Kamla: 100 years jail for Govt under Terror Bill

SIPARIA MP, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, said the Government could face 100 years in jail for offences of associating with terrorists under the Anti-Terrorism Bill 2004. She was debating the Bill yesterday in the House of Representatives. Going through the Bill, she said Government was guilty of five crimes of associating with a controversial group — which she dubbed “terrorists” — the Jamaat al Muslimeen — with each offence being punishable by 20 years jail. While Clause 4 of the Bill outlawed the provision of finance to terrorist groups, she said the Government had supplied such finances through the URP and CEPEP programmes. “That’s 20 years jail!” she stormed.

Reading another offence from the Bill, she accused the Government of also providing a quarry to a group to be used for terrorist training activities. “Forty years!” she shouted, noting that jail terms for offences were to run consecutively. She said Government was also guilty of lending the group premises to be used for terrorist activities. “Sixty years!” she chanted, tallying the successive jail terms. Noting the Bill’s offence of entering into arrangements with terrorists, she said Government was again guilty by the admission of Prime Minister Patrick Manning to grant lands at Mucurapo. The Bill punishes anyone who interferes with the apprehension of terrorists by 20 years jail. “Again, the Government is guilty.”

She tallied Government’s consecutive liability to 100 years. She criticised Minister of Planning Camille Robinson-Regis for previously saying the Bill was right to empower the Attorney-General to go to court  to seize terrorists’ property. Persad-Bissessar said this should instead fall to the Director of Public Prosecutions, (DPP) who was the person who had powers of investigation. “The AG will be investigating unlawfully because he has no powers under the Constitution.” Persad-Bissessar read out the TT Gazette to note that the Police Service Anti-Corruption Bureau had now been listed as being under the direction of Attorney-General, John Jeremie. That is totally unlawful and illegal. We will challenge that, elsewhere,” she said.