Legal unit looking at Penal/Debe CEO law firm issue

THE legal unit of the Local Government Ministry is looking into the issue of a law firm Penal/Debe Regional Corporation CEO Motilal Ramsingh used in his personal capacity representing the corporation in a number of matters.

Last Tuesday at a joint select committee (JSC) meeting with officials of regional corporations JSC member Jennifer Baptiste-Primus expressed concern after Ramsingh confirmed the law firm Harrikissoon and Company, which the corporation had retained in five matters at the High Court in which people took action against the corporation for drainage and other infrastructure issues, had been used by him in his personal capacity.

Baptiste-Primus had said the principle of accountability and transparency would reject any such action, "Because if a CEO has a lawyer in a private matter, how then can that CEO recommend and contract the services of that same law firm for the corporation? To my mind it's wrong."

Also at the JSC Local Government Permanent Secretary Jennifer Daniel said as an accounting officer she would ensure she did not find herself in such a situation and described it as a "difficult situation to contemplate."

Local Government Minister Kazim Hosein informed Newsday on Tuesday that the matter was being looked at from an administrative level. He reported, following the JSC, the permanent secretary had a meeting with the ministry's legal unit on the issue.

"We are conferring with the legal unit to determine the way forward."

Hosein said that CEOs are hired through the Service Commission and if the feedback from the legal unit was that disciplinary action had to be initiated this would be reported by the ministry to the Director of Personnel Administration for investigation and a level of transparency. He said the ministry was still awaiting feedback from the legal unit.

Ramsingh told Newsday he could not speak on the issue at this time.