Incumbent Oropouche Dr Roodal Moonilal says he’s eagerly awaiting his day in court in the Estate Management and Business Development Company Limited matter which High Court Judge James Aboud ruled was going ahead on Thursday.
A group of contractors had sought to have the lawsuit over contracts awarded in the buildup to the 2015 General Election dismissed but Aboud ruled the EMBD had provided enough evidence for the matter to go to trial.
Yesterday, Moonilal insisted the matter is being blown out of proportion.
“It (ruling) did not deal with evidence for a trial of any kind. In fact, we await our day in court, that we may go in the witness box, but before that, somebody has to file evidence,” Moonilal said during a UNC motorcade in San Fernando yesterday.
He said he looks forward to the subsequent matters, including case management and submission of evidence.
Asked about allegations concerning the supposed political allegiances of one of the persons involved in the matter, he said he was giving the person the benefit of the doubt.
“I am not prepared at this stage to accept that (person’s name called) attended a fund-raising party of the PNM. I don’t think he’s a person who will do that,” he said.
Despite Justice Aboud determining there was sufficient evidence for the matter to go to trial, Moonilal believed this was good news for the UNC in its bid to re-enter office.
“People are seeing the desperation of the PNM. They cannot report on how many jobs they’ve created. They cannot report on how many kilometres of roads they’ve fixed. They cannot report on how many people get water. So what they are doing is desperate politics,” he insisted.
He also knocked the PNM for attacking his character and those of other UNC candidates.
“I want to condemn the desperation of Rowley and others in attacking Barry Padarath and attacking MPs and former MPs. And, of course, they’ve been after me because I’ve been after them,” he said.