VZCZCXRO9217
RR RUEHGR
DE RUEHSP #0411/01 0902016
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 312016Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY PORT OF SPAIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6643
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PORT OF SPAIN 000411 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR WHA/CAR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KCRM KCOR TD
SUBJECT:  IS THE LAW CLOSING IN ON PANDAY? 
 
¶1.  (U) SUMMARY:  The much-awaited corruption trial for UNC 
Party Chairman and Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday's trial 
has begun.  Panday is on trial for knowingly failing to 
disclose his interest in a London bank account as required 
by the Integrity in Public Life Act.  Panday claimed he had 
no knowledge of USD$200,000 funneled into the account by 
businessman and UNC contributor Lawrence Duprey, allegedly 
with no quid pro quo expected.  Arguing that other officials 
have violated the act while only he has been prosecuted, 
Panday alleged politically-motivated selective enforcement. 
However, the state pointed to conflicting statements he had 
made in his defense and showed how he had submitted false 
declarations while others had simply made listing errors in 
their submissions.  The ruling is scheduled for April 24. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (U) Following three and a half years of legal challenges 
and court adjournments, the trial of opposition United 
National Congress (UNC) Party Chairman and parliamentary 
party leader Basdeo Panday began on March 20.  Panday is on 
trial before chief magistrate Sherman Mc Nicolls for 
knowingly failing to disclose a London bank account to the 
Integrity Commission in the years 1997, 1998 and 1999, in 
accordance with the Integrity in Public Life Act, which 
requires all public officials to disclose annually their 
income, assets and liabilities. 
 
¶3.  (U) During the six-day hearing, Panday testified that, 
in 1989, he had traveled to London for heart surgery and, 
while there, he and his wife Oma opened a joint bank account 
and deposited in it TTD$85,000 (USD$14,200) destined to pay 
for his medical care.  According to Panday, after all his 
medical bills were paid, he had no further knowledge of any 
transactions that may have taken place in the account, until 
he began preparing his legal defense.  Only then did his 
wife draw his attention to the fact that, in 1997, she had 
asked Lawrence Duprey, head of CLICO, a large and successful 
Caribbean conglomerate with global reach, for TT$1.2 million 
(USD$200,000.) in scholarship money to pay for their 
daughters' education in London.  Duprey, a major contributor 
to the UNC, obliged and, on March 27, corroborated Panday's 
testimony, confirming that Oma had indeed approached him 
with the request for funds.  Moreover, Duprey refuted the 
claim by lead state prosecutor Timothy Cassel that, 
seemingly in exchange for his generosity, Duprey requested 
favors from Panday in connection with projects in the energy 
sector. 
 
¶4.  (U) Panday's lead attorney Allan Newman argued that his 
client's prosecution was part of a "political agenda" 
designed to oust him from his UNC leadership position and 
that the decision to charge him constituted an abuse of 
process.  Panday was charged on September 18, 2002, less 
than one month before the October 7, 2002 parliamentary 
election.  As it turned out, the PNM won the October 7 
election with a majority of 20 seats over the UNC's 16 
seats. 
 
¶5.  (U) Newman entered several Integrity Commission reports 
as evidence into the record, showing that, during the past 
10 years a number of other top officials, including Attorney 
General John Jeremie, had failed to file declarations of 
their income, assets and liabilities with the Integrity 
Commission or had omitted to declare specific assets to the 
commission; yet to date, only Panday had been charged under 
the Integrity in Public Life Act.  In addition, Integrity 
Commission Registrar Albert Alkins testified that another 
senior government minister had omitted to declare his 
investments in 12 different companies.  Alkins informed the 
court that failure to file a declaration constitutes just as 
serious a violation of the law as making a false 
declaration, as demonstrated by the fact that both offences 
carry the identical penalty. 
 
¶6.  (U) However, lead state prosecutor Timothy Cassel 
rebutted Newman's arguments, stating that Newman was 
"comparing like with unlike."   According to Cassel, Panday 
was charged with failing to disclose an asset and thereby 
filing a false declaration, as opposed, for example, to 
Attorney General John Jeremie who had listed a particular 
registrable interest but failed to list it in the correct 
location on the form.  This was also the case for the senior 
government minister mentioned earlier.  In addition, Cassel 
pointed to 22 letters Panday had sent to the Integrity 
Commission, which conflicted with statements he had 
submitted earlier, all allegedly in order to cover for his 
failure to declare the London bank account. 
 
¶7.  (U) Chief magistrate Sherman Mc Nicolls is scheduled to 
rule on the case, on April 24.  If Panday is convicted, he 
 
PORT OF SP 00000411  002 OF 002 
 
 
will face a fine of TTD$20,000.(USD$3,333.) on each count 
and up to 2 years imprisonment. If sentenced to more than 1 
year in jail, Panday would be automatically disqualified 
from the lower house of Parliament. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) COMMENT: Despite Panday's public image as a shady 
and possibly corrupt wheeler-dealer, this is the first time 
he has actually landed in court.  His allegations of 
selective enforcement of the disclosure provisions of the 
Integrity in Public Life Act may have some truth in them. 
However, they in no way shield him from what seems to be his 
own culpability under the act.  It is simply not credible 
that he had no knowledge of Lawrence Duprey's infusion of 
USD$200,000 into his London bank account.  Who did he think 
was paying for his daughters' education?  His argument of 
selective enforcement may slightly reduce his vulnerability 
to PNM charges that he is corrupt, but will certainly not 
inoculate him completely.  The "everybody does it" defense 
does, however, indicate how the UNC plans to confront 
corruption charges during the next election campaign.  END 
COMMENT. 
 
 
AUSTIN