AG: Case against Ramlogan, Ramdeen has not collapsed

ATTORNEY General Reginald Armour, SC, stuck to his guns on Tuesday, maintaining that the corruption case against former attorney general Anand Ramlogan, SC, and former opposition senator Gerald Ramdeen had not collapsed.

He did so during a meeting of the Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives on Tuesday. The committee approved expenditure of $345,276,200 for the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Legal Affairs in the 2022/2023 budget.

Barataria/San Juan MP Saddam Hosein insisted the case against Ramlogan and Ramdeen had collapsed, as he asked Armour to state the quantum of legal fees for that matter.

Armour told Hosein, "I don't accept the terminology that you used of a collapsed prosecution."

He promised to provide the figure Hosein asked for in due course.

Hosein told Armour the Opposition had a legitimate expectation to receive information about legal fees from him, and this precedent was set by his predecessor, San Fernando West MP Faris Al-Rawi.

Armour replaced Al-Rawi as AG in a Cabinet reshuffle on March 16. Al-Rawi is now Rural Development and Local Government Minister.

Armour reiterated to Hosein his intention to provide the information he requested.

But he told Hosein, "I don't accept what you refer to as a legitimate expectation. But I will certainly do my best as AG of TT since March 16, 2022."

Hosein said, "We (the opposition) do expect to get the complete breakdown."

He reminded Armour that he promised to be open and transparent, as AG, to TT's taxpayers.

"At the end of the day...this is the money of the taxpayers of TT."

A purported agreement to indemnify Jamaica-born Vincent Nelson, KC, from civil and criminal prosecution in return for a notarised statement led to the case against Ramlogan and Ramdeen being dropped.

Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gaspard announced the discontinuation of the matter against Ramlogan and Ramdeen on Monday, but Armour said it is not over yet.

Armour said Nelson has not recanted any admission of wrongdoing he made in the criminal proceedings.

He promised to take the advice of eminent local and foreign senior and King's Counsel "to ensure that no stone is left unturned in the pursuit of justice for the people of TT."

Armour also stood his ground against Chaguanas West MP Dinesh Rambally, who asked him whether he would be paying legal fees with respect to his disqualification in April from a Miami lawsuit against some of those charged in the Piarco corruption case.

"I don't have those figures to hand, and as you may recall, honourable member, in relation to that particular case, I have recused myself from any involvement in it."

Armour said he would have to seek that information from "those who now have conduct of it."

Rambally claimed there was confusion amongst government members as to whether Armour had been recused or disqualified from that case by the court in Miami.

Speaker Bridgid-Annisette-George disallowed Rambally from pursing his line of questioning of Armour.

"I don't think that is a relevant comment. We are still bound by relevance in this exercise. So let's be relevant."

Rambally initially heeded Annisette-George's instructions, but then reiterated his question about legal fees in the Piarco case "now that an appeal has been filed."

The appeal was filed on June 1, after Miami Dade Circuit Court judge Reemberto Diaz struck out Armour and US law firm Sequor Law on the basis of Armour’s previous connection to one of the defendants on trial.

Armour told Rambally, "I do not accept your conjecture that there is any confusion on the part of the government with respect to this matter."

Rambally countered that Armour was being tangential

He asked Annisette-George, "What is he building upon?"

Armour fired back, asking Rambally to allow him to answer his question.

Rambally quipped, "Madam Chair has to let you do that."

Annisette-George restored order to the meeting

She told Rambally, "You were allowed to say something. It does not disappear. Even though I said something, it does not disappear."

Annisette-George allowed Armour to speak.

"The AG now has my ear. Let's conduct this in a very orderly manner."

Armour reiterated to Rambally that he would receive the information he asked for from someone other than himself.

Annisette-George overruled an attempt by Rambally to ask Armour to say whether he would personally pay any legal fees in relation to the Piarco case or his ministry would do so.