SPEAK NOW

Finance Minister Colm Imbert and Minister in the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs Stuart Young yesterday made this disclosure at the weekly post-Cabinet news conference at the Office of the Prime Minister in St Clair.

Imbert said persons who claimed being denied natural justice with respect to the audit will be given the right to respond, the audit will be completed and a decision taken as to whether the final report will be published.

In outlining these and other points, Imbert made it clear he was “taking no bounce” for the mistakes made by his predecessor Larry Howai and Persad-Bissessar regarding the publicising of the LifeSport audit report. Imbert and Young reiterated that the ruling last Monday by Justice Mira Dean-Armorer meant the findings of the 2014 LifeSport audit by the Finance Ministry’s central audit committee have not been quashed. Quoting from the written order of Justice Dean-Armorer, Imbert said the important point is that the audit report, “be remitted to the central audit committee for compliance with the rules of natural justice.” He explained, “What this means is that the judge has ordered that the committee...which is a department of the Ministry of Finance...simply has to do the remaining part that was not done....which is to give the respondents the final exit meeting...

present them with their findings or draft findings as the case might be...and give them a right to comment or respond to the draft findings of the committee.” Imbert said once this is done the committee will examine what the claimants have to say, whether the claimants’ statements have any merit and whether they want to make any modifications to the report. Indicating that Douglas Mendes SC was hired by the ministry to advise the audit committee through this process, Imbert underscored that all of the committee’s investigative work into Life Sport, “is not lost.

It is still there.” He said once the Dean-Armorer’s full judgement is received, it will be given to the lawyer, “and we get cracking immediately.” Stating he will not comment on views expressed by Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi on Tuesday on this matter, Imbert said the decision to make reports like this public is something which must be carefully considered. “That was the error made by the former prime minister,” he added.

Imbert said he had to assume this was done with Howai’s assistance because, “the report would have been given to him.” He said the only way for Persad-Bissessar to get the report was, “if he gave it to her,” unless someone else gave it to her. Imbert said Mendes’ experience in these kinds of matters will be vital in ensuring the process is done in a timely manner and that the principles of natural justice are followed, “to the letter.” Regarding questions of laying the report in the House and parliamentary privilege, Imbert replied, “Ask Kamla. I am not taking any baggage for this.” Young explained these reports are not normally made public and as a senior counsel, Persad-Bissessar would have known this. “They (former PP government) took a decision to publish this report, thereby waiving all privilege with respect to the report and maybe, having an intention as to what should happen,” he said. Young reiterated points raised by Al-Rawi that , “ criminal investigations with respect to allegations surrounding the Life Sport programme are very much afoot and continue unabated.” He added, “This report... even if it were quashed would have had absolutely no effect whatsoever on any investigations by the TT Police Service or any other body.” Young said contrary to claims made by Persad-Bissessar and former sports minister Anil Roberts at a UNC meeting in Diego Martin on Monday, “the report of the audit committee has not been lost and the report has not been quashed.” Efforts to contact Peter Taylor, attorney for Creed and other LifeSport directors were unsuccessful.

Following Dean-Armorer’s ruling on Monday, Taylor said the audit was “flawed, speculative and hasty.” Taylor, a former PNM government minister also said, “The audit report is null and void and cannot be relied upon for investigative inquiries.”