A high-ranking Government official was drinking champagne in Tobago last weekend with an accused person who stood to benefit from Section 34 of the Indictable Offences Act, Opposition MP Colm Imbert has claimed.

Without calling any names, Imbert disclosed this during his contribution to the debate to repeal Section 34 at the sitting of the House of Representatives yesterday.

"I will cast adverse inferences on the high-ranking Government official who was drinking champagne, Dom Perignon no less, with one of the accused persons who could possibly benefit from this Act, in a hotel in Tobago over the weekend," said Imbert.

"Let me say for the record I am not accusing the Attorney General of being that high-ranking Government official who was cavorting with accused persons before the court on indictable offence in a hotel in Tobago over the weekend, Saturday night, while the lawyers of that person was preparing applications to go to the court," he added.

Imbert said he hoped National Security Minister Jack Warner was listening because, "I'm sure the police know who this high-ranking Government official is and it is not the Minister of National Security,".

"I understand it was five bottles of champagne they drink eh, it was a big party, Dom Perignon," he continued.

Imbert also questioned who drafted the controversial Section 34 and whether it was submitted to the Legislative Review Committee (LRC) for review.

He questioned further why was the Act proclaimed before legislative infrastructure and rules were put into place.

Imbert read the Hansard records which showed that Justice Minister Herbert Volney had given an undertaking that the Act would not be put into place until measures were put into place.

"I can assure members opposite that nothing is going to be proclaimed before all the necessary measures to make it succeed happens," Imbert read.