Senior Political Reporter
The Government has named nine attorneys who worked for the Attorney General’s Ministry, earning a total of $10,986,865, and who consented to have their names disclosed.
However, gross figures for legal fees to be paid to attorneys who did not consent to their names being published was $51,032,394.61.
The information was circulated in a document from the Government last night during Parliament’s debate on the supplementation of the 2024 Budget by $2.3B and debate on the Finance Ministry’s mid-year review.
During Monday’s Standing Finance Committee deliberation of the $2.3B supplemental funding for 12 ministries and the Service Commission, the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs received $124,300,000 for operational costs, legal fees and other areas. Of that sum, $120m was to pay local and foreign attorneys.
Opposition MPs, including Saddam Hosein, had noted that $30m would be used to pay local attorneys and $90m to pay foreign attorneys. Hosein had called on Attorney General Reginald Armour to name the attorneys who were earning those sums and their respective fees.
Armour had initially said he was prepared to offer in writing a breakdown of fees, but would not name the attorneys to whom they were being paid. But after Opposition clamour, Armour agreed to give the gross sum paid to attorneys and to consult with them on whether they would consent to have their names disclosed publicly. He said if they wished him to give their names, he would do so. He agreed to provide the information by Thursday.
During yesterday’s Parliament proceedings, the report of Monday’s SFC deliberations on the supplementary sums was issued. That included replies on what the allocations would be used for.
Armour, in debate on the issue, spoke on his ministry’s supplementary funding.
The document which was subsequently circulated stated the names of the nine attorneys and the fees they earned. It was stated that these were attorneys who had consented to have their names disclosed.
It also said the gross figure for legal fees to be paid to attorneys, who had not yet responded to the request for consent to the disclosure of their names, was $8,799,462.35.
The document added that the balance of the supplementation was for the estimated legal expenses going forward in 2024.
Fees paid
• MG Daly and Partners - $841, 781.25
• Ramesh. Maharaj SC- $715,000
• Chase Pegus - $244,166.67
• Ravi Rajcoomar SC- $1,260,150
• Ryan Rajcoomar - $145,800
• Joel Roper- $62, 365
• Charles Russell Speechlys LLP - $6,451, 648.90
• Edmonds Marshall Mcmahon - $1,125, 953.60
• Rajiv Persad SC- $150,000
TOTAL - $10,986,865
*Figures are in TT dollars