AG: $14M Paid in 100s of Covid-19 Matters

By Sue-Ann Wayow

MORE than $14 million have been spent in legal fees by the State for Covid-19-related matters.

This was revealed by Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi  at a press conference on Tuesday.

The Attorney General sought to bring clarification to information on the payment of legal fees adding that the current Government inherited exorbitant legal costs from the previous People’s Partnership some of which have not yet been settled. He said lawyers were being asked to accept a discounted fee.

And shortly after the press conference, the Opposition issued a statement asking that Al-Rawi reveal how much money his wife has made from his office.

At the conference Al-Rawi said, “Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have been to court on hundreds of matters largely brought there by attorneys-at-law for the UNC.

“Frontline politicians serving in the United National Congress have taken the Government to court. Let me remind you Free Ian Alleyne. Let Bars Open. Bring back Sacha Singh. I can tell you as a matter of fact, I have done a rough back of the envelope calculation, the Covid litigation has so far to date from last year March even before that somewhere close to $14.5million and that has been across hundreds of matters.”

Government paying Opposition’s bills

Comparing periods, Al Rawi disclosed that from 2010 to 2015, the then PP Government would have spent $444,444,197.16 and there was an outstanding debt of $141,378,925.54 which his ministry inherited.

From 2015 to March 2021, the Office of the Attorney General spent $387,985,199.67 and of that sum, $147,931,556.22 was spent on behalf of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The AG said that the $387,985,199.67 spent from 2015 to March 2021 included civil litigation, criminal investigation, forensic audits, investigations into surveying, terrorism matters, and cross jurisdiction criminal matters.

Al-Rawi said, “The reason that we took the comparative context is simply because there were continuing briefs to attorneys-at-law who acted in the period 2010 to 2015. There was a renewal of information of briefs very importantly because we were obliged to pay legal fees left over to the account of the Government after the September 2015 general election.”

The AG also said Government has been transparent and a list of lawyers’ names and sums were already revealed however, some matters were sensitive and such revelation will not be made as yet.

He added, “There will be full transparency in its full form… I take no offence with a request for transparency.”

Al-Rawi confirmed that an interim audit was conducted on February 15 by the Office of the Auditor General and on March 5, the Auditor General wrote the ministry, giving the final audit for the financial year  that ended on September 30, 2020.

The AG also said there was extremely large corruption claims which was the subject of cross-jurisdictional investigation. He listed several ongoing proceedings including the Piarco International Airport matter.

Al-Rawi also confirmed that he has recused himself from the management of the Clico investigation since he once held a Directorship at the Clico Investment Bank.

Al Rawi who said litigation was not cheap including the Covid-19 litigation said he too was frustrated at the length of time certain cases were taking to close.

“I feel bitterly disappointed and would love to see matters end,” he said adding that other offices would be in charge of those including the Judiciary and courts in other jurisdictions.

He also said some lawyers have been asked to use discounted rates in some cases.

“Attorneys-at-law have been asked to use discounted rates and wherever there is any form of disagreement in the heritage fees in particular because taxpayers are still paying for matters that are in arrears. Sometimes in relation to those matters, we have asked the attorneys-at-law to have their bill taxed by the Registrar at the Supreme Court so that a settled sum can be viewed to be the final sum,” Al Rawi said.

How much AG’s wife is being paid?

The Opposition in  its press release stated, “Following the AG, we are putting the matter to him simply and deliberately: how exactly will telling us how much your wife got paid from your office jeopardise whatever case she is working on? We submit that it will do no such thing, and that the Attorney-General’s entire press conference was a sorry excuse to deflect and hide this very fact from the country.”

The Opposition who had initially raised the questions in Parliament stated that its role was to ask questions on behalf of the people about Government’s expenditure, among other things.

“The Government cannot simply spend without justification, accounting or explaining to the people,” the Opposition stated.