Attorney General John Jeremie yesterday hit back hard, taking serious issue with the decision of Justice Rajendra Narine to have investigated, allegations that Prime Minister Patrick Manning promised Yasin Abu Bakr that his Government would not seize Jamaat property, in exchange for assistance to the PNM in the 2002 election campaign.

In a forceful statement to Parliament, Jeremie argued that Narine’s action to refer Bakr’s affidavit which contained the allegations against the Prime Minister, to the acting Commissioner of Police and acting Director of Public Prosecutions, flew in the face of and was ’in defiance of’ the decisions of two superior courts-the Court of Appeal and the Privy Council.

Such was the consternation and ’concern’ of the Government that Jeremie disclosed that he had written Chief Justice Ivor Archie on the issue.

’Inexplicably,’ Justice Narine, ’without notice to or invitation by either party’ brought the affidavit back onto the record, referring at ’great length to its contents’, ’the very affidavit which had been described by the Court of Appeal as scandalous and which more importantly had been ordered to be removed from the record and which as such ought not to have been available to the judge to refer to. ... How then could the judge consider it proper to refer to this affidavit and furthermore send it to third parties?’ Jeremie asked.

Narine then ’quite remarkably’ concluded that no investigation had been done and publicly directed that one be done, something which neither the Court of Appeal nor Privy Council, which had the affidavit before them, saw fit to do, Jeremie noted.

As the Attorney General read his statement, an extremely attentive Prime Minister was manifestly supporting his every word, nodding vigorously and sometimes repeating Jeremie’s words for effect.

As Jeremie quoted the Court of Appeal ruling that the affidavit be struck off the record, Manning told Opposition MPs: ’Yuh hear? Yuh hear?’

’It was the State’s expectation that the relevant authorities would faithfully adhere to the decision of this Republic’s highest court, Mr Speaker, the rule of law required no less,’ Jeremie said. ’The rule of law!’ Manning stressed.

Jeremie noted that these kinds of allegations were a practice with Abu Bakr. He recalled that Bakr at one point alleged that former attorney general and member for Tabaquite, Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, had foreknowledge and therefore ’criminal participation’ in the attempted coup. But ’no one took the word of a known criminal than over that of the Honourable Member,’ Jeremie stated. Abu Bakr’s claims against Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday were also not taken seriously and were deemed to be the ’convenient word of an insurrectionist’, he added.

Not surprisingly, Abu Bakr’s attacked Manning, ’the only Prime Minister to command Government which has actually pursued this claim (for compensation arising out of) the coup attempt’, Jeremie said.

But ’instead of being commended for the dogged and successful determination to bring justice to the Jamaat al Muslimeen for its detestable acts, the Honourable Prime Minister is asked to respond to a concocted story from a man without a shred of credibility in this country. Mr Speaker, this Government cries foul,’ Jeremie stated.

The Attorney General said while Government welcomed every police investigation, ’what we deplore in the strongest term possible is the attempt by some to treat these words as factual in the absence of any investigation and any assertion made in his own defence by the Honourable Prime Minister. All that we see is an opportunity for the Prime Minister to be vindicated,’ Jeremie concluded.