‘But what they did is that they went to the courthouse and filed what is called a PNM case. Because face it, a civil case is a PNM case’ – Dr Roodal Moonilal
By Prior Beharry
OROPOUCHE MP Dr Roodal Moonilal is calling on Chief Justice Ivor Archie to state whether Dr Keith Rowley was in communication with judges in the Court of Appeal.
The call was made by Dr Moonilal at the United National Congress (UNC) Monday Night Forum at the Aranguez North Secondary School.
He said Dr Rowley, speaking at a press conference last week, seemed to know the outcome of an appeal which decision was not due until the first week in July.
Dr Moonilal spoke about the civil case brought against contractors by the Estate Management and Business Development (EMBDC) for recovery of hundreds of millions of dollars for works allegedly not done.
He said the People’s National Movement (PNM) was “flogging this EMBDC horse for eight years now.”
Dr Moonilal said, “They hire lawyers from England, paid what we believe to be $35 million and more to prosecute members of the UNC on EMBDC matters.
“After eight years they can find nothing. They can find no charge. They can find no basis upon which to prosecute anyone from the United National Congress.”
He said, “But what they did is that they went to the courthouse and filed what is called a PNM case. Because face it, a civil case is a PNM case.
“Anybody can walk out of the door now and go down by the courthouse tomorrow morning and file a claim. That is not police, that is not DPP… that is called a civil case.
“So they file a PNM case and every time they beating that.
“Every time election come, man EMBDC, EMBDC.
“You know is election when they start talking about EMBDC.”
He said up to today no one had been prosecuted from the UNC or the former People’s Partnership regime.
He said in the EMBDC case there was an appeal by certain parties in that matter. He said he was not a party in that matter.
Dr Moonilal said, “He said that the court of appeal has determined that Moonilal must file a defence. Brothers and sisters, that ruling is to be delivered in the first week of July. This is June, how the hell he know what the court of appeal will determine?
“How he know that?
“Is Keith Rowley in cahoots with judges of the Court of Appeal?
“Are they speaking to him?
“Is he speaking to them?
“And I ask you to keep that in mind because an independent senator, a so-called independent senator (Anthony) Vieira, he said when we took a matter in Parliament on an impeachment proceedings against the former president, he said a court of appeal judge text him to tell him that they were not happy with the UNC MPs and senators.
“To this day, Vieira has not identified the court of appeal judge who text him to tell him about the UNC.”
He added, “Rowley now said he knows what the Court of Appeal already decided.
“This, my brothers and sisters, is a very serious matter.
“It speaks to the undermining of the rule of law of the judiciary in a country where a prime minister is telling the country he knows what the Court of Appeal will determine.
“So tonight, I call on the Chief Justice, please clear the air:
“Is Keith Rowley in touch with any and all judges of the court of appeal?”
“Is he in touch with the judiciary that he can determine, is he putting pressure on the judges to determine a ruling in that EMBDC matter?
“How do you know the outcome of the Court of Appeal ruling?
“Did the prime minister have private conversations with anyone in the judiciary – the Chief Justice or judges who have heard that matter?
“Is the prime minister trying to intimidate or influence the court of appeal into ruling in favour of the state?”
He quipped that anytime Dr Rowley held a press conference, he was out of the country for 14 days.
Dr Moonilal added, “That man has reached the last days. He like Marco Polo now. He travelling all over the world now.
“If he wake up in the morning and they say go Grenada, St Vincent, he gone, and then he come back with a press conference.”
