Moonilal: Quamina conflicted, should resign from TPHL

DAYS after his appointment to head the Trinidad Petroleum Holdings Ltd (TPHL) and other subsidiary companies, Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal has called on attorney Michael Quamina to resign.

“Michael Quamina is conflicted. There is the possibility of apparent bias, and I call upon Quamina to resign forthwith from that position of TPHL,” Moonilal said, after explaining the tangled web in which the attorney may have found himself.

From the United National Congress (UNC) Monday Night Forum platform at the Debe High School, Moonilal accused the prime minister of putting his friends, including Quamina, former HDC chairman Newman George and others, “into strategic positions” at the oil company, which is involved in several legal matters with the opposition in which the PM is also accused.

“This is wrong, it is unethical, it is improper and possibly illegal,” Moonilal said.

As the personal lawyer of the prime minister, against whom he raised concerns with respect to a connection with A&V Drilling in the fake oil scandal in Petrotrin, Quamina, he said, is conflicted.

Moonilal also said Quamina had no experience or expertise in the energy industry.

To date, he said, the issue he raised in Parliament last October about an e-mail sent from Vivian Baksh of A&V Drilling to Rowley’s cousin Junior Rawlinson Rowley’s address but which opened with the greeting, “Good morning honourable Prime Minister” has not been disputed.

Rawlinson claimed it was sent to him by accident and the PM denied any connection and threatened legal action.

“AV Drilling said nothing, but no one has denied that e-mail is correct.

"Today I am in the courthouse. Rowley’s lawyer is Michael Quamina. By virtue of that appointment, he (Quamina) now becomes the custodian, the gatekeeper, the guard of all the records of all the documents, of all the evidence in the AV fake oil matter.

“So Michael Quamina is conflicted and there is a situation of bias and apparent bias where a reasonable observer will believe he will be biased in dealing with this matter.”

He drew a hypothetical scenario, asking if his defence required documents, evidence or witnesses from the former Petrotrin and successor companies, “What Michael Quamina going to do? He going to cross-examine himself?

“What if we needed personnel to come there? He is the political boss of the personnel who must go to testify. You all understand that? You all understand the danger?” he asked the audienc,e who responded with resounding “yeses.”

Moonilal said Petrotrin is also involved in arbitration with AV Drilling and Quamin,a who now represents the company, has a duty to the company in law.

“But his client is alleged to have a connection with AV Drilling concerning the same fake oil matter. So, Michael Quamina, you cannot serve two masters.

“What will happen if Petrotrin has to sue AV Drilling? Who will Quamina represent? Keith Rowley or Petrotrin?

"This leads to the possibility of apparent bias and he is conflicted.”

He said his political leader, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who also endorsed Moonilal’s call on Monday night, is facing a lawsuit for defamation after having brought the fake oil scandal to national attention.

In that defamation matter, he said, there is a request in the court for a very confidential document called the Kroll Report, which was an independent report undertaken by an international agency into AV Drilling.

He said the Kroll report is yet to arrive, “but you know who going to see it first? The personal lawyer of Keith Rowley, who is also accused of involvement in this matter.”