Jwala gets disclosure

FINANCE Minister Colm Imbert has complied with a court order to provide former Central Bank Governor Jwala Rambarran certain correspondence the minister allegedly sent to the director of the Intergovernmental Group of Twenty-Four on International Monetary Affairs and Development (G-24), about a job offer Rambarran received in 2016.

Imbert had seven days in which to do so and he did on May 29 – a day shy of the court’s order.

Included in the disclosure were e-mails between Imbert and Marilou Uy director of the G-24 Secretariat and a letter from Uy to the minister.

In her letter, Uy sought feedback on the secretariat’s selection of Rambarran who ranked as the highest candidate by a short-listing panel and a selection panel of representatives from G-24 member countries at the IMF and World Bank, and experts from both institutions.

She said she concurred with the assessments of the panels that Rambarran was the best candidate for the position of senior advisor at the G-24 Secretariat. She sought Imbert’s feedback on the appointment, in view of his previous position as governor of the Central Bank.

The minister responded by e-mail, telling her Rambarran’s appointment as governor was terminated by the Government in December 2015 and attached a Ministry of Finance press release on the issue which also announced the appointment of his replacement.

He also highlighted in the e-mail, sent on November 21, 2016, an extract from the press release, which said, “The Cabinet’s decision was primarily based on legal advice from both internal and external counsel, including senior counsel, who advised that the disclosure by the former governor of the names of the largest users of foreign exchange in TT and the amounts of foreign exchange that they used was a breach of section 56 of the Central Bank Act and section 8 of the Financial Institutions Act.”

Uy responded, by e-mail the next day, thanking Imbert for his response and noting the circumstances for the termination of the ex-governor’s appointment. She also asked, as a last request, for him to accommodate a very brief conversation with her.

Imbert acceded to the request and later that day, replied by e-mail, providing her with his phone number.

Uy’s last e-mail to the minister, almost an hour later that same day, thanked him and indicated she was calling him now.

In ordering the disclosure of the correspondence, Justice Frank Seepersad deemed the minister’s refusal to provide the documents as being against the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the public interest.

The G-24 group, of which this country is a member, is based in Washington, DC, and Rambarran applied for a job there as a senior adviser. He said he accepted an offer of employment in August, and negotiations progressed until they hit a snag on August 16, 2016, when the G-24 rescinded the offer.

Rambarran filed the FOIA application in March 2017, seeking correspondence between Imbert and the G-24 director on his proposed employment.

He has alleged there is a political vendetta against him.

In his ruling, the judge said, “The facts of this case are as exceptional as they are disturbing.”