Prime Minister Patrick Manning has been accused of being the mastermind behind the stalling of the John Uff Commission of Enquiry into the operations of the Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (UDECOTT), as the United National Congress (UNC) yesterday announced its intention to pursue another motion of no confidence in Manning.

The Opposition held a news conference, at the Leader of the Opposition office in Port of Spain, to address what it called ’a conspiracy to condone the wholesale rape of the country’s treasury’.

Saying that Manning has failed in his duties, party chairman, Vasant Bharath, called on the Manning to fire the board of UDeCOTT and said that Attorney General John Jeremie, must now prove his ability to act fairly.

Bharath questioned Jeremie’s reason for claiming in Parliament last week that UDeCOTT will cease its efforts to have the Commission stopped, which UDeCOTT did not do.

’He must be prepared to speak the truth in the interest of preserving the integrity of the Office he holds and he (Jeremie) must be prepared to resign,’ Bharath said.

Senator Wade Mark added: ’The Prime Minister was under the law, that is the Corporation Sole Act, responsible for what is called the fiduciary duties to ensure that there is proper accountability at the level of the State enterprises and the Prime Minister presided over the devil that is now called UDeCOTT.’

The party is prepared to table another motion of no confidence in Manning. Caroni East MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh also said that all projects under UDeCOTT’s portfolio should be stopped, to prevent the further wastage of taxpayers’ money.