s office and instead turned to attacking Gaspard. Dr Rowley said has not attacked the DPP.
Persad-Bissessar claimed, “Their real plan to bait the DPP into responding to their unwarranted attacks, the Prime Minister, the AG, the Chief Justice. They were hoping that DPP Gaspard would respond in an injudicious manner.”
She added, “They would then get their puppet president to action an investigation into Gaspard for his comments if he had made them and proceed to suspend him now remember when he is suspended, they can in turn appoint a puppet DPP of their choice, the PM has the veto of the person chosen as DPP and to act as DPP. That plan backfired.”
Many of the members of the People’s National Movement (PNM) were under active investigation both in Trinidad and Tobago and abroad which was why Dr Rowley was uncomfortable with Gaspard at the helm of the DPP, Persad-Bissessar claimed.
“Rowley is afraid of anything that he does not control,” she said.
Persad-Bissessar said, “I call on the Prime Minister and the AG to apologise to DPP Gaspard, I call him out!”
She added that Dr Rowley was not stating the truth when he said that he was not critical of the DPP but at the same time, wanted cases to re-open that were closed by the DPP.
“This is political witch-hunting,” Persad-Bissessar said.
Relating to the building marked for the DPP’s Office at the corner of Park and Henry Street, she said security issues should have been addressed before the rental of the building and asked how many issues were actually addressed since then.
The whole situation was just an attempt to deflect from Nelsongate which she described as “one of the biggest scandals” in Trinidad and Tobago.
