Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar was up to yesterday said to be considering a Cabinet reshuffle in light of the witness-tampering allegations involving Attorney General Anand Ramlogan.
Ramlogan is under criminal investigation following allegations of an attempt to pervert the course of justice.
Persad-Bissessar will make a statement on the matter tomorrow at 4 pm at the Office of the Prime Minister, St Clair.
The Cabinet last underwent a reshuffle on September 4, 2013, which saw Jamal Mohammed and Christlyn Moore being relieved of their ministerial portfolios.
There is a provision for 31 senators, all to be appointed by the president: 16 on the advice of the prime minister, six on the advice of the Leader of the Opposition and nine at the discretion of the President.
At present all 16 positions to be selected by the Prime Minister are filled.
However, the Prime Minister has the authority to revoke the senatorial appointments as she sees fit.
Yesterday, an unconfirmed, anonymous e-mail was circulated to the media purporting to be names tipped for senatorial appointments.
The e-mail read that attorney Larry Lalla was tipped to head to the Ministry of Legal Affairs. Last week Lalla’s named surfaced as the replacement for Ramlogan.
Businessman Yasid Gilbert, the e-mail read, is to be appointed junior Minister of Finance.
Minister in the Ministry of Finance Rudy Indarsingh, the e-mail, said, is expected to join Labour Minister Errol Mc Leod to assist with trade union negotiations.
Activist Philip Edward Alexander is to be in line for Communications Minister, while Congress of the People member Ashaki Scott is tipped to be the Minister in the Ministry of Planning and Sustainable Development.
Vasant Bharath, the e-mail read, is to remain only with the Trade and Industry portfolio because he is to be given a constituency to work in the upcoming general elections.
United National Congress Youth Arm chairman Nicholas Morris is to be Minister in the Ministry of Sport, the e-mail said.
Reliable sources told the Sunday Express that up to last night Persad-Bissessar had not met with either Ramlogan or National Security Minister Gary Griffith.
The allegation against Ramlogan is that six days before attorney David West was appointed director of the Police Complaints Authority (PCA), the Attorney General asked him to withdraw his witness statement in a defamation lawsuit relating to the failed extradition involving Section 34 applicants Steve Ferguson and Ishwar Galbaransingh.
West has reported Ramlogan to the police.
Ramlogan has categorically denied the allegations that were first exposed exclusively in last week’s Sunday Express.
Griffith, however, found himself in the middle of the scandal for a telephone call he made to West on December 19, 2014.
It was during the conversation, the Sunday Express learned, that Griffith told West that he was told to find out if he (West) had “pulled back a document”.
Griffith, sources said, was unaware that the document he was referring to was a witness statement until being told so by West.
West told Griffith the document (witness statement) was filed in the High Court and he was not going to withdraw it.
Griffith, Sunday Express learned, admitted to West that he did not know what document he was told to find out about.
As a result of Griffith’s phone call to West he has been listed as a witness in his (West’s) statement that was handed over to acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams on Thursday.
Persad-Bissessar has described the allegation against Ramlogan as very serious and troubling.
In an interview with the media during the tea break of Parliament on Friday, Persad-Bissessar said the people of the country came first, above any friendship, and she will do the right thing in dealing with the scandal involving Ramlogan and Griffith.
“I want to give the assurance that I will do what I think is right because it is the right thing to do, as I have always done. There will be no friendship or friends or family or partisan interest but instead I will be looking at what is to be in the interest of the people of T&T,” Persad-Bissessar said.
Source-Trinidad Express
