Jwala insists he was wronged

Former Central Bank governor Jwala Rambarran is insisting he was the “wronged one” after a job offer as the director of the Intergovernmental Group of Twenty-Four on International Monetary Affairs and Development (G-24) was rescinded in 2016, and has again accused Finance Minister Colm Imbert of interference.

In a statement, Rambarran said the offer from the G-24 was rescinded after “Mr Imbert’s intervention which included a telephone call to the director.

“Imbert’s pettiness and political blinders prevented me as a private citizen from working for a respected international institution in a capacity that would have been very beneficial to the international image of TT at a time when his mishandling of the economy requires maximum external support from experts with the proper training and expertise.

“My unceremonious dismissal as Central Bank Governor was not enough – Imbert inexplicably felt compelled to complete my personal destruction by ensuring that I remain unemployed, even if I was the best candidate for the job and could do my country proud at an international level.

“PNM political warfare at the highest, though I am strengthened in these battles by my victories in the courts, which have shown again and again I have been the wronged one here,” he added, saying he intends to fight the minister all the way to the Privy Council to get justice.

Rambarran’s statement came after the minister complied with a court order to provide him with correspondence he allegedly sent to the director of the G-24, Marilou Uy, who sought Imbert’s feedback on the secretariat’s selection of Rambarran, who was ranked as the highest candidate by a shortlisting panel, a selection panel from G-24 member countries at the IMF and World Bank, and experts from both institutions.

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

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 and later that day, replied by e-mail, providing her with his phone number. Later that same day, Uy, as her last e-mail suggested, would have called the minister.

The disclosure of the e-mails and correspondence complied with a court order by Justice Frank Seepersad, who 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 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.