High Court Judge Westmin James will deliver a ruling on June 03rd, whether it will be granting permission to Auditor General Jaiwantie Ramdass to file judicial review proceedings against the Ministry of Finance and the Cabinet over the decision to appoint an investigation team to probe the circumstances surrounding the $2.6 billion understatement in her 2023 financial report.
Justice James gave the date this weekend du¬ring a preliminary hearing of a legal challenge against the probe brought by Ramdass. On Thursday afternoon, Ramdass’s attorneys, led by head of Freedom Law Chambers Anand Ramlogan, SC, filed the judicial review application, contending that the appointment of the investigative team by Finance Minister and acting Prime Minister Colm Imbert was unlawful.
Justice James will consider whether Ramdass should be granted leave to pursue her judicial review claim, and if so, whether the court ought to grant interim relief stopping the investigation, as is being requested by Freedom Chambers representing Ramdass ,pending the outcome of the substantive claim. Ramdass is seeking several declarations relating to the appointment of the investigative team and wants to have the decision quashed, calling the investigation unconstitutional and illegal.
Attorneys for Auditor General Jaiwantie Ramdass have conten¬ded that the investigation is unconstitutional and illegal because the Cabinet and the minister do not have the constitutional jurisdiction to investigate the action and conduct of the Auditor General outside of the confines of Section 136, which deals with the establishment of a tribunal to look into the question of the Auditor General’s removal.
Additionally, she is seeking an injunction restraining the Harris team from investigating anything related to the audit of the 2023 public accounts.