Senior Political Reporter
Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles has called on Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to clarify whether Housing Minister David Lee will continue serving as a government minister and senior Cabinet member while facing criminal charges.
Beckles said yesterday, “Due process and respect for the rule of law are cornerstones of our democracy, and every citizen is entitled to a fair trial before the courts. However, public confidence in the integrity of the Cabinet and the governance of Trinidad and Tobago must also be protected.”
The re-arrest of Lee and businessman Hugh Leong Poi yesterday sent shockwaves through the UNC, which had just assumed office following the April General Election. In a statement following the development, Beckles noted that Leong Poi is a known UNC financier.
Beckles explained that the arrests followed an application by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) under Section 23(5) of the Indictable Offences (Preliminary Enquiry) Act, Chapter 12:01. She added, “In September 2022, Minister Lee and Mr Leong Poi were accused of conspiring to defraud the State of $1.4 million in taxes related to the importation of a Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG valued at over $2 million. The taxes involved included $293,094.02 in VAT, $298,650 in motor vehicle tax, and $824,548.62 in customs duty.
“It was alleged that Minister Lee falsely claimed the vehicle as his own to benefit from tax exemptions granted to Members of Parliament. These alleged offences took place between March 24 and June 8, 2019. Minister Lee was charged and later released on $1 million bail.”
She further noted that on April 7, 2025, Acting Chief Magistrate Christine Charles dismissed the conspiracy to defraud and misbehaviour in public office charges against both men after upholding a no-case submission by their legal teams, led by Wayne Sturge (now Defence Minister) and Mario Merritt.
“Two days later, on April 9, 2025, DPP Roger Gaspard, SC, confirmed to the media that his office had begun the process to have the matter possibly reinstated,” Beckles added.
Beckles also referenced a Guardian Media report on April 8, 2025, in which Lee publicly thanked Persad-Bissessar for standing by him throughout his legal troubles. “He said, ‘She stood by my side for the past three years, through thick and thin, knowing very well that a lot of people would have been doubting my innocence… She did not wilt or bend under the pressures that I am sure she would have been under,’” Beckles noted.
Calling on the Prime Minister to state whether Lee would continue as minister, Beckles added that in the past, when former attorney general Anand Ramlogan, SC, and former minister Jack Warner were arrested while serving in Persad-Bissessar’s previous Cabinet, they were immediately removed from office.
Yesterday, Persad-Bissessar did not respond to Guardian Media queries on whether Lee would be removed from his post. A UNC minister pointed to the Prime Minister’s brief media release, which referred to “MP David Lee” and “Minister Lee” and noted that Lee had been acquitted of the previous allegations. The minister said, “The party stands with the Prime Minister, the Prime Minister stands with Minister Lee. We all stand as one—there’s no question of him resigning.”
No legal requirement to step down, but ministers should clear name—Ragoonath
Political scientist Dr Bishnu Ragoonath said that, as far as he was aware, there is no legal requirement mandating a minister to step down if charged but not convicted. However, he added, “It is protocol to ensure the integrity of a government that prime ministers have seen it fit to relieve the minister in question of their ministerial duty in order that they can clear their name.”
Dr Ragoonath noted that during Persad-Bissessar’s previous tenure, ministers who were charged were asked to clear their names, including Warner. There have also been instances in the PNM where ministers who were charged were either removed or stepped down—such as the late former MPs Marlene McDonald and Franklin Khan and former energy minister Eric Williams.
In 2019, when then-Opposition UNC senator Gerald Ramdeen faced a court matter, Persad-Bissessar said she would have fired him if he had not tendered his resignation. She had said that her approach, whether in Government or Opposition, was that one “must clear your name and come back”.
Persad-Bissessar also did not respond to queries on the timing of recent reassignments of some ministers. Four functions in Lee’s Housing Ministry were removed—one to the Land and Legal Affairs Ministry and three to Persad-Bissessar’s office.
Whether Lee retains his current front-bench seat in the House of Representatives will be known imminently; Lee is three seats away from the Prime Minister. The House is scheduled to meet on Friday.