Immediately after Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley finished his contribution during Wednesday's Budget debate, in which he gave a personal response to Oropouche East MP Roodal Moonilal's A&V Drilling claims the day before, the latter sought to reply, citing Parliament regulations.
"Sit down! Sit down!" Government MPs scolded him.
House Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George said regulations didn't allow reply on personal explanations.
Moonilal persisted on the issue, but Annisette-George snapped at him, "I don't recognise you! Please take your seat!"
Leader of Government Business Camille Robinson-Regis then recounted Moonilal's allegations, requesting the matter be probed by Parliament's Privileges Committee. Saying the allegations were untrue, she said Moonilal only had "flimsy pieces of paper" and "patently fictitious documents."
"The so-called bank document is undated, unsigned, unstamped unauthentic and appears bogus. The other document supposed to be an email he found on the Internet entitled Banking Co-ordinates," she said.
She claimed Moonilal "willfully and intentionally" misled the House, made injurious allegations against Rowley when a motion regarding him wasn't being debated and undermined Parliamentary dignity by abusing freedom of speech.
She added that allegations were circulated by United National Congress activists, including councillor Marissa Ramlogan, attorney Darryl Heeralal and economist Patrick Watson.
"There can be no doubt a serious misleading of the House has occurred. He's brought the House into odium and ridicule by reckless behaviour and sinister conduct - a wicked ungodly plot by dangerous, devious people targetted at the Diego Martin West MP," Robinson-Regis said.
The Speaker said she would examine if a prima facie case was made and rule on it at later date.
Moonilal subsequently told reporters Parliament's Fourth session had just started and the Privileges Committee hasn't been named. He said Government raised "some very serious issues" to take to the committee.
"If we go to the committee so be it. But it's a serious act of desperation, I'm shocked since the Prime Minister's called for the CoP, Attorney General and FIU to probe this - so how can you go to the Privileges Committee if there's no completed probe?
"You're saying you don't care if it's true or not - you just want to persecute me. You couldn't take Emailgate allegations to Privileges Committee as it was the subject of investigation."
Insisting he was within rights to reply to Rowley's personal explanation, he cited Page 312 of May's Parliamentary Privilege, saying a reply's allowed if any other MP is involved in a personal explanation given.
Moonilal, Hinds evicted from Chamber
Finance Minister Colm Imbert, in concluding yesterday's Budget debate, thrashed Oropouche East MP Roodal Moonilal's allegations, claiming Moonilal slandered Rowley.
Moonilal objected.
Imbert said Moonilal had "two scraps of paper," one of which had a "bogus" email address which Imbert said wasn't Rowley's and had referenced one Charlie Diaz and his alleged bank account information.
Imbert said the other paper had the name and address of the bank left out and names of Vidya Deokiesingh and Rowley. Imbert said Moonilal took both pieces to create the impression he had documents that linked Rowley to the account and "some alleged transaction..the clear intent was to deceive. Despicable. Reprehensible. Shameful."
"They had to do something. They knew it was a good Budget so they had to bust mark - when you busting mark, come with the truth, not lies," Imbert added.
In crosstalk erupting between Government and Opposition, PNM's Fitzgerald Hinds claimed he was threatened by Moonilal. UNC MPs shouted, "Liar!" They also shouted down Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi, who claimed to have heard a remark to Hinds that "Snake have legs..."
The Speaker then ordered both Hinds and Moonilal out of the Chamber for 10 minutes.