(Trinidad Express) The Ministry of the Attorney General paid some $353.7 million to attorneys and other consultants between June 2010 and October 2014.
Out of this amount, Charles Russell was paid approximately $19.1 million for legal advice arising out of the cancellation of the OPV (offshore patrol vessel) contract in 2010. And Alan Newman QC was paid $2.4 million for advice relating to the repeal of the controversial Section 34 clause.
This forms part of the information provided in a written response last Friday to a question on the Order Paper of the House of Representatives on the payment of legal and other technical/professional services made to persons and entities by the Ministry of the Attorney General for the period June 2010 to October 31, 2014.
The question was filed by Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley.
According to the information provided by the Attorney General, some $353,734,622.38 was paid, with the largest payment being made to British law firm Charles Russell, which received $63,181,472.
The second highest fees were paid to accounting firm Ernst and Young—$26,415,744 and Alix Partners, a foreign-based global business advisory firm, which received $20,090,020.
Jamaican attorney Vincent Nelson (who replaced Fyard Hosein as the lead counsel for the Ministry of Finance in the CLICO Enquiry) received $20,400,544, while British QC Alan Newman was paid $14,474,613.54 and Barbados-based Guyana-born attorney Fenton Ramsahoye received $9,969,080.
*Among the local legal fraternity, the highest sum was paid to Gerald Ramdeen, who has figured in the “Prisongate” affair as well as in the current controversy involving the location of judiciary files in his office. He received $15,541,423.
*Second in line was Israel Khan SC, who benefitted from legal briefs under the tenure of former attorney general John Jeremie, but who now serves as the Prime Minister’s lead attorney in the emailgate matter. He was paid $11,660,800.
*Third in line is Avory Sinanan SC, who received $10,406,925.
*Law Association president Seenath Jairam SC, who received $9,850,210, is next in line.
* Coming closely behind were Kelvin Ramkissoon, who was paid $9,723,399, and the late Dana Seetahal, who received $9,294,500 during the same period.
*Russell Martineau SC, who received $8,834,875, and Pamela Elder SC, who was paid $7,831,500, are next major beneficiaries.
*Completing the top ten list are Larry Lalla, who was paid $6,974,825, and Jagdeo Singh, who received $5,772,166.
Falling just outside that list is Wayne Sturge, the 11th-ranked attorney in terms of earnings from state briefs. Sturge received $3.1 million.
The top ten attorneys who benefitted from State briefs earned among themselves $95.5 million.
Interestingly, among the ten top earners are four attorneys who are not yet members of the Inner Bar i.e. not yet senior counsel, whose combined earnings amounted to $37.2 million, while the six senior counsel received $58.2 million.
Senior counsel who fall outside of the top ten included Fyard Hosein, Gilbert Peterson, Martin Daly, Deborah Peake and Douglas Mendes.
Of the $1.8 million paid to Douglas Mendes, all payments were made in 2010, with one payment of $172,000 in 2012.
By contrast, the majority of payments, amounting to $9,8 million, to Jairam, who was elected Law Association president on June 30, 2012, were made in 2013.
On the other end of the scale, some of the smallest sums were paid to attorneys such as Fitzgerald Hinds, who was paid $11,000; David West $50,000; and Zainool Hosein $25,000.
The lowest sum on the list was $7,000 paid to Freedom Law Chambers, the chambers which was headed by former AG Anand Ramlogan prior to his assumption of political office.
And Central Bank Governor Jwala Rambarran was paid $1,064,260 for undertaking a “forensic/management audit into the sale of BWIA London Heathrow Slots to British Airways”.
Rambarran received two payments—the first was $195,000 on 13/9/2011 and the final payment of $868,620 on 4/7/2012.
He was appointed Central Bank Governor two weeks later, on July 17, 2012.
These figures do not include sums paid by the State Enterprise sector for legal work.
AFA, a firm owned by Guyana lawyer Ackbar Ali, received $6,097,348 for investigations into State Enterprises.
The information provided also showed that there were outstanding payments, including $1,150,000 to Pamela Elder and $1,750,000 to Tiger Capital Lite, both sums being for request for mutual legal assistance by the USA.
Elder is also owed $276,000 for the extradition of Amarnath Jagmohan.
(All figures in T&T currency)
