(Trinidad Guardian) Prime Minister Keith Rowley says it couldn’t be further from the truth that he’s trying to get rid of the DPP. Speaking at the Post Cabinet news conference, Dr Rowley said, “There is no action of the government, no intention of the government to interfere with the DPP’s work in his office.”
He said he raised concerns that the DPP’s office was renting a building for $600 000 a month that was currently unoccupied. He said a building is available that “has queries” and he said those queries were addressed. Dr. Rowley said that’s proof that the government did not ignore the DPP and the government wants to get rid of the DPP.
“So all those who are speculating that what you’re seeing is something to do with the government, and whoever else wants to get rid of the DPP. We have no interest in that,” He reiterated. “Except, we want to know that the opposite the DPP job is going on the way it ought to go on and that the DPP can rely whoever whoever is in that office can rely on 110% support from the government of Trinidad and Tobago, where the cabinet is involved to contribute to that work.”
One of the DPP’s biggest issues raised is a lack of staffing for his office. Dr Rowley said the government is also considering bringing in foreign lawyers to staff the DPP’s office since the good lawyers are in private practice, and lawyers fresh out of law school are not experienced enough.
“ The bulk of the DPP’s work in the court on matters, especially major matters, will have to be done by certain experienced lawyers. And what did we do? We sat down and we discussed that maybe the time has come for us to look outside of Trinidad and Tobago to bring in whether it’s six or eight or 10 or 12 lawyers to put them in a DPP office,” Prime Minister Rowley said.