Minister Faris al Rawi has shot down allegations by the Opposition Leader that he had a role to play in having corruption charges filed against Anand Ramlogan and Gerald Ramdeen, while he was still Attorney General in 2019.

Al Rawi, in a media conference on Wednesday, reinforced that the Director of Public Prosecutions is an independent office which he never interfered with during his tenure as Attorney General. 

It comes after DPP Roger Gaspard on Monday took a decision to drop the charges against the two UNC members.

Both men were charged in 2019, while Al Rawi was still AG, for accepting money in exchange for providing state briefs to one Victor Nelson.

The discontinuance of the charges have been attributed to the sole witness in the case, Victor Nelson QC, refusing to offer evidence in the corruption matter until a separate civil suit with the State is settled. 

Al Rawi has defended an indemnity agreement struck with Nelson in 2017, which he says was founded on legal advice.

“I took the advice of eminent Senior Counsel in relation to the obligations of the Office of the Attorney General and followed that advice. The simple fact is somebody said they stole money from the Government and they pointed fingers to two other people who stole money as well. Perhaps I should return the question and ask what did you expect the State to do in the face of information?”

Al Rawi remained fairly tight-lipped on the case, however, saying he would not fall into the Opposition’s trap for him to over speak and compromise the legal process should charges be reinstated.

Earlier this week, Attorney General Reginald Armour, commenting on the dropped charges, said he will be seeking legal advice on the matter to “ensure that no stone is left unturned in the pursuit of justice”.