By Prior Beharry
OPPOSITION MP David Lee has been placed on $1 million in bail for charges of misbehaviour in public office and conspiracy to defraud.
The charges were laid on Friday after advice from Director of Public Prosecution Roger Gaspard.
They are in connection to the purchase of a $2.3 million Mercedes-Benz and the $1.4 million in tax exemptions he derived as a Member of Parliament.
It is being alleged that the exemptions benefited a United National Congress (UNC) party financier.
Meanwhile, the UNC in a release stated that it stood in support of Lee.
It stated, “The UNC is aware of the spurious and trumped up charges concerning MP David Lee. In fact, the Political Leader spoke of this issue a couple of weeks ago in the UNC Virtual Report.
“This is the typical PNM playbook with complicit operatives within the police service designed to embarrass and defame.
“As usual the case will roll on in the local court system for the next 20 years until MP Lee will be eventually cleared of the trumped up charges.”
And activist Ravi Balgobin Maharaj in a release said he felt responsible for the charges against Lee.
He said, “You know, I feel a certain sense of responsibility for the arrest and charges which have been laid against Mr David Lee in regard to the purchase of his personal vehicle.
“Had it not been for the hornet’s nest kicked over by myself, and my legal counsel led by Mr Anand Ramlogan, SC, in uncovering the still unexplained sale of a Porsche Cayenne between a former Attorney General and a former member of the Police Service Commission, this unnecessary and complete farce of a matter might not exist today.
“Instead of the Prime Minister, Minister of Finance or Minister of National Security instructing the law enforcement agencies which fall within their purview to pursue and investigate the matter of how Mr Faris Al Rawi sold one of his Porsche, out of his growing fleet, to Mr Roger Kawalsingh in 2016 despite the vehicle remaining legally registered in his name until 2021, they instead chose to focus on Mr David Lee because the only trick in the PNM playbook has been to deflect and distract from any and all genuine accusations.”
