Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar is demanding that the State put Akil Abdullah into witness protection following allegations contained in a newspaper story of attempts being made on Abdullah’s life.
It was reported in a daily newspaper that Abdullah claimed gunmen attempted to kill him on Sunday night.
THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine previously exposed audio and video recordings of Akil Abdullah which appeared to demonstrate a conspiracy between Rowley, agents of the PNM and the TTPS to politically victimize and criminally charge the democratically elected members of the THA.
The recordings show Mr Abdullah stating that he was offered a bribe of $275,000 of which $70000 has already been paid, to give statements to the police and attend meetings with Rowley and his lawyer. Rowley has since confirmed that Mr Abdullah is an active police witness.
This entire scandal began due to the alleged extortion and blackmail of Mr Augustine using secretly recorded audio tapes by Mr Keon Warner of Warner Construction over payments for contracts. Keon Warner’s father, Allan Warner is the business partner and best friend of Keith Rowley.
In a release on Tuesday, Persad-Bissessar said these frightening allegations of a conspiracy between the PM, agents of the PNM and the TTPS hierarchy to politically victimize and criminally charge the democratically elected members of the THA has now taken a most terrifying turn.
She said if the attempt to murder active ‘police witness’ Mr Akil Abdullah is true, he must be brought into witness protection immediately.
The UNC leader urged citizens to take this report seriously and recall the 2017 death of defence force officer Omar Samaroo. He was a key witness in the investigation concerning the former AG Al Rawi’s children posing with high-powered firearms. Omar Samaroo was shot in the neck but police said several of his ribs were broken and that there were several other marks of violence on his body.
She said in 2016, process server Mark Adams went to the Port of Spain CID and reported that he was contracted to plant a bug in attorney Gerald Ramdeen’s office. He subsequently mysteriously died from poisoning.
She said senior police sources have also alleged to the UNC that the TTPS, under the guise of investigating the Farley Augustine audio tapes, are seizing current and former THA officials’ electronic devices carte blanche in order to find any information on Warner construction’s alleged corruption regarding supply contracts, construction contracts and land deals under the PNM THA.
Persad-Bissessar said if the attempt to murder active ‘police witness’ Mr Akil Abdullah is true, I call on the TTPS and DPP to :
1. Bring Mr Akil Abdullah into witness protection.
2. Reveal if the TTPS has been instructed to use the audio clip investigation as a trojan horse to really find out what evidence the current THA has on the allegations against Warner Construction.
3. Investigate the alleged blackmail and extortion of Mr Farley Augustine by Keon Warner.
4. Investigate the allegations whereby Mr Abdullah stated that he was offered a bribe of $275,000 of which $70000 has already been paid, to give statements to the police.
5. Investigate the allegations of a criminal conspiracy between Rowley, agents of the PNM and members of the TTPS to politically victimize and criminally charge the democratically elected members of the THA.
Persad-Bissessar said: “I again call on all independent institutions including the Police Complaints Authority, the Police Service Commission, and any police officer who has not yet fallen under the despotic grip of this wicked Rowley regime to immediately stand up and defend our country from this plunge into a police state and full dictatorship.”