Suspended People’s National Movement (PNM) member Harry Ragoonanan is considering legal action against the PNM political party and possibly its leader Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley for trying to bring his name into disrepute.
“Of course, I will be taking legal action because the prime minister is out in the public domain saying that I am the worst the country has to offer and then I cannot have a trial...I must have the man who made the tape in the same room with me so that he can be cross examined by my lawyers.
They are not taking natural justice seriously,” Ragoonanan told the Sunday Guardian in a telephone interview.
“My lawyers will deal with what it is, they told me to say nothing and just hold on and wait,” he said.
On Tuesday, two days before the PNM’s disciplinary committee found Ragoonanan guilty of three charges of alleged corruption and bribery involving the procurement of Public Transport Service Corporation (PTSC) buses, Rowley described him as the worst this county has to offer.
Ragoonanan appeared before the party’s disciplinary committee chaired by Planning and Development Minister Camille Robinson-Regis with his attorney Mario Merritt on Thursday.
Ragoonanan has been suspended since October last year.
He has followed the PNM since 1956 and had been the PNM’s Oropouche constituency chairman for 17 years before his suspension.
Ragoonanan called for full disclosure from the disciplinary committee and was told they would get back to him on the issue.
Among the evidence the committee is said to have had in its possession was a telephone recording between Ragoonanan and another individual.
Ragoonanan said while he was denied access to the recording, he heard it being played on a radio station yesterday.
“The whole process was contaminated,” Ragoonanan said.
He said the chain of custody of the recording was unknown and its authenticity was therefore questionable.
The alleged conversations were said to take place in June, July and September 2016.
The special PTSC tender involved was aborted.
Ragoonanan said the laws of natural justice dictates that he would have been given full disclosure and also be able to cross-examine the whistle-blower.
The PNM disciplinary committee said it was not reopening the investigation into the matter, Ragoonanan said.
On Monday acting Attorney General Fitzgerald Hinds said the PNM had received information and a complaint from a citizen “about a most untoward conversation that was electronically recorded between Mr Ragoonanan and a bus supplier to the PTSC”.
Hinds said he found the contents of the recording to be “troubling”.
National Security Minister Stuart Young also described the recording as “most troubling and suggests of corrupt practices and behaviours with respect to procurement at PTSC”.
Young said the State played no role in the electronic recording.
Ragoonanan said he believes he is being targeted for speaking out about the sea-bridge fiasco.
Ragoonanan appeared with former minister of the People’s partnership government Devant Maharaj and maritime attorney Nyree Alfonso during a media briefing last Sunday where they questioned Government’s decision to purchase two marine patrol vessels from Austal.
Maharaj yesterday said, “Interestingly these ‘recordings’ have only surfaced when the relationship between Harry Ragoonanan and the Rowley Administration soured over the lack of procurement process regarding the ferries for the collapsed sea bridge”.
Maharaj questioned whether the in-house PNM investigation would adversely affect any police investigation that may or may not be ongoing or may start.
Rowley slammed Ragoonanan for seeking company with Maharaj and Alfonso.
A police investigation into the recording involving Ragoonanan is said to have commenced months before the PNM invoked Article 26 of the party’s constitution which states that members under investigation could be suspended during that period.
When questioned about an update on the Ragoonanan situation during a press conference following the party’s General Council meeting yesterday, PNM chairman Franklin Khan said due process was taking place and that he did not want to say more on the matter.