Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley says notification of the purchase of a townhouse at Inezgate in Shirvan, Tobago, by himself and his wife was filed with the Integrity Commission in 2019.
Rowley yesterday made public the declaration and extracts of the confidential form showing the purchase of the property.
A post on his Facebook page showed his Integrity Commission declaration of income, assets and liabilities for the year ending December 2019.
“Form B is always open to the public for scrutiny but today I show extracts from the confidential form A so that the lies that are being published and fostered can be rebutted in their totality,” Rowley said.
On Monday, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar said San Juan/Barataria MP Saddam Hosein wrote to the Integrity Commission in 2021 claiming Rowley failed to disclose the purchase of two Tobago townhouses in his Integrity Commission declaration form.
She cited a newspaper report which claimed the commission found that Rowley breached the Integrity in Public Life Act by failing to disclose the purchases. However, the commission said there was no criminal offence and no action could be taken.
Persad-Bissessar asked if the commission’s chairman was seeking renewal of his post, or whether another commissioner had sought “silk”. She said the matter is going to court.
However, Rowley denied the Opposition’s claim. Referring to his declaration, he pointed out: “Note carefully. There is nowhere on this form where one is required to fill in any detail about a townhouse. Note that in Form A, it specifically shows where townhouse and condominium is shown.”
He added: “Contrary to what is being portrayed by persistent misrepresentation, that was filled in and submitted by me for 2019, I am making these documents public today so that the national community can judge for themselves the misinformation and outright lies that have been perpetrated by Saddam Hosein and Kamla Persad-Bissessar with respect to my compliance with the requirements of the Integrity in Public Life Act.”
He added, “1. It is clear that I have never filed any false information to the Integrity Commission. 2. I did file a notification of purchase of a townhouse at Inezgate, Shrivan (sic) Tobago. 3. I bought a property and had no gift to report.”
The forms posted on Facebook included a handwritten list of seven properties and when they were acquired:
Goodwood Ridge (1985)
La Horquette Villas (2011, 1998)
One Woodbrook Place (2010)
Mason Hall Tobago (1968),
Las Vegas timeshare (what appears to be 2012)
Shirvan – Inez Development (2019).
The persons in whose name the respective properties are held are given as Keith and Sharon Rowley and Tonya and Sonel.
Another part of the form lists investments in companies and directorships.
