Attorney General Anand Ramlogan says he has had to request more security after threats to his life by former PNM councillor Dansam Dhansook. Ramlogan said so during yesterday's post-Cabinet news conference at the Prime Minister's office in St Clair. Dhansook had filed a matter in court several years ago, alleging that he had offered a bribe to then minister of Works and Transport Franklin Khan. Khan was subsequently freed of all charges and Dhansook issued a public apology. But Ramlogan said Dhansook had nothing to do with the victory achieved by Khan, who is seeking to become chairman of the PNM in next month's party elections.
Ramlogan said in July last year, he received "an odd letter" from Dansam Dhansook which contained demands for work from the People's Partnership Government. He said he ignored that and a second letter from Dhansook came to him. He said demands were intensified in a third letter sent to him "and ended the letter with what I interpreted clearly to be a threat to my and my family's personal security and also an attempt to blackmail me." Ramlogan said he called then commissioner of police James Philbert "and I gave it to him and I ask that it be investigated."
The AG continued: "The second thing that I did, having regard to the allegation of Mr Dhansook was making-the allegations being that I drafted a letter for him to send to the Prime Minister that would have led to the charges-immediately I drafted the letter to the DPP of the country, sending him a copy of that letter and highlighting for the DPP, the fact that this letter may have implications for pending prosecutions." Ramlogan said Khan was free of the charges today, "not because Dansam Dhansook had a change of heart or had any pangs of conscience, it was because I took it upon myself to disclose to the DPP a letter he sent me in confidence, a letter which made allegations and threats and I passed it to both the Commissioner of Police and the DPP for three things to be done."
He listed the requests:
• An immediate police investigations to be done.
• Security for myself and my family be looked into.
• That implications for the prosecution's case against Franklin Khan be looked into by the DPP.
Ramlogan said that "was what led to the DPP statement in court where that matter was withdrawn." The AG said he had noticed that a Sunday newspaper since then "paint and portray Mr Dhansook in a positive light," as though he had some change of heart and was responsible for the matter against Khan to be withdrawn. He insisted: "Nothing could be further from the truth." He said subsequent to that, Dhansook wrote another letter threatening that if he (AG) did not meet certain demands "the matter would be raised in Parliament...and he put a deadline.
"I ignored it, I passed every letter I have received from Mr Dhansook, everything I have received I have passed it to the DPP and the Commissioner of Police," the AG said.
He said the promise by Dhansook to raise the matter in the Senate did take place. "True to form, Senator Fitzgerald Hinds raised the matter in the Senate," he said. "They didn't call names but they raised it. Next thing I know he write a next one saying a prominent figure will come after me. Next thing I hear is Abu Bakr (Jamaat al Muslimeen leader) with Ian Alleyne's programme, linking himself to Dhansook and the story." Ramlogan said: "There is a marshalling of forces to try and intimidate me. I am not easily intimidated. I don't fear Mr Dansam Dhansook." He added: "Not only has Mr Dhansook created this mischief, he has sent other letters to make allegations against other government ministers, against just about everybody in the Government."
He said Dhansook "did the same thing under the last (PNM) administration." Ramlogan said similar allegations were made against former AG John Jeremie and Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Dr Lenny Saith. The AG said all those letters had been given to the DPP and the Commissioner of Police. He stressed again that he had "nothing to fear or to worry about when it came to Dansam Dhansook and these spurious, malicious and false allegations."
Ramlogan said he understood why Dhansook was doing those things. He said it was the result of a political matter involving Khan, who is seeking the return as chairman of the PNM.