PM: Jack never funded UNC

“I received no financing from Mr Warner.

“He may have financed his own campaign in 2010, but as the leader of the Partnership and leader of the UNC, I received no financing whatsoever from him prior to party internal elections in 2010, and thereafter into the general election,” Persad-Bissessar said.

The Prime Minister, speaking to members of the media after the formal opening of the Maloney Police Station. The PM also said she, “definitely did not receive any funding whatsoever for the THA election as leader of the Partnership or as Prime Minister.”

Persad-Bissessar also said she has not held back the election date because of any advanced knowledge of what would have transpired with Warner who has been named in US indictments for eight charges including racketeering and fraud.

“I have repeatedly said I will call the election within the constitutional mandate. I said I will serve my full term and today marks exactly five years since the formation of my Cabinet.

“The election date has nothing to do with these events, it has to do with fulfilling my mandate that was given by the electorate for five years and I still have to complete my five years on the parliamentary term,” she said.

The Prime Minister said there was no comparison between the situation of Warner and that of former United National Congress financiers Ishwar Galbaralsingh and Steve Ferguson.

Businessmen Galbaransingh and Ferguson had appeared before this country’s courts on fraud charges relating to the Piarco Airport construction project.

The decision by then Attorney General Anand Ramlogan to extradite the men was quashed by Justice Aronnie Boodoosingh. Persad-Bissessar said comments being made regarding efforts to extradite Warner and efforts to prevent Galbaransingh and Ferguson from same, were unjustified as, while there were some similarities, they were still very different matters.

“The process is the same which is to say the request has been made by the government of the United States to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago for the provisional arrest and extradition (of Warner).

“That provisional request is then taken before a magistrate for the magistrate to have issued a local warrant for the arrest of the person, and thereafter fix a date for the hearing of the extradition proceedings,” she explained.

The Prime Minister said there were the same proceedings in both matters as in both cases, the

the extradition request was signed by the Attorney General after which the matter went to court.

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"PM: Jack never funded UNC"

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