By Sue-Ann Wayow
A SHOCKING and blatant attempt to pervert the course of justice.
This is how Member of Parliament for Chaguanas West Dinesh Rambally describes statements made by Minister in the Office of the Attorney General Renuka Sagramsingh-Sooklal in relation to the recent judgment by the Privy Council involving John Henry Smith and others.
In a statement on Wednesday, Rambally, an attorney, said while the role of the Attorney General was one of responsibility for the administration of justice generally, it is the Director of Public Prosecutions role to decide whether or not to prosecute or discontinue a matter.
He said, “The use of the Attorney General’s office by Senator Sagramsingh, to promulgate an unsolicited opinion as to whether or not any prosecution should continue following the decision of the Privy Council, is a vulgar use of the resources of that office.
“While Minister Sagramsingh was elated to let us know of her initiative to secure a host of different legal opinions on the Privy Council judgment, locally, and abroad in London and in Miami, she has not yet revealed to us the cost of such an exercise to the taxpayers.”
Rambally said that her actions were yet another classic example of executive overreach, interference and abuse of public office by this administration and constituted an example of institutional capture by the executive in the worse form which was a direct attack on democracy.
He said Sagramsingh-Sooklal herself has pointed out that her Ministry cannot tell the Director of Public Prosecutions what to do.
“Apart from the merits or demerits of the case, any right-thinking citizen must condemn, in the strongest possible terms, this bold, and undemocratic attempt to influence the decision of the Director of Public Prosecutions in relation to these proceedings. To do otherwise would undermine or render the Rule of Law nugatory,” Rambally said.
On Monday, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council has ruled that the late chief Magistrate Sherman McNicolls acted with “apparent political bias” in a case arising out of the construction of the Piarco International airport.
The accused, mainly businessmen, have had their indictment quashed by the law lords after almost 22-years before the courts.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Sagramsingh-Sooklal said the case was not yet closed and there may still be options available to continue proceedings against the defendants in the construction of the airport.
She said several attorneys have already advised on the matter and that she has been assigned the matter.
