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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Prime Minister Patrick Manning confirmed yesterday that United States president Barack Obama will be attending the Fifth Summit of the Americas in Port-of-Spain in April. America’s 44th president would join 33 other world leaders expected to attend the three-day summit. Manning also said the T&T Government remained fully committed to hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in November.The Prime Minister made the announcements in Parliament in response to criticisms levelled against the Government’s decision to host the upcoming event.

“This new leader in the White House (Barack Obama) has enunciated the need for the kind of diplomacy which brings people together,” Manning said. “Some two months after, it will be the first multilateral forum in our hemisphere at which he will have the opportunity to interact with his counterparts on issues affecting us all.

“We are, therefore, extremely honoured he will grace our shores to share, for the first time, his vision and hope for the future of the hemisphere. “The US, like the rest of the world, recognises partnerships are vital to dealing with economic, security, energy and environmental challenges.” Manning also said the prospects for a new engagement with Latin America and the Caribbean must not be downplayed. “The Government remains fully committed to the successful hosting of these two conferences,” he said.

By: KMICHELLE LOUBON of Guardian

 Read full Guardian Article.

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