Senate blows up over Ramlogan

COMMITTEE deliberations in the Senate on the Non-Profit Organisations (NPO) Bill 2019 were thrown into chaos yesterday, when Opposition Senator Wade Mark accused Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi of spreading fake news about the start of the witness tampering matter against former attorney general Anand Ramlogan. The resulting spat between Al-Rawi and Mark was the culmination of cross talk between Government and the Opposition about the intentions of the bill.

Claiming the only person spreading fake news in TT is Al-Rawi, Mark declared, "I don't engage in fake news."

Government senators thumped their desks as Al-Rawi countered, "I refute Senator mark's statements about fake news." Opposition senators shouted at Al-Rawi as he said it was important he clarify himself because his statements could be "reworked in a different light" elsewhere.

Mark accused Al-Rawi of being "disrespectful to the chair."

Senate Vice-President Nigel De Freitas intervened, declaring "Enough is enough." After cautioning Al-Rawi and Mark, De Freitas suspended the committee meeting for 15 minutes to allow senators' to cool their tempers.

During the suspension, Al-Rawi told reporters, "This nitty gritty about whether I said the matter was starting and didn't start, that was nothing of what I had to say." Referring to statements he made at a news conference on April 1, Al-Rawi said Ramlogan is the first attorney general to be on a misbehaviour in public officer matter while in office. He said Edwards Jenkins QC was admitted to the bar to appear as lead counsel prosecutor in the matter "because the date of that matter was scheduled "to come up in court on April 9. That's all I said."

Al-Rawi said Jenkins appeared in court before the Chief Magistrate on Tuesday (April 9).

Before the suspension, tensions simmered between the Government and Opposition about the bill. While Government and temporary Independent Senator Josh Drayton proposed written amendments, Al-Rawi said the Opposition submitted none. Instead he observed the Opposition was trying to have a debate on something "that is not crystallised on a clause by clause basis."

He suggested to De Freitas the written amendments be considered before any other arguments were entertained. Al-Rawi said he was being very strict in his recommendations because he did not want the Senate "to enter into a frolic." Mark opposed an amendment to have the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) to use a risk-based assessment on NPOs. He claimed the FIU was not an independent entity and could act as "judge, jury and executioner."

Al-Rawi was "astounded" by Mark's attempt to scandalise the FIU. Al-Rawi said the only executioner in this equation is the Financial Investigation Branch of the Police Service. Independent Senator Anthony Vieira agreed with that a risk-based assessment of NPOs was acceptable. Vieira also said the FIU was an appropriate body to regulate NPOs. Al-Rawi said NPOs with gross annual incomes over $10 million will need to be audited annually.