Tell us about the FIU says Rowley

Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley says the Opposition is deeply disturbed by Prime Minister Kamla Persad’s failure to answer questions about the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) during the debate on the extension of the state of emergency. Rowley claimed the Government “had cocoa in the sun and people to protect” because it knows the FIU will examine funding of the drug trade. He was speaking to the media at a press conference at the Red House yesterday, immediately after the Parliament was adjourned following the three-day debate. Rowley was accompanied by eight Opposition MPs.

He said during Saturday’s late night debate he raised direct questions to Persad-Bissessar on the appointment of a director of the FIU and was given an assurance by her that they would be answered. “The Opposition demands that the prime minister gets out of the way and allow the Public Service Commission to make the appointments of their recommendations to the post of director and deputy director and to have, especially in this period of emergency . . . the whole picture attended to so that the FIU could look at the funding aspect of the drug trade and any other illicit activity in this country without political interference.”

He called on Persad-Bissessar to respond to his questions on the FIU. “Right now, we are none the wiser. This government has questions to answer,” he said. He said the population was told by the Government that it would provide information about the specific nature of the actions which threatened public safety to warrant a state of emergency. However, Rowley said Minister of National Security John Sandy was shielded by the prime minister because he had no information to provide.

Rowley said “all kinds of statements” were made about the previous administration but the real issue was the state of emergency. “The prime minister took over the debate...manoeuvred it so that nobody could speak after her. So now, we reply to her through you the media,” Rowley said. He said he was happy about her announcement about the committee led by Professor Selwyn Ryan. He said: “I hope it is not a committee that will generate paper or just another report.” Asked about the absence of former Prime Minister Patrick Manning, the San Fernando East MP, Rowley said Manning had indicated to chief whip Marlene McDonald that he would not be present.