Activist takes action against Petrotrin

OPPOSITION activist Ravi Balgobin Maharaj is taking additional legal action to obtain two witness statements from Petrotrin.

In a statement, Maharaj said he advised his attorney Anand Ramlogan SC to file a claim for judicial review against Petrotrin after the Privy Council ruling granting him leave to do so. Maharaj said this has become necessary because the 14 day period to file the claim would have expired on Tuesday.

He said the reason for the delay was based on a promise by the Prime Minister that the witness statements of Charmaine Baptiste and Anthony Chan Tack would be released without any further litigation. At a post-Cabinet news conference at the Diplomatic Centre on May 23, Dr Rowley said he instructed Energy Minister Franklin Khan to direct Petrotrin to make the two statements "available and public."

Rowley added, "The public will read them and determine whether (former Petrotrin executive chairman) Malcolm Jones can rest in peace."

He also said the Privy Council "did not make any finding of fact on this matter" as to whether or not there was any alleged political interference in the discontinuation of legal action against Jones. Rowley added, "All the Privy Council did was say the man is asking for a review, give him a review."

Maharaj said Rowley and Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi have both said there is nothing incriminating or conspiratorial in the witness statements. He questioned why the statements have not been released. Maharaj also claimed the law firm representing Petrotrin, JD Sellier and Company, refused to accept service of the claim. He alleged the firm said it had no instructions on the matter.

As such, Maharaj said he now has to serve the claim directly on Petrotrin.