Newly-appointed Attorney General Anand Ramlogan is calling for an expeditious probe into former prime minister Patrick Manning's involvement in the Heights of Guanapo church project. Ramlogan's call came after a recent disclosure by architect Stephen Mendes confirming Manning's involvement in the project. Manning's spiritual adviser, Rev Juliana Pena, is linked to this church. Ramlogan said he supported Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar's earlier request for a criminal probe into the matter, but he wanted it to be an expeditious one, or else it would be swept under the carpet.
"Remember the matter is already before the Integrity Commission. Over a month has passed," he said. He slammed the inefficiency and lackadaisical attitude of the Integrity Commission, in the wake of a newspaper report in which Mendes broke his silence on Manning's involvement.
Persad-Bissessar, during a May 15 news conference, had produced a May 2 letter written by Mendes, addressed to former Urban Development Corporation of T&T chairman, Calder Hart. In the letter, Mendes, who said he was asked by Pena to design the church "pro bono," spoke about "PM's requests" in relation to architectural drawings. Manning later said PM could mean project manager. Persad-Bissessar had sent the information to acting Commissioner of Police James Philbert and Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard for a criminal probe. She had also requested the Integrity Commission to probe the matter. Mendes said the PM he referred to in the letter was then prime minister, Patrick Manning. Ramlogan knocked the pace of the investigations by the Integrity Commission and the police.
He said: "I find the pace of the investigation is too slow. Allegations of corruption against a public official must be expeditiously investigated, so the public can be vindicated. "But public confidence can be damaged if we allow it to drag on endlessly."
Ramlogan said the Integrity Commission "is a primary offender" in this regard. "They have ample powers and they have never raised their voices about the lack of resources. "Yet still, they have never informed the public about the state of the investigation and when they could expect closure. "These are matters that require a change in attitude," the AG said.