Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh yesterday maintained silence on his conduct at an accident on February 23rd but his attorney, Anil Nandlall has entered discussions with the two victims on settling their bills.
Nandlall met with the occupants of the other vehicle involved in the crash at Garnett Street and Delph Avenue, driver Jageshwar Hira and passenger Parbattie Shivcharan at the Attorney General’s office. This has raised eyebrows as Nandlall is acting in his private capacity and not as AG. Nandlall told Stabroek News that his meeting with Hira and Shivcharan was confidential and that he could not disclose the contents.
Hira told Stabroek News that he and Shivcharan met Nandlall without any counsel of their own. He said that “the attorney general tell us that they are working on a settlement, but he is already saying that they are working on a settlement well below a million dollars.”
He stated that he and Shivcharan are requesting $3 million in damages each as well as for all medical expenses to be paid and the car involved in the crash to be replaced.
Hira said that up to yesterday the finance minister’s car was not taken to the Kitty police station.
“I am going to the police station (my) car is there, the minister’s car isn’t there…when the police came on the scene after, we went to the hospital and then I went to Kitty station and I report the accident.”
He continued that he was not sure who called the police to the scene of the crash on Sunday evening. He said that “there was a lot of confusion that night, the minister just jump out his car, start saying ‘no cameras’ and then we went to check the other car and he jump in another vehicle and gone.”
Hira told Stabroek News that “the ball is in their court, he [Singh] had jumped in a Ministry of Agriculture vehicle, that’s who picked him up the night. The AG said so in the meeting we had.”
He continued that both he and Shivcharan are awaiting a formal deal by tomorrow, “I think they are just trying to do thing, but I will pursue this.”
Hira commented that the finance minister decamped from the scene minutes after the crash on Sunday and that it was not until the police showed up much later that his name was recorded for future reference. He noted that “it was after two in the morning [Monday] that we went to station…after we go to the hospital I went to the station and they took my information”. He said that since the accident he has had no contact with finance minister.
Businessman Brian Yong had gone to the scene and offered the driver compensation for his vehicle and to pay for medical bills incurred. Yong paid Shivcharan’s medical bills on Monday. When Stabroek News inquired if the compensation was offered on the behalf of the finance minister, Yong had refused to comment and said “Don’t call my phone ever again.”
The finance minister has been unavailable for comment and there has been no official press statement on Sunday’s incident. According to a police source the force has been “hush hush” about the incident and “they are trying to downplay this.”
Traffic sources say that failing to render assistance and failing to report a vehicular accident to the police could result in charges being filed against Singh.
One traffic source told Stabroek News that protocol dictates that while a person can leave the scene of an accident to receive medical attention they cannot do so with exchanging information. Singh did not render assistance neither did he file a police report.
Stabroek News was told that a breathalyser should have been administered to Singh as it appeared that he was under the influence at the time. Stabroek News was told that while there is currently only one working breathalyser in Region 4, the Minister should have presented himself at the Kitty police station and awaited the arrival of the breathalyser. The source said that breathalysers needed to be administered as soon as possible to get an accurate read.
“I was coming down this street [west on Garnett Street, Campbellville] and this vehicle was coming out of this road [Delph Avenue] and just jump the major road, slam into me sending we into that gutter… The man come out then we see is the finance minister but he ain’t even offer help. He just jump into another vehicle and drive off leaving we hay …”, Hira had told Stabroek News at the scene on Sunday.
At yesterday’s PPP conference, General Secretary Clement Rohee refused to comment on the incident only stating that it was a “police matter”. He declined to comment on the lack of working breathalysers and why the finance minister was not administered one at all let alone in a timely manner.
