A LEGAL battle has erupted over the construction of Balisier House, with the People’s National Movement (PNM) assembling a legal team to fight what it described as a “witch hunt” against its party headquarters.The Express exclusively reported yesterday that High Court Judge Margaret Mohammed last Friday granted an Order to the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) compelling the PNM to explain its funding for the multimillion-dollar construction of Balisier House, located on Tranquillity Street, Port of Spain.
‘TYRANNY’:Marvin Gonzales
Police have been investigating the funding of Balisier House and, on July 10, 2026, Commissioner of Police Allister Guevarro, who appointed acting Assistant Commissioner of Police Ramdath Phillip to lead the investigation, authorised him to make an application in the High Court for a Preliminary Unexplained Wealth Order in accordance with Section 58(1) of the Civil Asset Recovery and Management and Unexplained Wealth Act, 2019.The application for a Preliminary Unexplained Wealth Order (PUWO) against the PNM and the party’s trustees under the Civil Asset Recovery and Management and Unexplained Wealth Act, 2019, was submitted to the High Court last Friday.The application names the trustees of the PNM as the first respondent; and the PNM, represented by its general secretary, as the second respondent.The Commissioner of Police is represented by King’s Counsel Anthony Peto and junior counsel Thomas Cleaver of Blackstone Chambers in London, with attorney Dayadai Harripaul serving as instructing attorney.Every legal remedy will be undertakenResponding to this development yesterday, PNM chairman Marvin Gonzales issued a three-page media release stating that the party has assembled a legal team to examine every aspect of the developments and will pursue every legal remedy available to protect the rights of the party and those affected.Gonzales noted that, as of yesterday, the party had received no official correspondence and had not been served with any order of the High Court from any State authority regarding the matters referred to in media reports.The Sunday Express learnt that, according to the High Court order, police have seven days to serve the documents.In an affidavit, ASP Phillip cited a report prepared by international consultants Berkeley Research Group (UK) Ltd, which was commissioned by the Office of the Attorney General.According to Phillip, the report estimates that the total construction cost of the new building, upon completion, will be approximately $118.4 million, while the value of work already completed is estimated at approximately $73.272 million.Phillip stated that police were unaware of any legitimate source of income available to the PNM that could finance a project of that magnitude.Gonzales said the figures were “grossly exaggerated” and sought to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the financing of Balisier House.He stated that the PNM rejects any suggestion that there was anything improper, unlawful or secretive about the funding of its headquarters or the fundraising activities undertaken by the party over many years.He noted that Balisier House and the land on which it stands were acquired by the PNM more than 65 years ago.He further stated that the redevelopment of Balisier House was never undertaken in secret and was never financed in secret.Smear campaignGonzales sought to explain how the party raised funds for the construction.“For well over 15 years, the People’s National Movement has engaged in lawful fundraising through party activities, public appeals, initiatives and voluntary donations from thousands of members, supporters and well-wishers who believed in preserving one of Trinidad and Tobago’s most enduring democratic institutions,” he said.He said many citizens proudly contributed to that effort because they understood that strong political institutions strengthen democracy.“That headquarters today stands as a visible symbol of the Party’s history, organisation, resilience and continued investment in the future of Trinidad and Tobago,” he said.According to Gonzales, what is now unfolding did not begin with the reported court proceedings but with a deliberate public smear campaign by the United National Congress (UNC) against the PNM.He said the matter then escalated through the abuse of parliamentary privilege, where serious, unsubstantiated allegations were made against the PNM under the protection of Parliament.Gonzales also criticised the TTPS, saying the matter had “progressed” to the police “allegedly seeking and receiving judicial authority to pursue what is a politically motivated witch hunt”.Gonzales further pointed out that it was the PNM that brought forward legislation to regulate campaign financing in Trinidad and Tobago and that the UNC refused to support the initiative.“Today, the very same political party that rejected campaign finance reform and has been at the centre of well-documented corruption, political kickback and bid-rigging scandals now seeks to cast suspicion on the lawful fundraising activities of the People’s National Movement,” he said.Gonzales said rather than focus its attention on the economy, crime, unemployment, healthcare, education and the many challenges confronting citizens every day, the UNC Government appears determined to weaponise the machinery and financial resources of the State against its principal political opponent.He said this continuing misuse of scarce public resources in pursuit of political persecution is yet another example of the abuse of authority that has come to define the Government’s short but devastating period in office.“It is also yet another example of this Government’s broader campaign of fear, intimidation and State-sponsored political victimisation,” he said.Disturbing patternGonzales said with increasing frequency over the last 14 months, the people of Trinidad and Tobago have witnessed attempts to silence those who oppose the actions of the UNC Government and to create an environment in which citizens are made to feel that exercising their constitutional rights, democratic freedoms and political expression comes at a personal cost.“Equally troubling is the growing weaponisation of arms of the State against those whom the UNC brands as its political opponents,” he said.Gonzales said the PNM has observed an increasingly disturbing pattern in which State institutions are utilised not only to pursue political adversaries but also to obtain personal information on those individuals, creating a real and legitimate concern that such information may ultimately be misused for partisan political purposes.He said every citizen, regardless of political affiliation, should be deeply concerned whenever the powers of the State are perceived to be used in this manner.He said members and supporters of the PNM can rest assured that the party is “ready, willing and able not only to defend itself and its proud legacy, but also to defend the democratic rights, freedoms and political expression that are guaranteed to every citizen under our Constitution”.He said no government should ever believe that electoral victory grants it the authority to intimidate political opponents, suppress dissent or manipulate State institutions for partisan political purposes.Said Gonzales: “We remain confident that truth will prevail over propaganda, justice will prevail over political persecution and democracy will prevail over tyranny.”
