Opposition leader, Kamla Persad-Bissessar has written to the Florida Bar Association to raise concerns about the conduct of Florida-based law firm, SeqourLaw, which acted on behalf of Attorney General Reginald Armour.
In a statement today, Persad-Bissessar writes:
In wake of the serious misconduct of Attorney General Reginald Armour which saw him being disqualified from a Miami court, I have written to the Florida Bar Association to raise concerns about the conduct of Florida-based law firm, SeqourLaw, which acted on behalf of Attorney General Armour vs Birk Hillman Consultants, Inc., et al., Case No. 04-11813 CA 30 (the Piarco Airport matter in Miami).
This complaint is specifically against attorneys Edward Harrison Davis Jr., Christopher Allen Noel, and Arnoldo Benjamin Lacayo of Sequor Law, and is based on their decision to discuss this matter with and engage Mr Armour in certain aspects of the case after he disclosed the fact that he was defence counsel for one of the defendants, which is a clear conflict of interest. Separate and apart from this, Mr Armour ought to have recused himself from the outset, knowing that he previously acted for one of the defendants.
Mr Armour represented Mr Brian Kuei Tung, one of the defendants in the case, in a criminal matter in Trinidad and Tobago prior to his appointment as Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago in March 2022. After his appointment, Mr Armour began communicating and liaising with attorneys at Sequor Law with respect to the US Civil Claim, making decisions on the dropping of counts in advance of trial and signing off on a settlement agreement.
Mr Kuei Tung and his US attorney, having become aware of Mr Armour’s appointment as AG and his involvement in the case, filed a Motion to Disqualify both Mr Armour and Sequor Law, which was later granted by the court.
Sequor Law, on behalf of the GRTT, opposed the Motion, and importantly, filed an affidavit by Mr Armour. Mr Armour, in his sworn affidavit, gave evidence which contained several untruths and inaccuracies, which were later exposed.
The Third District Court of Appeal affirmed the decision of the lower court, which disqualified both Mr Armour and Sequor Law from the case.
The facts and judgments in this matter give rise to serious and troubling issues concerning the conduct of attorneys of Sequor Law and Mr Armour.
Both Seqour Law and Reginald Armour need to explain to the taxpayers of Trinidad and Tobago why millions of dollars have now been squandered due to their negligence and seemingly complete disregard for basic legal principles. I trust that the Florida Bar Association will ensure that Sequor Law and by extension Reginald Armour are both held accountable for their actions in this matter.
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