Kamla grills Valley over meeting with magistrates

Addressing the House of Representa-tives during the debate on the Provisional Collection of Taxes Order 2005, Opposition MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar demanded that the Trade and Industry Minister confirm or deny if such a meeting had taken place, and in what capacity he had met with the three.

Referring to a letter dated October 6, 2005, which she claimed was written to one magistrate by another, Persad-Bissessar said it confirmed a meeting with the ministers of Government who had advised that they (the Magistracy) should actively pursue their demands. These demands, she added, had been turned down a week earlier by the Attorney General. In his defence, Valley questioned Persad-Bissessar’s speculation on what he (Valley) would have said when he was approached by the three Magistracy members.

This prompted House Speaker Barry Sinanan to ask, "So you were approached?" The Trade Minister quickly backtracked, however, by saying he was "just assuming."

Regarding Persad-Bissessar’s insistence that he confirm or deny the allegations, Valley said as a Member of Parliament he was not in the habit of discussing who came to see him and what the visits were about because these issues were confidential. "Its nobody’s business," he concluded.

However, the Opposition MP reminded the House that Chief Justice Satnarine Sharma was "embattled" in a court matter at the High Court which had arisen out of allegations of his (Sharma) breaching the law of Separation of Powers.

"For the Member for Diego Martin Central to say that ‘I was free to meet with whom I meet and when I meet’ was inappropriate," Persad-Bissessar said.

Moving on to the issue of the report of the Commission of Inquiry into allegations of impropriety against Housing Minister Dr Keith Rowley, Persad-Bissessar questioned how the contents of the report had made its way into the Sunday Newsday before it had been laid in Parliament. "It’s a disrespect to the Parliament," she concluded.