Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley has maintained his property at One Woodbrook Place has always been declared as one of his assets to the Integrity Commission.
He made the comment at a press conference at the Office of the Opposition Leader, Port-of-Spain, yesterday as he responded to Leader of Government Business Dr Roodal Moonilal’s claim in Parliament last week that Rowley may have questions to answer over the property.
Rowley made it clear yesterday that he had not breached any act in the Integrity in Public Life Act in relation to the property and records would show the necessary declarations were always made.
“That property was acquired on November 12, 2010. The transaction was concluded. It included a series of payments over a number of years leading up to the completion.
“The transaction price was $2.12 million and it was declared with the Integrity Commission from 2011 onwards at a value of $2.5 million,” Rowley said.
He challenged Moonilal to make his statements regarding the property outside Parliament.
Rowley also dismissed allegations that as minister of planning, he approved the construction of One Woodbrook Place and in turn received an apartment.
“On the commission’s Form B there is no requirement for any person in public life to file about an apartment. Form B requires you to declare if you have any interests in land. Any apartment in One Woodbrook place is not land.
“And therefore the leader of Government business, who uses this Form B every year, but comes to the Parliament and tells the country that he has checked the Integrity Commission and has found that I have not filed and he is writing to the Integrity Commission to ask them to investigate me for not filing about property I own, is wickedness of the highest order,” Rowley said.
He said his declarations were made on Form A which the commission was duty bound to keep private.
Last Friday, Moonilal announced that when the House sits tomorrow, it would debate a second motion of no confidence against Rowley which calls for his suspension from the House in relation to the Emailgate scandal.
Rowley said it was clear that was just another attempt to try to attack his integrity to score political points.
“Having looked high and having looked low and finding nothing to tarnish my character the Government is deliberately trying to lie so as to create doubt in the public’s mind about my behaviour as a public officer,” he said.
During the no confidence motion debate against Rowley last Friday, Moonilal said Government planned to write to the IC asking whether Rowley had failed to declare he was part owner of a One Woodbrook Place apartment. He said eyewitnesses had told the Government that Rowley and his family had been seen going in and out of the property, but Rowley had denied being co-owner.
“I have no difficulty if he owns property. It’s his failure to disclose,” Moonilal told the House.