Panday denies knowing of wife’s bank account

The former prime minister said that money was given as scholarship for two of his four children who were studying in England. The former Prime Minister pointed out he knew nothing about that money, saying anything to do with the joint bank account at the Nat West Bank, was the sole responsibility of his wife. He also revealed that he knew nothing about Oma’s other accounts.

Panday, the Leader of the Opposition, spent four hours in the witness stand as he made his defence to the charges laid against him. Panday is before Chief Magistrate Sherman Mc Nicolls in the Port-of-Spain Eighth Magistrates’ Court charged with knowingly making a false declaration to the Integrity Commission in that he failed to declare the Nat West Bank account for the years 1997, 1998, and 1999.

The court was packed to capacity as word spread that Panday was going into the witness box. There were no seats available in the public gallery. Even the bar table was crowded with lawyers who wanted to hear what Panday had to say.

Some of Panday’s colleagues were seated in the public gallery - Wade Mark, Dr Roodal Moonilal, Dr Tim Gopeesingh, and Chandresh Sharma.

English Queen’s Counsel Alan Newman, who is leading the defence team, questioned Panday at length. It was Newman who raised the issue about Duprey. Panday said he knew Duprey since the 1970s when he (Panday) was a member of the All Trinidad Sugar and General Workers’ Trade Union.

He said Duprey had political concerns about Trinidad and Tobago. He described Duprey as heading one of the largest conglomerates in the Caribbean.

NEWMAN: Did he know Mrs Panday as well?

PANDAY: Yes, he knows Oma. We got together at times, he visited our home, we met at functions.

NEWMAN: Did Mrs Panday speak to him as well?

PANDAY: Yes, Oma spoke to him without me being involved.

NEWMAN: Did you have anything to do with the funds paid into the Nat West account?

PANDAY: No.

NEWMAN: How did your daughters get into the act?

PANDAY: I was informed by Oma that when our second daughter came to London to be educated, she spoke to Duprey about getting a scholarship as his firm was known to give scholarships in the country. Oma asked about giving scholarships to the two girls, and he said he would look into that.

NEWMAN: Was there anything corrupt about it, or were there any favours in return?

PANDAY: No. I never contacted Mr. Duprey to give him an advantage. I will not do that. This sum which was put there was part of the request made by Oma.

NEWMAN: What about the payment of 25,000 pounds? Did you have anything to do with this payment of 25,000 pounds?

PANDAY: I had nothing to do with that. I imagine it would be Oma. I asked about this, I was informed about it by Oma.

NEWMAN: Was this a payment you procured? Was it a payment with any corrupt agreement?

PANDAY: No. I did not demand any favours for that sum.

NEWMAN: Was this money a business or personal matter?

PANDAY: I got the impression that money was a personal matter.

It was only when he was cross-examined by special prosecutor Sir Timothy Cassel QC that the sum given by Duprey, 119,183 pounds, was revealed to the court.

CASSEL: Is he coming to court? Is he in court?

PANDAY: I don’t know. Is not for me to decide, is my lawyers. I can’t say if he is coming to give evidence. If he is not in court, he has to be outside.

CASSEL: You don’t know if he is coming to give evidence?

PANDAY: Why would I know, is for my lawyers to decide.

CASSEL: But Mr. Panday, this sum is well over a million dollars, a huge amount of money?

PANDAY: Not compared to the fees you are getting against me.

CASSEL: It is five or six times your total income?

PANDAY; Yes. That was a scholarship for my daughters. That was an arrangement between Mrs. Panday and Mr. Duprey. My wife handled this matter, she knew best.

CASSEL: So you did not know about this?

PANDAY: I found out about this scholarship after this case started. My wife ran the account and she knows about it. She ran the affairs.

CASSEL: Did she keep it from you?

PANDAY: I did not know about it until this case.

CASSEL: When you found out, did you write a thank you letter to Mr Duprey?

PANDAY: I thought my wife would do that, I can’t say if she did so.

CASSEL: Were you aware that Duprey had contracts with the Government when you were Prime Minister?

PANDAY: As far as I am aware, he did not.

CASSEL: But the scholarships were in vast sums.

PANDAY: That is a fact.

CASSEL: Did you find out how the money was spent?

PANDAY: No.

CASSEL: This money from Duprey was on the 28th of November 1997. Then on the 4th of December, some days later, 120,000 pounds were going into the Diamond Reserve account. But nothing was going out for the children’s education.

PANDAY: There were standing orders going out for the children’s education, 1,000 pounds a month for St Sampson’s.

CASSEL: That is 12,000 pounds a year, $120,000 TT. Where is the rest of the money going? It is plain that if your wife was receiving money from you and Mr Duprey, there seems to be money coming from some where else?