Al-Rawi: Maharaj arranged everything

In an interview with Newsday in response to a letter to UNC senator Wayne Sturge signed by Chief of Defence Staff Brigadier General Rodney Smart, Al-Rawi said it is clear that he had nothing to answer in relation to queries made about his children handling weapons at an army base in 2015.

The letter was dated April 25, 2017.

“I will maintain that I attended at the invitation of the army contrary to allegations that there was some nexus to Brigadier Smart.

It turns out that even that was a lie because it was Major General Kenrick Maharaj that had arranged everything. I find it incredible that if the United National Congress (UNC) had this letter that they would have sat on this for so long. Clearly they were not too happy, it seems, with what they got.” He said it was no secret that he confirmed “a very long time ago, that my children went with me at the invitation of the army for an orientation around security threats.” Al-Rawi said he was not aware that the army had responded to Sturge and he has not seen the letter.

However, Opposition MP Dr Roodal Moonilal said the letter raises more questions than it answers. He also called for the report of the board of inquiry, established by the army to probe the matter, to be made public.

“I have taken note of excerpts of what is alleged to be the findings of a report of the Defence Force,” Moonilal said.

“As the person who raised this matter in the Parliament one year ago, I am very concerned that this report itself appears to be extremely confusing and convoluted.” Moonilal raised several questions which, he said, the letter brings to the fore.

“I do not know what is meant by General Maharaj gave permission of his own volition. Is it that he waived a protocol or overturned a rule? I think that is a critical issue.

I am not even sure if Mr Kenrick Maharaj was on the compound during those incidents.” He questioned what other related national security issues were in the report which prevented it from being aired in the public domain.