Another former PPP Finance Minister arrested by SOCU

Another former senior People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Government official has been arrested and questioned by officials of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU).

Former Finance Minister and now religious leader, Saisnarine Kowlessar, was on Monday taken in for questioning at SOCU’s Kingston, Georgetown head office, and was interrogated for close to five hours before being released on bail.
Opposition Member of Parliament and PPP/C executive, Anil Nandlall, confirmed on Monday that Kowlessar was released on $200,000 station bail.
Nandall said Kowlessar, accompanied by his attorney, Mark Conway, was questioned in relation to matters pertaining to several transactions conducted by the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) during his tenure as minister.
Reports are that Kowlessar was first approached by SOCU officials a few days ago, and was asked to report to the SOCU office, but the former minister never showed up, and this led to the agency deciding to arrest him.
A former Attorney General, Nandall calls Kowlessar’s arrest another indication of abuse of people’s rights, and abuse of the criminal justice system to persecute officials of the past administration. He argued that there is a principle of law which prevents such abuses, whereby transactions, especially financial ones, which require detail, you don’t pursue them after a protected period.
“Simple, because persons cannot recollect the details of those transactions. What you have here is Mr. Kowlessar was questioned about transactions that occurred 20 years ago,” he explained.
Kowlessar served as Minister of Finance under the PPP/C Administration between 2002 and 2006.
“If Mr Kowlessar (were) to be charged for any offence relating to those transactions, the first problem he would have would be (his being) unable to defend those charges because of lack of memory, and witnesses who would have been present and who can aid in his defense may no longer be available,” Nandlall asserted.
The Opposition MP said the principle likewise applies to former Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh and former NICIL CEO Winston Brassington, who are each facing three charges of misconduct in public office.
“The offence for which they are being charged occurred over 10 years ago. The entire prosecutorial arm of (the) state is contaminated with politics and prejudice,” Nandlall added.
Based on the outcome of Monday’s decision by the High Court’s Justice Franklin Holder to block the Magistrates’ Courts from hearing the charges of misconduct in public office against the duo, Nandall said he believes that once these matters are treated fairly, they would not stand up in court.
Many political and social commentators, even those in the legal fraternity, have argued that the charges against the two former Government officials may be unconstitutional on the basis that they are not “public officers” in accordance with the Constitution.
Former President Bharrat Jagdeo has declared that all three charges against Singh and Brassington are frivolous, and all three matters were approved by the Cabinet. Former President Donald Ramotar has also come out strongly in defence of Singh and Brassington.
The Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) is yet to respond to a written request by Nandlall to review the charges against Singh and Brassington. Yet, similar charges instituted by the PPP against five sitting Government Ministers have, on the other hand, been thrown out by the DPP.