Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says the Government accepts the statement issued by House Speaker Wade Mark yesterday on the sub judice matter during last week Friday’s debate on a motion of no confidence in Finance and the Economy Minister Larry Howai. The debate collapsed after the mover of the private motion, former national security minister Jack Warner, was advised that he could not speak on certain matters as they were before the court.
Mark yesterday apologised for giving the impression that the letter on which he based his advice was from the Judiciary, noting it had in fact been from Howai. Speaking afterwards, Persad-Bissessar said both Howai and Mark had a duty to bring the issue of sub judice to the House “so that there would have been no infringement of the sub judice rule.” Persad-Bissessar also said the Speaker did not stop the debate.
“It was the Chaguanas West MP who stopped himself.
“The Speaker did the appropriate thing by explaining the circumstances (yesterday). At the end of the day, the same result would have ensued because the sub judice rule would have been triggered once these matters were filed,” she added.