By Sue-Ann Wayow
OPPOSITION Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar is calling on Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher and Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard to determine whether Finance Minister Colm Imbert committed a criminal offence under the procurement laws of Trinidad and Tobago.
Speaking at a political meeting in Princes Town on Monday, Persad-Bissessar said it was a criminal offence to bring the exemptions on the procurement law for debate in Parliament after giving out contracts.
The opposition leader read a section of the Procurement Act which stated, “A person who directly or indirectly influences in any manner or attempts to influence in any manner any procurement proceedings in order to obtain an unfair advantage in the award of a procurement contract commits an offence and is liable to a fine of five million dollars and imprisonment for ten years.”
Persad-Bissessar asked, “By illegally and unconstitutionally bypassing Parliament, has the Finance Minister, is he guilty of influencing procurement proceedings?”
She said, “It doesn’t stop with him… They have given out contracts illegally under an illegal so-called exemption order to their friends, family and financiers. That is a blatant criminal offence.”
