Former temporary Independent Senator Justin Junkere says he is standing by his vote in support of the Government on the SSA Amendment Bill on Tuesday and will vote the same way in similar situations.
In an interview with the T&T Guardian yesterday, in response to Opposition claims he was unfit to hold the post of Independent Senator because he had been retained by the AG’s office, Junkere, whose temporary appointment has ended, said he was offered no inducements from Government for his vote. (See story below).
He said while he was offered a brief from the Office of the Attorney General, it was not from the incumbent AG Faris Al-Rawi.
Junkere said he was “certain it was not from this present Attorney General,” adding it was in 2015 from the then AG Garvin Nicholas. He said he had not as yet submitted an invoice for that brief and was not paid either.
“Since AG Al-Rawi has taken up office I have not received any State briefs from the Attorney General’s office,” Junkere said.
He said he received “a single brief from the Office of the AG but it was given to me by the previous (PP) administration.”
He also denied receiving any State brief from the AG as an inducement to vote on the SSA Bill.
“I have been made no offers of any favour of any kind in respect of anything,” Junkere said.
He said as a practising attorney he also felt entitled to accept a State brief. He said Ramdeen and other attorneys, like the late Dana Seetahal, SC, who was also an Independent Senator, accepted State briefs.
According to Junkere: “The only persons to fear this (SSA) bill would be the criminals and those suspected of being in serious offences.”
He said he was uncertain “why anyone else would have concerns,” adding that the public outcry seemed to be “coming loudest only from a particular quarter.”
Junkere said if he had to choose between apologising to someone for having lost his privacy, or someone who had lost a loved one in a serious offence, his choice would be clear.
“If I am asked to make a decision that could save a life as opposed to sparing someone’s sense of privacy, I think saving a life matters,” he said.
Junkere added: “We are engulfed in a crime wave and it is not going to get better unless we do something.”
On suggestions that the bill could be improved, he said he did not think there was the time to do that.
“We have a bill that expands the powers (of the SSA) and if made an act they can operationalise something that can assist in the fight against crime,” Junkere said.
“If given an opportunity to do that I would support it again and again and again. If we did not have that time sensitivity and if it was not as serious as it appears to be it may be different but I stand by the decision I made and I will make it again,” he added.
Temporary Opposition Senator Gerald Ramdeen yesterday presented court documents to show that temporary Independent Senator Justin Junkere, who voted with Government on the SSA Amendment Bill in the Senate on Tuesday, was employed by the Attorney General’s office since 2015.
Speaking at a news conference at his Port-of-Spain office, Ramdeen said the information was “very disturbing” and meant Junkere should not have been allowed to serve on the Independent bench.
Junkere and another Independent Senator, Ian Roach, voted with the Government on the legislation. The Government required the support of at least one Independent Senator to secure passage.
Ramdeen claimed Junkere “remains retained on the payroll of the Attorney General while holding the position of an Independent Senator.”
He said Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi was in serious breach of the country’s democracy by not informing the Parliament of the fact that Junkere was employed by the Office of the AG.
“We find that to be extremely, extremely disturbing for the democracy of this country,” Ramdeen said.
Junkere attended Monday’s meeting organised by Al-Rawi and the SSA director to explain concerns about the bill. Ramdeen said that latest development confirmed Al-Rawi’s unsuitability to hold office and said he must resign or be fired by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley. He said the Opposition would be writing to President Anthony Carmona, who appointed Junkere, “and we will leave it to His Excellency to do what he considers to be right and proper in the circumstances.”
He said the Opposition would also seek to determine if there was a “breach of the Integrity in Public Life Act, whether there is any remedy that resides in the powers of the President, be they constitutional or any other, that he may have.”
He said the matter would also be brought to the attention of Senate President Christine Kangaloo.
Contacted for comment afterwards, Al-Rawi said Ramdeen “has put himself into significant difficulty and has poured scorn and ridicule on his own position.”
The AG explained that Ramdeen must be aware that he (Ramdeen) is an attorney “working for me as Attorney General. He would also know that he has received more than $24 million from the Government for work that he has done, including work worth close to $18 million from the Office of the AG.”
Al-Rawi said Ramdeen was an attorney on record for the AG “and I do not recall him declaring at the point of him being sworn in anything of that nature and in the manner that he now pretends the Independent Senator should have done.”
While Ramdeen said Al-Rawi must be aware of Junkere’s employment at his ministry, the AG said he was not aware of the Independent’s employment at his ministry.
“I wasn’t aware, I don’t recall it,” Al-Rawi added.
The AG said if the claim was true, Junkere would be no different to the position Ramdeen was in. Al-Rawi said Opposition Senator Wayne Sturge was also in a similar position, as he had benefitted from employment from the AG’s ministry or the Government. He said Sturge did not make any declaration as was being requested by Ramdeen of Junkere.
He said the issue of his resignation did not make any sense if Ramdeen’s claims were “shrouded in conflict or double standards.”
He said the SSA Bill was passed with constitutional muscle and any challenge would be defended in court. (RL)