Rowley denies allegations of bribes to bring down THA

THE Prime Minister has flatly denied allegations of any attempted interference in police work in Tobago, dismissing such talk as a fabrication for nefarious ends.

Dr Rowley, in a press statement on Wednesday, said that at a special sitting of the Tobago House of Assembly earlier that day, Chief Secretary Farley Augustine made serious allegations against him, including playing into the assembly’s records, a purportedly secret recording that included Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) membership officer, Akil Abdullah.

Rowely denied the allegation of him being in contact with Abdullah and others towards interfering and directing police work.

"Let me firmly place on the record the following: With respect to Mr Akil Abdullah, I do not know any person by that name.

"I have never met with any such person. I have never spoken to him in any form or fashion. I have never communicated with him in any way," the PM said.

Rowley said he had absolutely nothing to do with any of that story or action as described by Augustine or Abdullah.

"Additionally I categorically deny that I know Inspector Weaver- Ali. I do not know this officer. I have never met her.

"I have never spoken to her. To the best of my knowledge I have never been in her presence."

Rowley said he had never been in any meeting of any kind with her, alone or with others, as presented by Augustine.

"Further I categorically deny that I was in any meeting with persons named as described by the Chief Secretary, that is, officer Weaver-Ali, attorney-at-law Gilbert Peterson and Ancil Dennis.

"I state, without fear of contradiction, that this purported meeting wherein I supposedly directed the Commissioner of Police to take certain action, never occurred. As far as I am concerned it is a pure fanciful fabrication by person/s for their own nefarious purpose."