Cabinet to meet on CJ issue

PRIME MINISTER Patrick Manning yesterday said he planned to meet with Cabinet to discuss the controversy surrounding the warrant for the arrest of Chief Justice, Sat Sharma, and the court orders preventing it.

Manning studiously avoided contact with the media at Balisier House yesterday where he had turned up for the PNM’s general council meeting. But when pressed for a comment on the CJ matter, he said, “You know I have no comment to make. We have to go to Cabinet to discuss it. How soon, I can’t say when.”

When asked if he would meet with President George Maxwell Richards on the issue, he replied, “I can’t say anything.”

The PM played a cat and mouse game with the media, which had been waiting for him in front of Balisier House after the general council meeting. But when he saw them as he was coming out of the door, he turned and went back inside.

Shortly after, PNM Ambassador Plenipotentiary, Jerry Narace, appeared and said, “People, if you all want you could waste time but the Prime Minister is not making any comment.” Narace then said general council representatives were waiting on the media to begin the press conference.

It was while the media was in the conference that Manning emerged from the building and mingled with the crowd of constituency representatives in the yard. He made the comment when Newsday caught him unawares.

After the press conference, the media again approached Manning, who was still outside Balisier House, but he simply said, “Nice seeing you all again. Bye bye.”

However, PNM Party Vice- Chairman, John Donaldson, told the media that a resolution was passed at the general council meeting earlier in the morning taking due note of “attempts to pervert the course of justice” in the country.

Without calling names, or even a case, Donaldson said the PM, acting as pressed by the Constitution, forwarded allegations to the authorities, which then moved to act in accordance with the law. He said the council took note of “unprecedented occurrences” that followed, and has every confidence in the law and will support every authority that follows the law.