Derek Achong
Members of the Law Association of T&T have narrowly voted against a no-confidence motion in Attorney General Reginald Armour, SC.
The no-confidence motion and a second motion, calling on Armour to resign due to his disqualification in the State’s protracted civil asset recovery case related to fraud and corruption in the construction of the Piarco International Airport, were defeated by majority votes at the end of a special general meeting the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Port-of-Spain yesterday evening.
The no-confidence motion received 234 votes for and 317 against, while the second motion over resignation received 241 votes for and 310 against.
Even if the motions were passed by the membership, they would have had no real tangible effect, as the association has no power to compel Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to revoke Armour’s appointment or to force Armour’s resignation.
In a brief interview with media personnel after the meeting, attorney Kiel Taklalsingh, who requisitioned the meeting on behalf of over three dozen members, said the group of young lawyers was satisfied despite the defeat.
“Today there was some success, as we were able to get the Attorney General to appear before us. That did not happen the last time a no-confidence motion was brought,” Taklalsingh said.
He suggested that the outcome may be due to the fact that Armour gave a lengthy explanation at the start of the meeting.
“He (Armour) was contrite and apologised to the members. This may have swayed the vote, but we won’t know. We think by holding him to account in some form or fashion, we achieved our purpose,” Taklalsingh said.
Guardian Media understands that Armour began his address by saying that Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley had given him time off from a Cabinet retreat to address the meeting.
Sources within the association, who provided a detailed synopsis of Armour’s presentation during the private meeting, noted that he sought to essentially repeat the lengthy explanation provided in a full-page newspaper advertisement published after public criticism over his disqualification from the US case began.
Armour claimed that his initial affidavit to the court was prepared whilst he was abroad in Europe on vacation and he did not have access to his office records to fully recall the extent of his involvement in the local Piarco Airport case over 14 years ago.
He also claimed that he was not allowed to rectify the error when he had an opportunity to verify his records shortly after.
“I regret and apologise to you for the mistake in my affidavit...I made a mistake, but I did not act dishonestly,” Armour told LATT members via a video conference call.
Sources said that Armour was supported by several senior counsels in attendance at the meeting, who voted against the motion and spoke highly of his professionalism and integrity.
Armour also reportedly received support from Angostura Holdings Limited chairman Terrence Bharath, Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) chairman Ravindra Nanga and Heritage Petroleum Company Limited chairman Michael Quamina, who are all attorneys.
Former attorney general Garvin Nicholas was allegedly among a group of members who supported the motions and addressed the meeting.
The meeting took place between 2 pm and 6 pm, with most of the over 500 participants joining through video conferencing
In late April, Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Reemberto Diaz disqualified Armour and Sequor Law, the US law firm which was representing this country’s interest, from continued participation in the Piarco Airport civil case in that jurisdiction.
The judge’s decision was reportedly based on Armour allegedly downplaying his role in previously representing former finance minister Brian Kuei Tung in separate local criminal proceedings over the Piarco Airport project.
However, the judge refused Kuei Tung’s other application to strike out the entire lawsuit.
Former attorney general and current Local Government Minister Faris Al-Rawi was subsequently appointed as the substitute client representative for this country in the case, which is scheduled to come up for hearing in September.
The State, through its new legal team, has challenged the decision but has been refused an expedited hearing of the appeal.
In the original requisition for the meeting, Taklalsingh said that the group felt that the issue should be discussed by the membership, as it concerns the integrity of the legal profession.
“Respectfully, these allegations, if left unaddressed, have the potential to erode public confidence in our profession, the administration of justice, and the rule of law,” Taklalsingh had said.
PM Rowley has publicly dismissed the move by the association to host yesterday’s meeting and addressed it at a press conference before he left to attend a recent Caricom heads of government meeting in Suriname.
Rowley said: “As for the Law Association, the only thing I am concerned about is who in this country has the opportunity to pass a vote of no confidence against the Law Association? Because I want to vote.”
Rowley also claimed that the association had previously attempted to entrap him to be a witness in another matter involving Chief Justice Ivor Archie.
“So, if you find me unfazed by the Law Association, I have good grounds because they only seem to be interested when it is time to create public discord. When it’s time to stand up for the public interest, they bury their heads in the sand like ostriches,” Rowley said.
Responding to Rowley, the association stated that it was obligated to call the meeting once it received a valid requisition from its members. It also called on Rowley to withdraw his “misleading” comments in relation to a previous investigation into CJ Archie.