Trini Post

Information Minister Neil Parsanlal says no new powers are being granted to the President under the Proceeds of Crime Bill 2009. Parsanlal said this yesterday in his contribution to the debate on the legislation in Parliament. He was responding to an earlier claim by Princes Town North MP Subhas Panday who said too much power was being granted to the President in the bill. Panday was referring to a provision which gave the Head of State the power to pardon someone guilty of money laundering and to return illicit assets confiscated by the State.

Parsanlal said the Presidential powers of pardon were not new. He said Panday’s claim represented “a personal attack and singular attack on the incumbent President.” He later slammed the Opposition, saying it had no moral authority to comment on the matter because of the “conduct” of its leader Basdeo Panday. Parsanlal’s criticism of Panday later sparked a heated exchange of words between the two, with Panday threatening to tell the nation about certain matters about Parsanlal on Mt St Benedict. “I can tell you what happened up on the mount, why you were not ordained as a priest, so you leave me alone,” Panday shouted across the floor. House Speaker Barendra Sinanan then asked MPs to refrain from provoking each other.

But the heated exchanges did not immediately subside. Parsanlal countered: “Mr Speaker, I have been raised in a house that says one must have pity on the afflicted, the conflicted and the convicted.” But even before he could complete that statement, Panday shouted: “I know what you could raise.” Panday later had to apologise on two occasions for his conduct in the House.
Parsanlal said one of the major objectives of the bill was to deal with the crime of money laundering in T&T. He later appealed to the Opposition to lend its support to the legislation.

Gopeesingh Speaks
Opposition support for the new crime bill did not appear to be forthcoming, as Caroni East MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh said there was no evidence to show that passage of the bill would result in effectively dealing with the offence of money laundering. He said the Government had failed miserably in the fight against crime. He renewed his call for National Security Minister Martin Joseph to resign over the crime situation in the country.

By: Guardian

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