Faris Al-Rawi has stepped aside as instructing attorney in the private lawsuit filed by former attorney general Anand Ramlogan against Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley. However Rowley, who announced the change to his legal team in a statement late yesterday, said: “So as not to allow the Prime Minister’s unabated attempts at distraction to take root, Mr. Al-Rawi will now pass over the role of instructing attorney to another and remain a witness of fact in the private lawsuit brought by Anand Ramlogan against me.”
The Opposition Leader also released a copy of the legal advice given to him in the matter by his lead attorney Reginald Armour SC who maintains that Al-Rawi did not commit an act of professional misconduct when he signed a witness statement while at the same time being instructing attorney in the matter. Rowley said Ramlogan has to date, not objected to Mr. Al-Rawi’s appearance as a witness while acting as an instructing attorney.
He added: “It is noteworthy that Mr. Ramlogan’s legal team includes Mrs. Peake SC who was until last year, vice chairman the Disciplinary Committee of the Law Association.” He said Al-Rawi’s evidence is “uncontested and stands in the court.”
Rowley said Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar had been using much of her “paid political time” at her party’s recent Monday night meetings on the lawsuit Ramlogan filed against him and had “broadened her attack away from me and Mr. David West, to someone whom she called a 'rejected UNC lawyer' and then to my instructing attorney in the 'private legal matter' in the person of Senator Faris Al-Rawi.” He said that private legal matter is Ramlogan's lawsuit against him for allegedly making defamatory statements in relation to the section 34 matter.
“The private lawsuit brought by Anand Ramlogan against me in the section 34 matter has been fixed for trial in December 2015. Mr. Ramlogan is represented by a battery of lawyers headed by eminent Senior Counsel in the person of Mrs. Deborah Peake SC who leads Mr. Gerald Ramdeen instructed by Mr. Varun Debideen. Mrs. Pamela Elder SC, Mr. Seenath Jairam SC are silk for Anand Ramlogan in other matters brought by him against me,” he said.
“It is noteworthy that the Prime Minister now leads a charge of objection while the legal team for Mr. Ramlogan in this private lawsuit has to date, not made any objection as to Mr. Al-Rawi’s appearance as a witness for me whilst acting as an instructing attorney for Al-Rawi & Co. Rowley now wants Persad-Bissessar who she is so bothered by a case “which deals squarely with the section 34 scandal.”
He asked: “Why does the Prime Minister so desperately want to intervene in my defence to this private legal case brought by Mr. Ramlogan and in the wider issues surrounding this case by terrorising witnesses and the operation of my defence? “Why does the Prime Minister so desperately persist in leaving Mr. Ramlogan out of the picture and away from any responsibility in relation to her rantings?
“The Prime Minister has serious issues to answer in this matter as we get to the truth of section 34. They cannot run from the inevitable and the PNM will ensure that there are no distractions from the truth.” In his advice to the Opposition Leader Armour said the choice of Al-Rawi as instructing attorney was informed by the stretched legal resources available to Rowley as there were a number of defamation suits being brought by Ramlogan. He said it was on his advice, as lead attorney in the matter, that Al-Rawi signed the witness statement.
“I stand by that advice given then. It is unfortunate that Mr Al-Rawi should be pilloried for this, and wrongly so. My advice was necessary, well within the professional judgement which I was required to make and was in your best interest,” he said. Armour said he recommended that Anthony Bullock replace Al-Rawi as instructing attorney, “so that the focus could return to the real and important issues in this matter”. He said he does not want Al-Rawi to be wrongly accused and does not want the matter to be used to distract from more important issues.