In the same week that his former cabinet colleague was charged with two criminal offences, Dr Roodal Moonilal yesterday admitted to writing acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams asking if he too is under police investigation.
Moonilal made the statements yesterday after a purported legal document allowing for searches of people’s properties bearing his name and those of others made its way on social media. Social activist Rhoda Bharath posted the document on her Facebook page yesterday and Moonilal reached out to her to give his side of the story.
The situation came on the heels of comments made by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, before he left the country on Friday, that a warrant had been issued to Moonilal in connection with allegations of misconduct in public office.
“Worse, what Dr Moonilal was doing was protecting himself because as he named the persons who had been to court, Mr Panday, Dr Narayansingh, Chief Justice Sharma, he very carefully didn’t name himself, because while being currently under a warrant to account for matters under his own portfolio,” Rowley said, as he noted the state, through the Attorney General’s Office, had gone to court to complain about eight or ten people with respect to the handling of over $400 million dollars at the Estate Management & Business Development Company Limited (EMBD).
The PM said one of the names mentioned in the action was Moonilal’s and a warrant was subsequently issued.
Rowley was at the time responding to comments Moonilal made with respect to charges of misbehaviour in public office and obstruction of justice laid against former attorney general Anand Ramlogan.
The document posted on social media yesterday was said to be the warrant Rowley was referring to.
Moonilal, however, denied any knowledge of the document in an interview with CNC3 last night.
“The document in question was circulated on social media, I took note of it. I have never been served, I have never received copies of it, I have never been questioned and let me say categorically I have never been the subject of a search of my home, of my office, of my car, of my locker room at the gym, I have never been searched for anything,” Moonilal said.
“I cannot confirm whether the document is real, I cannot confirm whether it is fake but I have not been questioned, interviewed, approached anything by any law enforcement agency, so much so that on two occasions my lawyers have written to the Commissioner of Police on this matter, who has not responded.”
In his response to Bharath, Moonilal said the search warrant was now the subject of a court action against the police by Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj SC and the matter will come up on September 11 in San Fernando. Moonilal said he also intends to write Rowley following the PM’s recent statements.
“But on Monday next week, given that Dr Rowley on Friday, in what can only be described as an act of misbehaviour in public office, sought to give the impression that I was under investigation and he had information to that effect and further he said he had information that I would be in court answering charges, I intend to write Dr Rowley for more information on this matter because he clearly has more information than the Commissioner of Police and he can tell the country about police investigations,” he said.
Moonilal added: “This is a very frightening and alarming and disturbing development and Dr Rowley has misbehaved in public office if it is that he is speaking of ongoing police enquiries and not only this thing but directing the police as to what the outcome of those investigations should be.”
Moonilal said he hopes Williams “would respond finally on this matter on whether or not there is an investigation” on him.