AG: $10M in legal fees to fight corruption

THE office of the Attorney General has paid over $10 million dollars in legal fees to fight matters relating to corruption over a two-month period.

The $10 million is part of an overall total of $22,811,269.14 spent, and the records showed that up to January 24, the Ministry of the Attorney General did not have any outstanding bills on hand. However there are some overseas payments which have been approved by the Ministry and which are presently being pro-cessed. Of the $22,811,269.14 spent, Morean disclosed that $7,815,747.76 was paid for retainers that took place prior to her assumption of office.

This was the revelation made by Attorney General Glenda Morean in the Senate yesterday while responding to questions for oral answer from Opposition Senator Robin Mon-tano.  The AG also informed the Senate that the law firm of Montano and Company was one of the firms which received payments for work provided to a State Board. She went on to explain that it is her understanding that State Enterprises and Stat-utory Authorities retained their own legal services. She then informed the Senate that she had provided a bundle of documents showing the names of attorneys in private practice and law firms retained by the majority of the State Enterprises for the period 1996 to 2003.

She pointed out that included in her report was a statement from the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) which shows requisitions totalling $5.2 million dollars by Montano and Company with payments totalling $3.9 million dollars. She further pointed out that State Oil Company Petrotrin made payments in excess of $33 million dollars to British Law Firm Davies Arnold Cooper Solicitors between 1997 and 2002.

Montano had asked that the AG supply the names of all the attorneys at law in private practice and private law firms that have been retained by the Office of the AG and Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for the period December 25, 2001 to date. While presenting her report, Morean described corruption as an evil in society that is corrosive and which erodes the development of the State.

She also noted that, when corruption infiltrates public offices, authorities and enterprises, the principles of fairness, equality of treatment, professional ethics, objectivity and fair competition be-comes distorted and undermines the legitimacy of public institutions and confidence in government. However Montano interjecte,  “I don’t re-member asking about corruption. I asked a simple question relating to the attorneys. What I would like please is an answer to my question, it was simple and it was direct.”

Senate Vice President Rawle Titus asked Morean to confine her answers to the questions asked by Montano. Morean then infor-med Titus that she was only trying to answer the questions posed by Montano and was explaining to the Senate the order in which she compiled her report. Morean also explained that she had taken the liberty to include the figures paid to attorneys during the period 1996 - 2001 and found that a total of $45,598,023.01 was paid during that period.