Kamla fine with Ventour on CoE

OPPOSITION Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar is quite okay with Justice Sebastian Ventour chairing the commission of enquiry (CoE) into the Point Fortin Highway land acquisition, she told a briefing at El Dorado yesterday, at the UNC’s screening of nominees for the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation for local elections.

“I trust he’ll wear a judge’s cap not a PNM cap. We’ll leave the population to judge.

“Some lawyers are going to make a lot of money. They have chosen their own. Let’s find out the lawyers fees for this.”

Ventour had once quit as Integrity Commission deputy head in protest at the concluding of the E-mailgate probe clearing Persad-Bissessar and others of conspiring to harm PNM politicians.

“I cast no aspersions on Justice Ventour,” she said.

Saying anyone found guilty by the probe should be jailed, Persad-Bissessar said, “Bring it on! After they spend millions and millions of dollars they’ll find no-one. This is just to keep you side-tracked.”

She urged the Government to inquire into alleged corruption at the Ministry of Works and Transport, the $100 million fake oil scandal, property rentals for friends and family, children toting guns and a soldier’s death.

Dubbing the inquiry, The Young and the Rowley, Persad-Bissessar viewed it as a soap opera like, The Young and the Restless.

She said a non-performing Government is trying to distract citizens by the enquiry’s “fiasco, farce and fake news.”

Any proof of wrongdoing should go to the police, she urged, not to a CoE.

Persad-Bissessar said TT had seen nothing for the $229 billion spent by this Government, whereas you can touch the schools, police stations, bridges and roads built by her government.

“I’m very proud we spent the money to deliver to the people of TT.”

She said on election day voters must recall the Government’s failure to supply school books, school transport, special needs education and food cards.

Tabaquite MP Dr Suruj Rambachan said the ministerial committee he had chaired on the Point Fortin highway had never done any land valuations which were done by Nidco, professional valuers and the Commission of Valuations. “No minister nor ministerial committee had anything to do with saying what amounts people would get.”

On local government reform, Persad-Bissessar urged a solution to tie-breakers on councils as at Sangre Grande in 2016. She opposed unequal sizes, funding and representation among various councils, and Government plans to create mini-Cabinets on councils.