Senior Reporter
jesse.ramdeo@cnc3.co.tt
The president of the Criminal Bar Association, Israel Khan, SC, has accused Rural Development and Local Government Minister Faris Al-Rawi of misleading the public in his response to concerns raised about being elevated to senior counsel.
During Monday’s ceremony at President’s House, where the title of silk was conferred to 13 attorneys, Al-Rawi, a recipient, fired back at Khan, who suggested that he was unfit to receive the title of senior counsel.
This, Khan said, was due to Al-Rawi’s involvement in the Vincent Nelson matter.
Al-Rawi stated that Khan’s argument lacked balance.
“He made some disparaging remarks concerning the Vincent Nelson matter; in that matter, the person, Vincent Nelson, KC, admitted to guilt before the ACIB, admitted to guilt in writing, admitted to guilt in the Magistrates’ Court, admitted to guilt in the High Court, admitted to guilt in the High Court again, and most recently, in the High Court again, admitted to guilt, saying he had stolen money and who he gave it to.
“What was silent in Mr Khan’s reflections was the other side of the equation. Who did the corruption descend upon? I didn’t hear Mr Khan asking about the other side of the equation,” Al-Rawi said.
Al-Rawi has denied wrongdoing in the indemnity agreement with the king’s counsel, who is now on trial for his role in a discontinued corruption case against former attorney general Anand Ramlogan and attorney Gerald Ramdeen.
In a statement issued yesterday, Khan pointed to a publication back in 2022 where he noted that due process of the law must be followed.
“I remind the unsuspecting/forgetful public and the disingenuous Al-Rawi, SC, that a full page of the Guardian newspaper issue of Saturday, November 5, 2022, reported my comments on the very issue Al-Rawi, SC, has raised.
“And I quote verbatim from that article: ‘Due process of the law must be followed, bearing in mind that no former attorney general is above the law, be it Ramlogan, SC, or Al-Rawi.’
“‘We, the people of this country, must bear in mind and remind the political rulers of our country that the preamble to our Constitution recognises that men and institutions remain free only when freedom is founded upon respect for moral and spiritual values and the rule of law.’”
Khan further contended that there was no respect for moral and spiritual values and the rule of law if a former AG and senator conspired with a king’s counsel, then a queen’s counsel, to facilitate taxpayers’ money for kickbacks.
“Also, there is no respect for moral and spiritual values and the rule of law if a sitting AG (Al-Rawi) deliberately enters into an illegal contract (like the indemnity agreement) with massive inducements and promises of pardon to encourage/and induce the said king’s counsel to give evidence against the aforementioned attorney General (Ramlogan, SC), and senator (Ramdeen),” he added.
Khan is now demanding an apology from Al-Rawi. Attempts to contact Al-Rawi for a comment were unsuccessful.