Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles has called for answers as to how legal documents served on the People’s National Movement (PNM), which should have been sealed according to law, made their way into the public domain even before being served on the party.Speaking at a news conference at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, Port of Spain, yesterday, she raised a concern that the rule of law was not being respected, and questioned whether the population felt it could trust the Government.She has called on Commissioner of Police Allister Guevarro to clarify how the court order served on the PNM was leaked and publicised.The Opposition Leader again addressed the Government’s pursuit of the PNM’s source of funding in the rebuilding of its Balisier House headquarters in Port of Spain.Beckles recalled that in 2025, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar returned from the United Nations General Assembly and raised allegations of the funding of the PNM through drug and illegal activities. She said the PM has never made these statements outside the Parliament.She also noted that on July 16, PNM general secretary Foster Cummings was served a court order, compelling the party to provide financial records as to the source of funding for Balisier House.Beckles said she would have been served with the order afterwards.The PNM political leader said the legislation governing the order, the Civil Asset Recovery and Management and Unexplained Wealth Act of 2019, “makes it very clear that any documents filed in relation to this matter must be filed under seal”.Beckles said all documents filed in the High Court under Section 58.1 shall be filed under seal, and stated that the matter of how the contents of the court order were leaked should be very important to the public.Beckles said Section 74 of the act expressly provides for confidentiality of the documents filed.She emphasised that according to the act, trustees of the agency, the property manager, employees of the agency, and every person concerned with the administration of this act, including advisers and experts and so on, “shall read documents, information and other matters related to the administration of this act as secret and confidential”.Beckles said anyone who would “recklessly” or unknowingly disclosed documents, information or any other matter relevant to the administration of the act and is in contravention of this section commits an offence and is liable.She noted that this carried a summary conviction to a fine of $250,000 and imprisonment for five years, and on conviction and indictment, a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for seven years.“We must ask ourselves, how did these documents get into the public domain?” Beckles said.She said the order would have been filed under seal even before it was served, and yet the contents were in the public domain even before Cummings was served.“Everything, all the particulars, the affidavits were in the public domain,” Beckles said.She said the PNM was not asking for any special treatment, however, “the law is there and the law says what is the procedure”.Saying “they are more concerned with the drama than they are concerned with the procedure”, Beckles insisted that the “Commissioner of Police must tell us, how did these documents get into the public domain?”She noted that a video was taken of the documents being served on Cummings.“That is where we are in Trinidad and Tobago. And it must be a matter of concern,” Beckles said.She said the PNM didn’t intend to litigate the matter in the press, as it was before the court.Beckles said the PNM has assembled its legal team and instructing attorneys on the Balisier House matter, saying that the party “has absolutely nothing to hide as it relates to Balisier House”.She stressed that the parcel of land was purchased by the PNM some 65 years ago, and it was “no secret that we have been doing our fundraisers, our car raffles, our persons have donated”.Beckles called on people to question the timing of this particular matter. “Do not think that the way this matter is going is by accident,” Beckles asserted.
Penny to CoP: Explain leak of court order
Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles has called for answers as to how legal documents served on the People’s National Movement (PNM), which should have been sealed according to law, made their
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