Kamla returns jab at Rowley: 'Nothing but a shameless Judas'

Opposition leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar says the Prime Minister's meeting last month with a team of Venezuelan officials, including vice-president Delcy Rodriguez, can cause serious damage to the country’s economic stability and "reputation as an exemplary democracy."

In a statement on Saturday, Persad-Bissessar said Dr Rowley, at a press conference on Friday, “finally admitted to holding an alleged illegitimate meeting with Venezuelan Vice President, Delcy Rodriguez, and a team of officials from Venezuelan-owned energy company PDVSA, on March 27."

She called on him to "immediately cease and desist from these damaging actions and publicly declare that he will fully cooperate with the US investigation."

Rodriguez, president Nicolas Maduro and other top Venezuelan officials have been put on a “wanted” list in the United States for money laundering and terrorism.

On Friday, Rowley called Persad-Bissessar a traitor for attempting to stoke US sanctions against TT.

She earlier alleged that a flight manifest showed Rodriguez's delegation included officials from PDVSA – a Venezuelan state oil company which is under US sanction.

"His reprehensible actions constitute a grave, dangerous and treacherous betrayal of the citizens of this nation since they can cause serious damage to TT's economic stability. They can also irreparably affect our historic pristine global reputation as an exemplary democracy.

Persad-Bissessar said Rowley has previously claimed that the meeting was to discuss matters related to covid19.

"Last week, however, it was reported that the United States is investigating the TT Government for breaking its sanctions against Venezuela over the ‘fuelgate’ fiasco.

"I then consistently badgered Rowley to say if this meeting was the genesis of this alleged illegitimate deal. After I presented documentary evidence yesterday to show that key PDVSA officials attended this meeting, he is now admitting that he attended this meeting with National Security Minister Stuart Young and Foreign Affairs Minister Dennis Moses. Incredulously, he was not introduced to anyone at any point from VP Rodriguez’s delegation before, during or after the meeting.”

She said Rowley admitted that he later found out that PDVSA president Asdurbal Jose Chavez Jiminez and Venezuela’s new Energy Minister Manuel Antonio Jimminez Herrera were in attendance.

“A PDVSA aircraft which is sanctioned by the US in fact transported the delegation. This is, therefore, grounds for US sanctions against TT."

She added that the claims, however, "make no sense, since, as a former PM, I know for a fact that there’s a very clear, pre-established record of the agendas for all official bi-governmental meetings and all attendees at said meetings are properly vetted by relevant protocol officers from the Foreign Affairs Ministry.”

Persad-Bissessar added, “Prime Ministers are always properly briefed on these meetings and are given the names, official designations, employee statuses and all other relevant background information of all attendees before the meetings take place.

“Due diligence is always done for national security purposes for any meeting attended by the Prime Minister and National Security Minister, and no senior government official enters a meeting without being introduced to all other attendees in the same room.”