PM ready for Roody

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley is unfazed by any threat of legal action from Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal. This was the word from senior government officials yesterday. Rowley is in California for a brief vacation and to undergo a medical checkup. On Saturday, Moonilal threatened to take legal action against Rowley for statements that he made at a press conference at Piarco International Airport last Friday before leaving for the United States.

Efforts to contact Rowley were unsuccessful.

However, senior government officials said, “While Dr Moonilal is free to approach any court, he will be met with all the necessary responses when required.”

The officials also said Moonilal “will have to surpass insurmountable hurdles of fact, many of which pre-date the prime minister’s statements.”

They added it was curious that Moonilal, “is only now responding to material already in the public domain.” Moonilal said he asked his attorney Israel Khan SC to write Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams to find out whether or not he is the subject of any police investigation.

At the press conference held at the airport on Friday prior to his departure, Rowley said Moonilal was under investigation by the police in connection with the alleged mishandling of more than $400 million at the Estate Management and Business Development Company Limited in August 2015, just before the last general election.

Media reports in June claimed Moonilal’s name was on a police search warrant in connection with this matter.

The prime minister condemned Moonilal for alleging there was collusion between certain elements in the Police Service and the political directorate regarding last week’s arrest of former attorney general Anand Ramlogan.

Rowley said the course of events which led to Ramlogan’s arrest had its genesis in under the former Kamla Persad-Bissessar administration.

Ramlogan has been charged with obstructing justice by using threats and bribery in October 2014 to persuade incoming Police Complaints Authority director David West to not give evidence in Ramlogan’s defamation case against then Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley.

He is also accused of misbehaving in public office by improperly endeavouring for West not to testify on Rowley’s behalf.

The matter has been adjourned to January.