Attorney Subhas Panday has taken aim at the deputy political leader of the UNC Dr Roodal Moonilal, accusing him and others in the Cabinet of “setting-up” Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar “to make a jail,” by not informing her of the drug find in 2013 at her Philippine residence.
At a news conference at his law chambers, Gordon Street, San Fernando, on Wednesday, Panday said he had questions for Moonilal, who embattled former national security minister Jack Warner said knew about the incident.
“I have questions for Dr Moonilal: if you were aware that the drugs were found and you didn’t tell the PM, were you setting her up? Given the draconian nature of T&T’s laws, why didn’t you tell her to be careful of who was entering her property?
“If they knew that drugs had been found on the PM’s property and didn’t tell her, they wanted her to make a jail.”
He said Moonilal’s response to questions posed to him so far indicated he may not be telling the truth about his knowledge of the find.
“He is saying he can’t recall. Something as big as this you don’t recall? People don’t forget these kinds of things. Moonilal is misleading the public,” Panday, a former minister in the ministry of national security, said.
Coming to the defence of his former political leader, Panday said under the law she was not culpable because she was absent when the marijuana was found at her home. He referred to a statement issued by Persad-Bissessar in which she said she knew nothing of the find until it was made public by Warner a few days ago.
Quoting Section 21 of the Dangerous Drugs Act, Panday said none of the parties named by Warner were culpable for the find, as there was no one in the room at the time of the find.
“The Prime Minister has no legal questions to answer with regard to this allegation. The only questions that can arise now are political.
“She has no obligation to answer those questions, which will only be meant to embarrass her,” said Panday.