'DON'T SULLY MY NAME'

JULIEN NEAVES and RYAN HAMILTON-DAVIS

Do not sully my name!

This was the call on Sunday by Social Development Minister Camille Robinson-Regis to Fixin' T&T head Kirk Waithe after he demanded that she be fired from Cabinet over questions surrounding her banking transactions.

Fixin TT in a social media post, called for Robinson-Regis who is also the Arouca/Maloney MP to be immediately fired in light of revelations made after a police probe into a 2016 bank transaction.

According to media reports, it was revealed that Robinson-Regis did not withdraw $143,000 from Republic Bank Ltd (RBL) as she had previously claimed. Waithe also called for Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi to make public, the letter used to verify the banking transaction.

In a release sent to the media, Fixin' T&T quoted Robinson-Regis as saying she withdrew the money from her RBL account, which was corroborated by the AG, who said a letter written by executive director Derwin Howell verified the transaction.

However, a media report on Sunday claimed that a report compiled by police revealed she did not withdraw the money from the bank. The media report also revealed details of an internal report in First Citizens Bank – the bank in which the money was deposited – which said she made a cash deposit and a cash loan payment for $93,800 and $50,000, respectively.

When asked to declare a source of funds, she claimed it came from an “account at Republic Bank and savings.” Newsday attempted to reach Al-Rawi for a comment on the media report on Sunday but our efforts proved futile as calls to his cellphone were not answered. Newsday also reached out to Robinson-Regis over Waithe's release but while she answered our call, she declined to comment.

Robinson-Regis on Sunday afternoon issued a media release saying: "I have noted with great concern, the continuing attempts by Mr Kirk Waithe to sully my good name and professional reputation.

"If this mischief-maker has any evidence of a specific act of illegality on my part, then he must know how to put his name to the specific allegations knowing that the competent authorities will not hesitate to act. Until he does that, I urge Mr Waithe to cease and desist from his scurrilous attacks. In the meantime, I will ignore all innuendoes aimed at sullying my name."

Asked if the investigation into Robinson-Regis could be a liability to the PNM's aspiration of retaining office via the general election later this year, political scientist Dr Bishnu Ragoonath told Newsday on Sunday he would have to wait to hear the responses of AG Al-Rawi and Dr Rowley, both of whom have publicly defended Robinson-Regis in the past.

Robinson-Regis who is also a PNM vice chairman, previously held the senior Cabinet post of Planning Minister but this portfolio was taken from her and changed to that of Social Development Minister, following a recent Cabinet reshuffle, which also saw the Rowley adding the planning ministry portfolio to his duties.

Ragoonath reiterated that this was not a "demotion" as some, including the Opposition UNC, have claimed, but was part of a pre-election strategy and it was likely felt that Robinson-Regis would be effective in that position (Social Development Minister) as she is closer to the ground and to the people on the ground.