By Sue-Ann Wayow
THERE are serious allegations of dishonesty against Attorney General Reginald Armour and he must be removed from his appointed post.
This is according to a group of lawyers who drafted a petition to persuade the majority of members of the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago (LATT) to discuss a vote of no-confidence against him.
The petition seeks to summon a special general meeting (pursuant to Rule 23 of the First Schedule part A of the Legal Profession Act) of the association to consider a motion of no-confidence against Armour and call for his resignation.
The petition states that as Attorney General, Armour is required “to be honest and forthright in the conduct of public affairs… by ensuring that any representations made to courts of law are truthful and accurate to the best of his knowledge.”
It stated, “The crux of the allegation is that Mr Armour has provided false and misleading evidence on oath, on behalf of the state of Trinidad and Tobago, to a court of law in the United States.”
The lawyers gave the background as to why Armour should resign which included his involvement in the ongoing Piarco International Airport court matter when Armour provided legal representation to former government minister Brian Kuei Tung and his girlfriend Renee Pierre.
Armour at the time swore on oath that he was only acting as junior counsel in the proceedings.
However, the petition claimed Armour’s representations were false.
“They are demonstrably false given the affidavit evidence in the US proceedings, well-known facts in the public domain, and matters reported in the media which are materially undisputed,” the lawyers stated.
In a statement on June 4, Armour said he had recused himself from the matter. On June 8, he issued another statement, saying there will be no further comments on the matter.
At the Opposition’s press briefing on Sunday, Member of Parliament for Chaguanas West Dinesh Rambally also called for Armour to immediately resign and said his decision to not say anything further was an insult to the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.
He said, “We as a people, have been dealt a humiliating blow as we witnessed our AG, senior counsel Reginald Armour throw himself, his government and the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago into what can only be described as a self-engineered, legal disgrace.”
Rambally, who is also an attorney, said that the silence from the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago on the matter was concerning.
Armour was appointed as Attorney General by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley on March 16 replacing former Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi.
The Opposition had called on the Prime Minister who is currently in the US to intervene in the matter and have Armour removed from Cabinet following his disqualification from the Miami Court.
