by RISHARD KHAN
Attorney General Faris Al Rawi says that Monday’s Privy Court ruling in favour of Ravi Balgobin-Maharaj was a “run of the mill judicial review application”; not a landmark judgment pertaining to Freedom of Information applications that is being portrayed by the Opposition Leader, Kamla Persad-Bisessar.
His comments came at a press conference today at Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs to address the issue.
He said currently, the leading case for Freedom of Information appeals is the Joint Consultative Council’s (JCC) Invaders Bay case.
“The leading case to treat with the Freedom of Information is now at the privy council. That is procedural appeal number 200 of 2014 CV number 201204538. The JCC case.”
Disagreeing with the Attorney General, however, was Balgobin-Maharaj who held his own press conference outside the ministry.
"This was the first FOIA matter to be brought to the Privy Council for adjudication and then we won it. So the fact that he is trying to downplay the significance of it, I think, is embarrassing for him especially coming after defeats on similar matter by persons like Devant Maharaj with regard to the Port Authority and National Energy Committee,” Maharaj told reporters.