Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley says he’s satisfied that Ministers Dennis Moses and Camille Robinson-Regis haven’t defied the Piarco International Airport’s Customs systems and he knows of no minister in his Government who’s doing so.
Rowley stood by both in Parliament yesterday as he replied to queries by United National Congress MP Barry Padarath about additional reports about a pattern of behaviour of at least one minister at the airport. He asked if Rowley has ensured that ministers don’t defy Customs’ authority.
Moses and Robinson-Regis were spotlighted recently when an airport officer was suspended after he attempted to halt them from trying to exit the Duty-Free area on September 21. Subsequent internal security reports also listed incidents on September 12 and October 27 with Moses, when he side-stepped scrutiny in departing T&T.
The Airports Authority of T&T didn’t deny the incidents nor did the Estate Police Association, which voiced concerns about nationals and ministers adhering to security procedures.
Yesterday, Rowley said he had no report on what Padarath referred to, adding he spoke to both ministers and was satisfied they hadn’t defied Customs.
Rowley also accused the Opposition of working with Venezuela’s opposition forces to “torpedo” the Dragon Gas Field agreement, saying an Opposition member has been trying to get a Venezuelan Opposition member to oppose the matter.
The PM said the agreement was a far-reaching matter for T&T and any such investment would stand as a business deal.
“We in T&T have no role in who the Venezuelan government is, we treat with the government as it exists. Whatever you think of the Venezuelan government, that’s a matter for the Venezuelan people,” the PM said.
When UNC’s Roodal Moonilal challenged him to say which Opposition member was undermining the situation, Rowley replied, “We used to say ‘call a name and I’ll whistle’. But my Oropouche East colleague could help by saying who brought the Venezuelan Opposition MP here to talk that talk.”
Rowley couldn’t say when the gas would flow but added another agreement has to be concluded on pipeline construction. He also refused to give an undertaking that taxpayers won’t have to fund the project.
The PM also “buffed” UNC MP Rodney Charles for his concern that Government won’t bind future governments to tax concessions for the Sandals Group on the Tobago project. He said Government wasn’t close to signing any final agreement and noted T&T had for decades given various tax breaks and the IDC had existed for that.
“(So) where all yuh come from with this now?” he asked.
He noted Government had said it wouldn’t give tax breaks and Sandals would be a project manager of a business owned by the public.
“But if the contract requires tax breaks, Government will have no hesitation doing it for the people of T&T,” he said.