The Opposition has written to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley seeking disclosure of the Sir Anthony Colman Clico Report on the basis of the Freedom of Information Act.
The Commission of Enquiry (CoE) headed by Sir Anthony Colman had been mandated under the past People’s Partnership administration to probe the reasons for the collapse of the Clico companies and the Hindu Credit Union and to make recommendations. Proceedings began in 2011 and hearings concluded in 2013.
Colman submitted a report on the CoE to President Anthony Carmona in June. After receiving the report, Carmona immediately passed it to the PM.
But after giving a statement on the report in Parliament, Rowley said it would be passed to the Director of Public Prosecutions for urgent action, and because it was being forwarded to law enforcement via the DPP, it could not be published nor could copies be provided.
Yesterday, however, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar said she had written the PM seeking full disclosure of the report. She noted that United National Congress chairman David Lee had filed a request for the report under the Freedom of Information Act.
In her letter to the PM, Persad-Bissessar said she was acting on behalf of Lee.
She said taxpayers, who had footed the cost of the CoE, are entitled to access the full report and its findings.
“On the 1st July 2016, the Honourable Prime Minister informed Parliament that the total costs to the taxpayers of this country for the Commission of Enquiry was $78,488,943.30 and this figure may increase as all of the expenses of the Commission had not yet been totalled,” Persad-Bissessar said.
“In addition to the costs of the commission, the taxpayers of this country also funded the costs of a number of the parties to the commission, such as the Central Bank of T&T and the Finance Ministry. In addition to the costs identified herein, the taxpayers have also had to expend millions of dollars in litigation costs arising out of the collapse of the CL Financial group of companies.”
Persad-Bissessar reminded Rowley of his commitment that “the Government will operate in an open, transparent and accountable manner.”
She said some constituents were now questioning whether the government’s withholding of the report was politically motivated.
“Some of my client’s constituents are concerned that the failure of the Government to make public the report and the findings of Sir Anthony Colman is politically motivated, as a number of persons who are known supporters of the People’s National Movement held key positions in the CL Financial Group of companies,” she said.
Parliament goes on break
Both the Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament are now on the annual recess and will resume after August.
Parliament officials officially confirmed the break yesterday, after the House of Representatives’ last sitting last week Monday and the Senate’s last on Thursday last.
Parliament’s new Standing Orders officially prescribe a two-month mid-year recess in July and August. The recess was taken a little later than the start of July.
Proceedings are expected to resume in early September, following which the first session of the 11th Parliament comes to an end and the second session begins in mid-September.
Joint Select Committees will also have a break from the end of this week.