OROPOUCHE East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal slams the government following its defeat in the Privy Council on Tuesday in the case involving the Estate Management Business Development Company Limited (EMBDC) and contractor Junior Sammy over a multi-million dollar lawsuit.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Moonilal expressed satisfaction with the ruling, stating, “The Privy Council ruled today, in its Michaelmas term, in favour of local contractor Junior Sammy Contractors Limited.” He said that the contract in question had been awarded and executed during his tenure as Minister of Housing in 2015.
Moonilal accused the EMBDC of basing their case on a flimsy premise, arguing, “The taxpayer paid millions of dollars for this rum shop argument devoid of evidence.”
He contrasted this with his time in office, asserting that decisions were made based on independent assessments and recommendations.
Labeling the case “the most expensive witch hunt in history,” Moonilal noted, “Five law lords of the Privy Counsel ruled, with no dissenting judgment, that the EMBDC claim of fraud was ‘fanciful and speculative’.” He reiterated his belief that the case was politically motivated.
Moonilal said “the millions in legal fees could have provided food cards for the hungry, medicines to the poor at run-down hospitals, jobs for our desperate youth and help for small businesses.”
He said this could have an impact on the country’s foreign exchange reserves, stating, “We have a forex crisis today, in part, because all the forex has been used to pay lawyers in Miami and London.”
He said the financial burden was now placed on taxpayers, who must cover $231 million plus interest for the contractor’s completed work. Meanwhile, he said, “the Caroni Savannah Estate is overrun with bush and a dumping ground for garbage.”
Moonilal said, “Not one but ten judges from the High Court, the Court of Appeal to the Privy Council have ruled that the EMBDC had no case.”
