Regional News Dispute between T&T PM, President deepens

coming from His Excellency, the President.”

The PM said he deliberately did not give any comments to the media when questioned about “the carryings-on and the allegations being made about matters at the President’s household,” adding he “kept myself and my office away from those developments.”

Yesterday, he said based on what was told to him about the President’s news conference on Wednesday and from yesterday’s newspapers, he had to “advise the public on the facts of this situation as known to me and as supported by the documentation in my possession.”

He said he did not wish “to drag this matter on and does not wish to engage in any banter with the President. I simply want to put on record my knowledge on this matter and what the documentation contains.”

Rowley insisted: "If this document was sent to you, you would have seen that nowhere in the epistle that was sent to me from President's House was there any reference of any prior approval for what was coming to me."

Contacted for comment on the Prime Minister’s disclosures yesterday, communications manager at the Office of the President, Theron Boodan, said: “His Excellency did not see the post-Cabinet briefing.

At the time he was at a function swearing in a judge to the Court of Appeal.”

Boodan said as soon as “the President sees what was said there should be a response.”