Ganga proposes to Lindquist — a high noon meeting

OPPOSITION Chief Whip Ganga Singh yesterday wrote to Police Commissioner Hilton Guy offering to meet Canadian forensic investigator Bob Lindquist and members of the Police’s Anti-Corruption Bureau at noon tomorrow at the Opposition Leader’s office on Charles Street, Port-of-Spain, to turn over information regarding alleged corruption at the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA). In the letter, Singh said he had “been making every effort to bring to the attention of relevant authorities, the corrupt practices at WASA”.

“In this regard, you would have received a delivery by hand on April 17, 2003, a copy of a letter together with attached documents that I sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Mr Geoffrey Henderson. The DPP responded on April 22, 2003, indicating that I should await the outcome of Mr Bob Lindquist’s investigation,” he stated. Singh reminded the Commissioner that “the relevant authority to investigate and secure evidence is the Police Service”. He added that “in this regard, I wish to advise that I will make myself available to assist the Anti-Corruption Squad accompanied by forensic accountant Mr Bob Lindquist in their inquiries”.

Asked if he had been contacted on the matter by Attorney General, Glenda Morean-Phillip, Singh said the AG’s office tried to contact him last Friday but he was unavailable at the time. He added that it was the police and not the AG who were responsible for gathering evidence in such matters. Singh also said the UNC would not appoint former PNM MP, Dr Joe Laquis, a temporary senator so Laquis could respond to statements made about his involvement in alleged corruption at WASA. Laquis turned Sunday to the UNC to ask the Opposition to make him a temporary senator after his own party, the PNM, refused to permit him to answer Singh’s charges in Parliament. Prime Minister Patrick Manning said Laquis would not be made a temporary PNM Senator.