Sharma: No justice for UNC

OPPOSITION Member of Parliament (MP) Chandresh Sharma yesterday questioned whether they was one law for the People’s National Movement and another for the United National Congress, in light of the decision by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to not instruct the police to lay a criminal charge against PNM MP Keith Rowley. “Is it that the citizens of this country cannot enjoy the rights of citizenship? Or is it that because he (Rowley) is a member of the Parliament he cannot be charged? What I am also asking is that if I was not an MP would this matter have reached this far?” Sharma questioned yesterday.

The Fyzabad MP further questioned the evidence of a “mystery witness” from the DPP’s report, whom Sharma claimed was not in the tea room at the time of the incident. In an interview with Newsday, Sharma said that from what he read in the newspapers it appeared that the DPP had found enough evidence to carry a charge against Diego Martin West MP Rowley over the allegations in the tea room brawl on September 15, but wondered why the DPP failed to act accordingly. “The DPP is a creature of constitution and should treat everyone as the law allows,” Sharma asserted.

On Friday, DPP Geoffrey Henderson informed Commissioner of Police Trevour Paul in  a seven-page memorandum that he would not provide consent to have a criminal charge laid against Rowley.  Sharma said he learnt of the DPP’s decision from the media on Saturday since the DPP’s office faxed a statement to his office late Friday evening after he had left for the day. “It seemed that they (DPP’s office) timed it well because I can’t seek legal counsel on the weekend,” Sharma opined. He added that he would be seeking a legal opinion on what course to take in the matter, adding that he still had “confidence that what is right will prevail.”