Settlement imminent

A SETTLEMENT is imminent in the lawsuit filed by Port-of-Spain attorneys Dr Claude Denbow and his wife Donna against the State over a planned search of their city offices by local and foreign investigators. When the matter was called yesterday, counsel for the Denbows, Seenath Jairam SC, asked that the case be adjourned to April 5 for mention, pending a settlement.

Jairam told Madame Justice Mira Dean-Armorer in the Port-of-Spain Third Civil Court that the plaintiffs received a letter dated March 18 from the Chief  State Solicitor in which a request was made with respect to 14 documents in the possession of the Denbows. In asking for the case to be adjourned, Jairam gave an undertaking that the Denbows will not remove, destroy, deface, hide or interfere with any documents now in their possession relating to the 14 items mentioned in the Chief State Solicitor’s letter. The hearing was brief as both parties, through their attorneys, indicated an intention to settle the matter. The injunction, which was granted on March 8 to the city lawyers will continue pending the hearing and determination of the motion.

The Denbows were represented by Jairam, Dr Fenton Ramsahoye SC, Desmond Allum SC, Om Lalla, Kelvin Ramkissoon, and Darrel Allahar. Douglas Mendes SC and Michael Quamina appeared for the Attorney General, the Commissioner of Police, Senior Supt Maurice Piggott, head of the Anti-Corruption Investigations Bureau, Insp John Telesford, and former FBI agent Paul Kelly, who has been hired by the Government to investigate reports of alleged corruption. On March 8, Madame Justice Amrika Tiwary-Reddy, sitting at midnight at the Hall of Justice,  granted an ex-parte injunction to the Denbows to block both local and foreign investigators from searching their St Vincent Street offices as investigations continued into the construction of the controversial desalination plant.

Denbow has acted as attorney at law for Desalcott since its inception in June 1999 and for Hafeez Karamath since October 1997. Denbow stated that he was informed by attorney Randy Depoo that he was present with Karamath on January 14 when Telesford, Kelly and Lindquist executed search warrants on several companies at El Socorro, San Juan, and at Desalcott’s offices at Point Lisas on January 26.

Denbow pointed out that the investigation is being conducted by the Anti-Corruption Bureau with  Kelly as its lead investigator. On January 27, at Karamath’s request, Dr Denbow said he attended an interview conducted by Kelly at which Telesford and Lindquist were present. According to Denbow, the purpose of his attendance was to assist Karamath in identifying and recollecting the names of a number of corporate entities. The focus of the questioning was in relation to a suspicion by the interviewers that some corrupt payment may have been made to a public official during the period 1998 to 1999 in order to influence the award of the desal plant.