PRIME MINISTER Kamla Persad-Bissessar says the police and Judiciary are independent institutions and the People’s National Movement (PNM) should produce evidence before those entities to prove the “lawful” construction of its Balisier House headquarters in Port of Spain.PNM chairman Marvin Gonzales issued a three-page statement on Saturday taking issue with the police’s move to compel the trustees of Balisier House to explain the funding behind its construction.Gonzales described the move as a “political witch hunt” and rejected any suggestion that there was anything improper, unlawful or secretive about the funding of the party’s headquarters or the fundraising activities undertaken by the party over many years.Gonzales sought to explain how the party raised funds for construction, saying that for well over 15 years the PNM had engaged in lawful fundraising through party activities, public appeals, initiatives and voluntary donations from thousands of members.He argued that what was 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 Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS), saying the matter had “progressed” to the police “allegedly seeking and receiving judicial authority to pursue what is a politically motivated witch hunt”.In response to questions from the Express yesterday, the Prime Minister dismissed Gonzales’ claim that the police action was politically motivated.“This is an active matter that was brought before the courts by the TTPS. The TTPS and judiciary are independent organisations. Therefore his comment is nonsensical,” she said.Told that Gonzales said the party had been lawfully funding construction for years, Persad-Bissessar responded: “If the People’s National Movement believes that every dollar used in the construction of Balisier House came from lawful fundraising activities, public appeals, raffles, dinners, cake sales, bakery sales and voluntary donations, then the law provides them with the perfect opportunity to produce the evidence and prove it.”She added: “That is precisely what courts exist to do. So I urge them to stop the continued beh-beh behaviour. By all means, dig up every raffle stub, every fundraising ticket and every bakery sale receipt. Produce the records. Produce the accounts. Produce the evidence. The courts will determine the facts.”TTPS, JudiciaryindependentThe Prime Minister also dismissed Gonzales’ claims that the institutions of the State were being weaponised against political opponents.“Trinidad and Tobago is a constitutional republic founded upon the separation of powers and the rule of law. The Government does not direct police investigations, does not instruct the Judiciary and does not determine who should or should not be investigated. Those decisions belong to independent institutions established under our Constitution,” she said.She said the Commissioner of Police and the officers assigned to these matters were acting pursuant to powers granted to them under the laws of Trinidad and Tobago and pursuant to orders granted by an independent High Court judge.“That is how the rule of law works. This is obviously strange to the PNM that has a decade of interfering in independent institutions,” she said.Persad-Bissessar emphasised that the police and the judiciary were independent and must be respected.“The suggestion that a police investigation authorised by the courts somehow amounts to political persecution is an attack not on the Government but on the independence and professionalism of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and the judiciary itself,” she said.The Express noted that Opposition MP Stuart Young had spoken of an “orchestrated” attack on the PNM.Persad-Bissessar responded: “From what I’ve seen in the media, the PNM is actually attacking itself at all levels.”The Prime Minister said she was also unbothered by recent comments by former prime minister Dr Keith Rowley and his claims of persecution.“Since his exit from office he appears to have become the town crier,” she said.The Prime Minister noted: “The most curious thing is that after years of rapid construction while in government, the PNM has been unable to continue any construction after losing the election.”The Express exclusively reported on Saturday that High Court judge Margaret Mohammed on 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.Police have been investigating 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 on 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 KC and junior counsel Thomas Cleaver of Blackstone Chambers in London, with attorney Dayadai Harripaul serving as instructing attorney. • See Page 5