UNC: Wealth bill draconian

United National Congress chairman David Lee has said citizens should be given time to be educated, to understand, and to make adjustments to their business practices before the Civil Asset Recovery and Management and Unexplained Wealth Bill is put into effect.

He said the Opposition understood the rationale for bringing the bill but several clauses were a cause for concern. He specifically mentioned part five which referred to the Explain our Wealth Order. He said it attacked the every day, small business people who operated cash businesses, such as coconut vendors, people who sold food, such as doubles and fried wings, taxi drivers, teachers giving extra lessons, and more.

“This really requires a total societal change of mind of how we conduct our businesses. And the AG (Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi) is bringing this thing right now without educating the people or even giving the people a chance going forward because this thing is retroactive.”

He also believed it opened up a window for police, immigration, or customs officers to extort money from innocent business people as many may not be able to explain their wealth through records and receipts on sales and cash received. “If a person is driving a fancy car, a police officer, out of jealousy or even trying to extort money from these individuals could go to them and threaten to carry them to court.”

Lee said they were surprised Opposition Leader, Kamla Persad-Bissessar was not allowed to speak. He said she was prepared to do so after San Juan/Barataria MP Dr Fuad Khan but Khan was not recognised to speak. Instead, the Speaker asked the AG to wind up the debate on Friday night.

He hoped on Monday, the AG would bring many amendments, and noted that the Opposition was working on numerous amendments to present to Government because, as it was, the bill was “draconian to the people.”

D’Abadie/O’Meara MP Brigadier General Ancil Antoine, however, saw the bill as a way to protect vulnerable communities. He said there were people who wanted to take the easy way out by getting involved in crime and they attempted to convince others that was the way forward.

“What we are doing with this bill is going after unexplained excessive wealth. If you have wealth that you are showing off with, how did you come by it? If you can’t explain it then we will go after it... It’s a way to protect communities. These guys have a certain amount of power, they have access to guns, commit violent crimes – it’s time we get these people out of our communities.”

He explained that if police, immigration, or customs officers were suspicious of a person’s transactions, they could go to the high court and make a case to a judge who would decide whether or not an individual should be called on to explain their wealth.

“If you work for a specific salary but your lifestyle was one of someone with deeper pockets, if you have a number of luxury vehicles and have 15 gold chains around your neck, you will have to explain how you got it. But if some law enforcement person is being malicious to go after somebody, the judge in his discretion could decide that’s nonsense.”

The debate on the Civil Asset Recovery and Management and Unexplained Wealth Bill, 2019 in the House of Representatives has been adjourned to Monday at 10 am. There the AG would be expected to complete his wind up of the bill, then it would go to the committee stage where the bill would be considered clause by clause.