Kamla: Hinds’ claims of UNC official hiring hitman a ‘political hoax’

The T&T Police Service is yet to confirm if it is investigating a “high UNC official” for attempting to pay a hitman $60,000 to commit murder. However, the Opposition Leader said the entire thing reeks of a hoax for political gain.

During his contribution to the budget debate on Tuesday, National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds claimed, “A criminal in this country, swore to the police that a UNC high official, paid him $60,000 to commit a murder outside. That matter is under investigation, who want to go and find out could go.”

Guardian Media attempted to ascertain from the TTPS if any such investigation occurred or is ongoing. Yesterday morning, a senior TTPS official said checks were being made to verify the minister’s claim. However, up to yesterday evening, the TTPS still could not provide an answer. Questions were also sent to its corporate communications unit, but there was no response. Efforts to contact Hinds for more information on his claims were futile as he did not respond to WhatsApp messages.

But the Opposition Leader had plenty to say.

Initially dismissing Hinds’ allegation as, “election time nonsense” and another iteration of the emailgate controversy, Kamla Persad-Bissessar went on to vehemently deny that any member of her party is involved in such an investigation.

“No UNC official is under investigation to the best of my knowledge. No Natex member. No councillor or alderman. No constituency executive member. No UNC official,” she declared.

The Opposition Leader said even if an investigation was taking place, Minister Hinds would have impeded the police’s work by making that statement in the Lower House.

“If there is any investigation, it’s already tainted with bias and interference, the allegations are from a known criminal who strangely approached Hinds, a political dunce. That is how desperate the PNM has reached, where the minister is making reports to force investigations about political opponents for electioneering,” she posited.

Persad-Bissessar said the Police Commissioner now has questions to answer on this matter.

“How do Mr Hinds and Mr Young know the details of this supposed investigation? The CoP and TTPS must answer that question. Mr Hinds and Minister Young have tipped off the suspect in the supposed investigation. Why would a criminal approach Minister Hinds? And how would Minister Young know aspects of the supposed investigation if Hinds reported it to the police? This is a whole charade from a bunch of failures,” she said.

As Hinds made his claims on Tuesday, MP and Minister Stuart Young, who once held the National Security portfolio, was heard saying “a former senator,” as Minister Hinds said the police was looking into the matter. Young also chimed in “the prison”.

‘65 per cent of allocation goes to salaries’

Minister Hinds on Tuesday also defended the almost $60 billion his ministry has received in the last nine years.

“The figures and statistics in our budgetary arrangement demonstrate that as much as 65 per cent of the allocations we read about would normally go for salaries, emoluments and other recurrent expenditure like rents and all these things, stationery and all the things the Government purchases to service these ministries,” Hinds explained.

He added, “So, I just want the people of Trinidad and Tobago to know, when the Leader of the Opposition says $60 billion, of that $60 billion, near to $40 billion is spent and if you want to see where that $40 billion goes you have to look in people’s credit unions and bank accounts and their cars and what they do with their personal money.”

Concerning youth involvement in crime, Hinds stressed there is no shortage of correct and proper pathways for young people in this country.

“The entire effort and the budget for the Ministry of Education is for the youth of this country in the formal education sector. The Ministry of Sport and Community Development an allocation of $400 million, largely for the young people in T&T. The Ministry of Social Development and Family Services, $5.6 billion, benefiting homes and families, largely for young people,” Hinds argued.

He added, “And not to mention the Ministry of Youth Development and National Service, everything it does is directed towards the youth of this country.”

Hinds said, therefore, youth involvement in crime goes deeper than a lack of Government intervention.

The minister said he is also growing weary of a single administration being blamed for the state of crime in this country.

Hinds said just as members of the public took a personal responsibility to reduce the spread of infections during COVID-19, that same principle must apply.

“So it is intellectually moribund to suggest that he is responsible for murders. I dislike hearing altogether, ‘how much murders under that government?’ It ain’t have nothing to do with that. And that is why when I was in Opposition nobody could find a record of Fitzgerald Hinds saying that the UNC is to be blamed.”

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