Claims of money laundering and a front man to hide cash are at the top of the list of Independent Liberal Party (ILP) leader Jack Warner’s latest planned exposé on Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
Though Warner is keeping the details on the matter for his press conference carded for Tuesday, the Sunday Guardian learned that Warner plans to link one of Persad-Bissessar’s close associates to a series of financial transactions kept deliberately under the radar.
While keeping his guns trained on Persad-Bissessar, Warner is still insisting that he is not in any war with the PM or her cabinet members.
“I am not at war with the Prime Minister, I am not at war with anyone,” Warner told the Sunday Guardian.
When questioned about his continued attack on Persad-Bissessar, Warner said he was attempting to atone for the wrong he did to the country when he helped bring the People’s Partnership into government back in 2010.
Warner plans to drop bombshell after bombshell in the build-up to the general election on September 2015.
Warner said he planned to “unmask” Persad-Bissessar so that the country will know exactly who they voted for back in 2010.
“I did the country wrong five years ago and I need to correct that,” Warner said.
He said Tuesday would not be the end of his revelations, but he planned to continue unveiling more and more information on Persad-Bissessar and her Cabinet as the election campaign intensified.
“More is coming in the fullness of time,” he said.
On Thursday, Persad-Bissessar said the Kristyan Gokool that Warner asked about was her neighbour and to her knowledge, he never received any Government contracts. But Warner was not satisfied with that response and said that it was now up to him to “clear the air” on the real relationship between Persad-Bissessar and the Gokool’s. But while the country waits to hear what else Warner has up his sleeve, at least one government minister is saying he had enough. Speaking to the media at a key handover ceremony in Edinburgh 500 yesterday, Housing Minister and Leader of Government Business Dr Roodal Moonilal said he was “fed up” of Warner and called on the media to stop giving him the attention.
“I think the media in this country is the only one who takes him seriously,” he said.
When asked to comment on the issues raised by Warner in the past week, Moonilal said he was no longer commenting on Warner.
“I personally am sick and tired like you are of Mr Warner and all of this mauvais lange and bacchanal and old talk...” Moonilal said.
He said Warner should be focusing on the fact that while there were some 79 days before the general election, he only had 49 days to the end of his extradition matter.
“He should really focus on that...” he said.Moonilal said if it wasn’t for Warner, the People’s National Movement (PNM) would have nothing to say on their own platforms. “If Mr Warner did not exist there could be no PNM meeting or labour rally in Fyzabad.”
Diverting from the topic of Warner, Moonilal said he was “saddened” to see how badly the labour movement was fragmented under the leadership of Oilfields Workers Trade Union (OWTU) boss Ancel Roget. Moonilal was referring to the fracas that broke out at the labour rally on Friday when Public Services Association (PSA) president Watson Duke was physically removed from the meeting by riot police.
“Very, very sad day for labour when workers and their representatives are denied access to public space, denied access to march and participate in a rally,” he said.
When the media attempted to redirect the questions to Warner, Moonilal said he was trying to move the media away from that issue but recognised that it was not working.
“I think this is the only media across the globe that gives him that kind of prominence,” he said, adding that Warner had been reduced to a punch line for foreign comedians.
“It is not something I am prepared to comment on, but I am extremely sad because I think the next step is to ask for counselling. I think Warner needs some measure of counselling and prayer,” he said.
Moonilal said he would not be surprised if Warner claimed to have a file on the dog living in the Prime Minister’s compound. “He has gone to the dogs,” he added.
