Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has instructed his attorneys to take legal action against Opposition Local Government Election candidate Devon Thomas for what he deems the "utterly vile and derogatory statements" made against him during a UNC campaign meeting on Saturday.
A statement from the Office of the Prime Minister said, "There is absolutely no room in Trinidad and Tobago for statements which have sinister and divisive undertones and seek to describe the Prime Minister as having committed a heinous crime."
It added: "The Honourable Prime Minister has instructed his attorneys to sue Mr Devon Thomas, the candidate for Febeau/Bourg Mulatresse as soon as the Local Government Elections have concluded."
Thomas, in turn, used Facebook to issue a public apology.
"I wish to apologise to the Political Leader of the United National Congress, Mrs Kamla Persad-Bissessar and to the party for comments I made during my performance at the WorkNation rally on Saturday."
He added: "I deeply regret the remarks, and I would also like to apologize to my supporters, who have been with me on this journey to represent the community of Febeau/Bourg Mulatresse. I also wish to apologise to the Prime Minister for my comments. My commitment to working to improve the lives of people and to getting Trinidad and Tobago working again remains strong. I am committed to fighting poverty, uplifting people everywhere, and working towards making the UNC’s vision of a brighter, more prosperous future for our nation a reality. Once again, I am truly sorry for what I said on stage, and assure everyone that I will do my best to make amends."
Electors will go to the polls today in the Local Government Elections.