By Prior Beharry
THE Opposition is seeking to send Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi to the Privileges Committee of the Parliament for saying that the family of Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar received Governmental rental.
Oropouche MP Dr Roodal filed the motion of privilege against Al-Rawi in the House of Representatives on Saturday.
Moonilal said that during debate of the 2022 Budget, Al-Rawi stated, “And the Leader of the Opposition is also not telling the country that under her prime ministership, rental properties to Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s members of family received rentals from the Government.”
The Opposition MP said the statement that members of Persad-Bissessar’s family received Government rentals was “absolutely, false, untrue and misleading.”
Dr Moonilal said as the minister of housing and urban development during Persad-Bissessar’s tenure as prime minister, the Property and Real Estates Services Division responsible for government rentals fell under his portfolio.
He also noted that he has known Persad-Bissessar for more than 30 years.
Moonilal added, “As such, I can categorially state and confirm that no family members of the Member for Siparia benefitted from any government rentals.”
He said Al-Rawi deliberately misled the House and the people viewing Parliament at the time “as he knew or ought to have known the statement he made was a deliberate untruth, it was false and incorrect.”
Moonilal said that as a member of the current Cabinet, Al-Rawi ought to have known since he has access to information relating to Government rentals.
He said that Al-Rawi also failed to disclose particulars of any alleged property on which the lease was signed or which governmental department it was rented to or the owners of the property.
House Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George reserved her ruling for a subsequent time.
