Government isn’t afraid to take “unprecedented action” to deal with the situation following almost $1b in legal fee payments in the last five years, including to an alleged “favoured few” of former attorney general Anand Ramlogan, says minister in the AG’s office, Stuart Young.
Young shared the new thrust during his 2016 Budget debate contribution yesterday in Parliament. He said Government would be deciding what can be done in relation to the overall situation.
Young, who said his mantra was “value for money,” said money was spent recklessly and almost $1 billion was paid to a handful of people in the law profession.
“I’m disappointed at wanton abuse and an unholy assault on the Treasury by a profession I was once proud to be part of,” he said.
Young noted over $444 million was spent in the last five years in legal fees for the AG’s department.
“We found a disturbing trend where a handful of people benefitted from a feeding trough and feeding frenzy. We immediately asked all ministries and state enterprises to apprise us with the particulars and totals of fees requisitioned by people in the law fraternity and again found in the information, a few, comprising the vast majority of these fees.”
He detailed million dollar legal fee payments by the People’s Partnership administration and former attorney general Anand Ramlogan to local and foreign attorneys - including one “favoured junior” whom Young said was subject to police investigation. He did not identify any of the lawyers by name.
Young said the “favoured” junior who had charged (Evolving Technologies) E-Teck $750,000, usually charged about $200,000 for advice to the AG’s office. He said the person charged the AG’s office almost $1m in fees for the Section 34 matter and...“he has less call to the bar than the former AG or me,” Young said.
Young said the person was also paid $3.2m in one day under instructions by the ex-AG. He claimed the same lawyer charged $660,000 for a matter and didn’t go to court when it was called.
He said to date the person had been paid $26.5m over five years and is allegedly subject to more than one police investigation.
Young also claimed Jwala Rambarran, eight days prior to becoming Central Bank Governor on July 12, 2012, submitted an invoice for $195,640 and another for $868,620 for forensic auditing regarding sale of BWIA’s Heathrow airport slots. Young claimed he couldn’t find the advice given.
Young said Government will no longer retain outside counsel “at the drop of a hat” and had informed his Ministry staff that the norm no longer applies.
He said Government has also informed the Law Association it will not be continuing the previous situation and will be asking for discounts on fee schedules.
Young said if Government found out lawyers being paid to work where not doing so, the state would examine disciplinary committee moves. Young said the State had already started cutting the size of legal teams such as in the Jack Warner extradition matter.