Acting Police Commissioner James Philbert says the auctions of properties owned by the Jamaat al Muslimeen will continue.
The auctions come after a ruling by Justice Rajendra Narine on September 11, 2009. Narine ruled that the properties should be auctioned so that the state would recover $32 million in debt which resulted from the destruction of Police Headquarters on St Vincent Street, Port-of-Spain, during the coup attempt on July 27, 1990.
During last week's post-Cabinet news conference, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar signalled the Government's intention to auction the 11 properties. The properties are scheduled to be auctioned at City Hall, Port-of-Spain, on August 17. Speaking to reporters yesterday after the annual wreath-laying ceremony at the Eternal Flame Monument in front of the Red House, Port-of-Spain, Philbert said: "The auctioner is going to do his bidding and prospective buyers are expected to make offers."
Asked how he felt about a commission of enquiry into the coup attempt, Philbert said he supported the inquiry. He added: "A lot of people are saying they want to know what happened. I think the nation is asking for that. "Last year I was asked about it and as an investigator my mind is always about finding out about things."