Rambally: Are PM's lawyers seeking statements against THA chief secretary?

CHAGUANAS West MP Dinesh Rambally has criticised the Prime Minister for writing a pre-action protocol letter against Tobago House of Assembly (THA) whistleblower Akil Abdullah. He also questioned whether PNM lawyers are in the process of preparing an indemnity agreement to allow Abdullah to make statements against THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine.

Rambally made these statements at a UNC meeting in Chaguanas on Monday.

In a television interview on July 29, Dr Rowley disclosed that his personal lawyers sent a pre-action protocol letter to Abdullah for allegations that Abdullah made against him.

Abdullah's allegations formed the basis of claims made by Augustine that Rowley and other high-ranking government and police officials were part of a conspiracy to bring his administration down.

In the signed pre-action protocol letter dated July 26, attorney Elena Araujo told Abdullah that Rowley plans to institute high court proceedings against him for damages, including exemplary and/or aggravated damages for defamation and costs.

Araujo said as a sensible alternative to long and costly arbitration, Rowley is prepared to accept an unqualified retraction by Abdullah of his statements and an apology “on terms to be agreed by counsel to be published in two prominent daily newspapers.”

Abdullah will be required to promise never to repeat his statements or make similar defamatory statements against Rowley.

He will also have to pay a sum of money to Rowley to demonstrate the baseless of his statements and compensate Rowley for “injury to his reputation.

Abdullah has period of two weeks from July 26, to respond to the letter.

Araujo told Abdullah that he had made defamatory statements against Rowley.

Those statements, she continued, were made in a conversation with Augustine on or around July 7, at an unknown location. Araujo said the statements were false and slanderous against Rowley.

She said the statements were intended to call Rowley’s conduct as prime minister, National Security Council chairman into question “and to impute unfitness for office or misconduct in office.”

Rambally slammed Rowley for directing his personal lawyers to send a pre-action protocol letter to Abdullah.

"Now we see the Prime Minister writing a pre-action protocol letter to a witness because he wants to tell the truth."

Rambally said, "He wants to use the threat of a lawsuit to intimidate someone who he said is a police witness."

He then claimed to "have received some information today which is very worrying."

Based on this alleged information, Rambally had a question for Attorney General Reginald Armour, SC, and Rowley to answer.

"I am calling on the AG and the Prime Minister to answer whether well-known PNM lawyers are drafting an indemnity agreement for Akil Abdullah to sign so that he can give his testimony against the chief secretary Farley Augustine."

Rambally asked, "Is Mr Augustine being offered a presidential pardon by this PNM president to bring false charges against the democratically-elected THA (chief) secretary?"

He said, "Let them come out and say exactly what is taking place."

Rambally also claimed that he received information that Commissioner of Police (CoP) Erla Harewood- Christopher received an audit from the THA which alleged there was massive corruption by PNM financiers.

He asked Harewood-Christopher if this is true and what was she doing about it.

"Where are the warrants? Whose cell phones have you seized? Whose homes have you raided?Are you holding the audit report in hand and praying over it?"

Augustine named Harewood-Christopher as one of the people involved in the alleged conspiracy against his administration. Harewood-Christopher has rejected Augustine's allegations.

At a news conference at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann's on July 20, Rowley said he instructed Armour to get legal advice on whether or not Augustine breached the law when he made his allegations against him at a special sitting of the THA on July 19.

He said the court would determine what was right and what was wrong as he planned to take any legal action available.

Rowley pointed out that the man named by Augustine, Akil Abdullah, stated in the video shown in the assembly that he was a witness co-operating closely with the police in the THA audio-recording investigation.

“When the chief secretary would have done, as far as he is concerned, the police investigation which he denigrated in the production as far as he's concerned, that should go the way of all flesh and disappear; the chief secretary in the THA has put himself above the law and has taken steps to ensure that he doesn’t only think he is above the law but that he acts to put himself about the law."