Puzzle pieces coming together

OROPOUCHE East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal says through media investigations the puzzle pieces were coming together regarding his allegation of a Miami bank account linking the Prime Minister with the $100 million A&V Drilling fake oil scandal.

He was speaking with the media as the Standing Finance Committee considered national security expenditure in the 2018/2019 national budget in Parliament yesterday.

Moonilal made the allegation on Tuesday night during the budget debate and the following day Dr Rowley held a media conference denying the claim, calling for investigation by the Commissioner of Police, the Attorney General and Financial Intelligence Unit, and announced he would be looking at his legal options.

Also on Wednesday the Government brought a motion to have Moonilal taken before the Privileges Committee. Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George has reserved ruling.

Moonilal yesterday said he was happy that 48 hours later a few things have been confirmed: there is a Charlie Diaz alive (as reported in an exclusive Newsday story), there is a business (C&C International Trading of Miami) and it has been confirmed as having been linked to A&V Drilling for 17 years.

“And the details I gave in my own presentation are now confirmed to be true,” he said.

“So as the days go by, it is a puzzle and the pieces are coming together, and they are coming together in the context of where not one investigation has been launched into this matter. They are just coming together with social media and media investigations.”

He said there was about 25 per cent of the puzzle in place so far and others will have to do the job.

Moonilal said he saw in another newspaper that Rowley had confirmed a person named in the alleged e-mail disclosed in the scandal was his cousin.

“I am very struck that (on Wednesday) at his press conference he did not choose to disclose that. He would have known a day before that it is his same cousin. But he confirmed after the press conference. “I am not elated at all, but I am feeling lighter that the presentation was not a complete, or 100 per cent wrong.”

He said the e-mail address is correct, the individual exists and the banking data was accurate, and it was just the other parts to come together.

“And I remind people this it is not only about Keith Rowley; it is about Vidya Deokiesingh, it is about Rohit Persad, it is about A&V, it is about a fake oil scandal which has so far unearthed $100 million paid for no oil. And I am inspired by the Attorney General of the country that in modern-day matters you really have to follow the money.”

Moonilal said the PM at his media conference, denied and “threatened everyone on the planet” including the Facebook community, and threats were linked to fear. But he said he did not fear Rowley’s threats because that is par for the course in the business of politics.

“I will be very eager to go to the court and witness Dr Rowley in a witness box under oath on this matter.”

Moonilal said he has been a target of Government for several years and is probably one of the most scrutinised politicians in the Caribbean.

“They have targeted me because I have targeted them. The Government will take all options to intimidate, to threaten, to harass, to silence me.”