-Corbin
PNCR Leader Robert Corbin does not believe that the recent conviction of former party parliamentarian Abdul Kadir will tarnish his party’s image, since there is no evidence to suggest that he was acting on behalf of the PNCR.
Questioned yesterday during a press conference about Kadir’s conviction, Corbin said that the US justice system was at work and that the party could not comment on it. “…We were not there,” Corbin said. “What we can say, only, in that so far as the Abdul Kadir that we knew, while he served the PNC, was a very loyal and dedicated member. He worked for the development of Linden and there was nothing in his performance and in his track record, so far as the PNC was concerned that would give us the slightest belief that he was involved in such activities,” he added.
On August 2, Kadir and Guyanese-born Russell Defreitas were found guilty by a federal jury in Brooklyn, New York of planning to blow up the John F. Kennedy International Airport. The two men now face the prospect of life imprisonment, but are expected to appeal the decision. Kadir, 58, served as a PNCR MP in the eighth Parliament of Guyana from 2002 to 2006. He is also a former mayor of Linden
Asked if he felt that Kadir’s conviction would tarnish his party’s image, Corbin said ““I don’t think so. But of course I can’t judge how people will perceive different things.” According to him, “there is nothing in the allegation against Mr. Kadir, either brought out in evidence or in any other forum, which suggests that any of the activities that he is alleged to have been involved in were done for and on behalf of the PNCR.” He added, “So prima facie, I don’t see any reason why the party ought to be tarnished by his alleged activity…every citizen of the world is free to do what they like on their own and sometimes you can’t prevent them. But there is nothing to suggest that he acted for or on behalf of the party on this matter.”
Questioned about the extent to which Kadir’s conviction would be used by the party’s political opponents especially with an election approaching, Corbin said “no more than the Roger Khan fiasco will be as a whipping horse on the PPP.”
The PNCR has been relatively silent on Kadir’s conviction.
