Human rights activist attorney Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj is seeking to recover millions of taxpayers' dollars when he files legal action against the Attorney General for a collapsed case against the former University of T&T (UTT) board led by its then chairman Professor Ken Julien.
Maharaj said yesterday that he also intended to pursue legal action against the Kamla Persad-Bissessar administration on several matters including wrongful arrest during the State of Emergency and contempt of court proceedings on behalf of municipal officers.
Maharaj, who is expected to hold a press conference on the matter on Thursday, said action would be filed against former AG Anand Ramlogan and current AG Garvin Nicholas.
In a statement he said action would be taken over the collapse of the UTT case against Julien and other executives of UTT.
"It is alleged that ...the witnesses who appeared on behalf of UTT were given specific documentation in order for them to prepare witness statements. The claim was for $11.4 million but Government is alleged to have spent more than that in legal fees," Maharaj stated. He said the Government had not given any explanation of the facts and circumstances surrounding the filing and withdrawal of this lawsuit.
"Legal action has to be taken in order to recover taxpayers' monies which have been thrown away by the reckless action of the Government in filing this frivolous claim," Maharaj said.
The present AG continues to disobey the Court of Appeal which ordered the Government to pass regulations that would permit municipal police officers to access the Industrial Court so that their disputes in respect of salaries, allowances and other pay issues could be settled by the Industrial Court, Maharaj said.
Saying punishment for contempt of court included imprisonment and a fine, Maharaj said proceedings would be filed against the Government in the High Court.
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Julien and four former UTT board members–Dr Rene Monteil, Ravindra Nath-Maharaj, Scott Hilton-Clarke and Errol Pilgrim–are also planning to sue for malicious prosecution, after the premature withdrawal of the university's multi-million dollar lawsuit against them which collapsed. UTT had initiated the lawsuit in September 2012, claiming the former board had breached its fiduciary duty and failed to exercise due diligence in the sub-leasing of the guest house from Consolidated Services Ltd (CSL) for five years at a monthly rental of $50,000, which lease was renewable.