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Despite accepting Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley’s offer to head his legal team for the impending lawsuit to be filed by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, former attorney general Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj is assuring he has no political arrangements with the People’s National Movement (PNM). “It’s simply a lawyer-client arrangement. I have no intention of serving in public office,” Maharaj said in a telephone interview yesterday. “I appeared in many political cases. It does not mean I have the political views of any clients or groups.”
Asked why and when the decision was made, Maharaj said: “Dr Rowley called me on Wednesday and told me that he wants me to lead a team of lawyers in anticipation of the legal action announced by the Prime Minister and I accepted. It is my duty as a lawyer to provide legal representation and I can accept a brief.” Maharaj said he had no qualms about his decision, saying he has represented several politicians, including prime ministers and leaders of the opposition, in the past. This is not the first time Maharaj will in fact be representing Rowley.
Asked whether he was suspicious of Rowley’s motives to appoint him, Maharaj said: “I do not question my client’s motives. It is not my duty to do that as a lawyer. I am concerned about legal issues and I have to assist the court to determine it.” He added: “I am familiar with E-mailgate and West-gate and any action filed by the PM against Rowley. I am confident that it will not have any legal basis because the law of defamation gives rights to media and members of the public and politicians to severely condemn and criticise public officials, even if it is not based on accurate facts.
“In Rowley’s case, what he said is not inaccurate so there is no basis for the case. He has an unanswerable defence to any claim brought by the Prime Minister. Any claim filed by the Prime Minister is frivolous.” He said he looked forward to working with all lawyers in the team, including former prime minister Basdeo Panday. However, Panday has not confirmed whether he will represent Rowley as he is currently vacationing in England and did not respond to queries.
Opposition Leader defiant
On Tuesday night, Rowley announced he had expanded his legal team to include Maharaj and possibly Panday. “She (PM) intends to sue me over E-mailgate. This morning, in preparation for the lawsuit that she going to file, I expanded my legal team because Faris (Al-Rawi) and the other lawyers have six lawsuits from the former attorney general who take me to court saying I have tarnished his pristine character,” Rowley told the Marabella audience who cheered loudly.
He added: “The Prime Minister tells me that I have more to come from her so I expanded my legal base this morning. I have called Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj. I have engaged him as my senior lawyer to respond immediately when I receive the writ from Kamla Persad-Bissessar and tomorrow I intend to call Basdeo Panday, to ask him if he is busy and if he is minded to take a piece of the brief.” Rowley said the reason for the plethora of lawsuits was to silence him.
In response to calls that he should apologise to Ramlogan and Persad-Bissessar, Rowley said: “I have no apology to give anybody. I did my job and I did it without fear or favour. “In the e-mails that were read in Parliament were allegations of bugging in the Office of the DPP. Sue me, my witness is the DPP,” Rowley said.
Second case for ex-AG
The Opposition PNM is using Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj’s services for a second time, PNM PRO Faris Al-Rawi said yesterday. He said the PNM had used Maharaj’s services in 2013 when Sr Supt Surajdeen Persad sent PNM leader Dr Keith Rowley a pre-action protocol letter on alleged defamation, seeking an apology letter after Rowley spoke about a police officer at a PNM public meeting in connection with the Reshmi Ramnarine matter.
Al Rawi said he replied to the letter with a letter of his own and Maharaj had rendered senior counsel assistance on that. Al-Rawi claimed the PNM “never heard back” on the issue after his reply. Yesterday, attorney Kelvin Ramkissoon, who represented Persad, declined comment on the matter.