I penned no HRM letter—Chief Solicitor: Junior lawyer sent it—OPM Geisha Kowlessar Published: Tuesday, September 16, 2014 The Office of the Prime Minister yesterday admitted it made an error in a press release it disseminated over the weekend, which suggested that Chief State Solicitor Christophe Grant had penned a letter to Highway Re-Route Movement activist Dr Wayne Kublalsingh advising against his pending hunger strike. It said Grant was in fact not the author of the letter, but that an attorney in his office had penned it to Kublalsingh. But the OPM’s office had to clarify the matter after Chief State Solicitor Christophe Grant denied hours earlier that he wrote the letter and said he believed it in fact came from one of the junior attorneys in his office who was dealing with the matter. The letter had reminded Kublalsingh that the issue of the controversial highway extension was before the courts and said the State could not accede to his request to stop the construction of the Debe to Mon Desir section of the Golconda to Point Fortin Highway. It also told him if he undertook another hunger strike it would be at his own peril. Kublalsingh staged his first hunger strike in 2012. He has said he will start another hunger strike outside the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) tomorrow if he does not get a response from the PM by noon tomorrow. To date Kublalsingh has not received the letter, he said yesterday. But in an interview on i95FM yesterday, Grant said he had no knowledge of the letter and had seen its contents for the first time when he went online to read local newspapers early yesterday. Saying he was “very troubled” by the letter, Grant said, “I did not vet the letter, it was not passed by me, I was not the author of this. I had no knowledge of the letter until I read its contents to my surprise this morning.” He said the letter also could not have come from him because “half of the letter is tinged with politics.” “I am saying I have no part in that. I am more professional than that,” he said. Grant said he usually does not speak to the media, but felt he had no choice yesterday, especially given the magnitude of the situation involving Kublalsingh. “I wish to disassociate myself, I am not the author, I did not pen that letter,” he said. “… I normally don’t talk to the press, I treat these things very professionally, but this is a matter I think of life and death — a man’s life or death. I have a lot of respect for people’s lives and I don’t want to be associated in my children’s thoughts et cetera, as the one telling the man on the ledge, ‘Go ahead, jump nah.’” Grant said. Seeking to explain how such a letter could have emanated from his office with his knowledge, Grant said an attorney retained by the State could “very well” draft a letter and require the instructing attorney from the Chief State Solicitor’s office to sign it. “And I believe that is what happened in this case. But I had no sight of the letter,” he said again. “I did not pen those words, thoughts or expressions in that letter. It is a letter emanating and signed off by a competent attorney, an instructing attorney attached to the Chief State Solicitor.” OPM’s response In its statement yesterday, the Office of the Prime Minister said it wished to “correct an inadvertent error in the press release issued on Sunday September 14, 2014, which stated that the Chief State Solicitor had responded to the letter sent by Highway Re-route Movement Leader, Dr. Wayne Kublalsingh dated 3 September, 2014. “The letter was in fact sent by the instructing Attorney from the Office of the Chief State Solicitor, who was assigned to the pending Constitutional Motion filed by Dr. Kublalsingh and other members of the Highway Re-route Movement.” It added that it would not have been prudent for the Office of the Prime Minister to respond to Kublalsingh’s letter whilst the matter is before the courts and hence his letter was forwarded to the State’s legal team so that the issues raised could be appropriately addressed. Also contacted yesterday, press secretary at the OPM, Francis Joseph, said Kublalsingh had written a letter to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar on the issue, which he accepted and forwarded to her. Persad-Bissessar then asked Attorney General Anand Ramlogan to look at it and prepare a response, Joseph said. “I don’t know where the Attorney General took the matter, but last Friday, which was September 12, I received the response which shows that one Petal Alexander signed on behalf of the Chief State Solicitor, and that letter, from my enquiries, revealed it was sent to Dr Kublalsingh. “The release was sent out from the Office of the Prime Minister because the original letter was sent to the Prime Minister and the response from the Chief State Solicitor’s department came as a result of the letter sent to the Prime Minister,” Joseph added. What the letter says The T&T Guardian obtained a copy of the three-page letter addressed to Kublalsingh at his address in La Florissante, D’Abadie. It was signed by attorney Petal Alexander on behalf of the Chief State Solicitor. On Kublalsingh’s intention to resume his hunger strike, the letter said, “Your final two paragraphs of your letter express your intention to commence another hunger strike to highlight your plight. As you accurately set out in your letter such action would lead to consequences and risks, which are unknown. However you do so at your own peril.” It also said while Kublalsingh had the right to protest in a lawful manner the State had the duty and responsibility to protect life and would not be deterred in carrying adhering to that responsibility as it has done in the past. “The State is prepared to abide by the law in this matter and will not be persuaded by and actions of a man who seeks sympathy and empathy from the population in support of his cause. Should the State adopt such a cause it would lead only to anarchy and tyranny and compromise the rule of law and the democracy, which we as a people have grown to enjoy and protect. In those circumstances I trust that you will understand that the State cannot accede to your requests and I have all confidence that you will do what is right in the circumstances for yourself and the country,” the letter added. PNM: Denial not enough People’s National Movement PRO Faris Al-Rawi said yesterday that Grant’s denial was not enough and called on him to publicly account for how such correspondence had bypassed him, as such matters could have far-reaching legal consequences. “The question to him is, if he didn’t pen the letter, and distances himself from it, then Mr Grant must come out and say what the legal consequences are. His denial is not enough in a situation where there is a legal consequence to letters issued by attorneys,” Al-Rawi said. Al-Rawi said it was imperative that in issues involving the Office of the Chief State Solicitor and including matters surrounding litigation, there should be accountability for all officers. Secretary general of the Communication Workers’ Union Joseph Remy meanwhile expressed concern over the matter and called on the PM to abide by the findings of the James Armstrong report. “This imbroglio has now degenerated to a situation where a letter purported to come from the desk of the Chief State Solicitor has effectively accused Dr Kublalsingh of fomenting anarchy and tyranny and compromising the rule of law and democracy. “This was further aggravated by a statement emanating from the office of the Minister of National Security which stated that Dr Kublalsingh could face possible arrest for engaging in his planned hunger strike,” Remy said. He also knocked the Prime Minister for developing a “recurring pattern” of refusing to respond to requests made by civil society groups when called upon to deal with matters which her line ministers do not address adequately. Dr Wayne Kublalsingh, of the Highway Re-Route Movement (HRM) Source:: Trinidad Guardian The post I penned no HRM letter—Chief Solicitor: Junior lawyer sent it—OPM appeared first on Trinidad & Tobago Online. #trinidad
Posted on: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 08:20:16 +0000
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