Vidwatie Newton, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s sister, has two passports. This was revealed by Housing Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal at the UNC’s Monday Night Forum at Felicity Hindu School, Chaguanas.
Countering several of the allegations Jack Warner had made in the build-up to the Chaguanas West by-election next week, one of them being that Persad-Bissessar’s sister had a diplomatic passport, Moonilal said: “As Minister of Foreign Affairs, acting for the honourable Winston Dookeran, when I heard that I quickly enquired into that matter, because the issuance of diplomatic passports falls under the purview of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“I have two passports in my hand. One is a passport for the European Union (EU) and this passport is in the name of Vidwatie Newton, a British citizen. “The next passport is an ordinary passport issued in the Republic of T&T. The holder is one Vidwatie Newton of T&T. “The Prime Minister’s sister has two passports. She has no diplomatic passport. That is a lie!” Warner and his wife Maureen held diplomatic passports until last week, when they were told to surrender them.
Newton, a nurse, accompanied the PM on official overseas trips in the past. Questions were asked in Parliament in April 2012 about $1 million of public funds spent to pay for her travel. The Prime Minister defended Newton’s presence on the trips, saying Newton was also in charge of her medicines and other arrangements on overseas travel.
Taking a jibe at the perceived double standards of Warner, Moonilal said Warner received a pension in US dollars and Minister of the People and Social Development Dr Glenn Ramadharsingh knew what that entailed for someone drawing a pension locally. He said the Government could not break the law or be seen as lawbreakers to accommodate Warner.
Moonilal also asked who was the person wrongfully and fraudulently signing applications for grants of provisional firearm licences in December 2010 as there were several discrepancies uncovered, such as a recommender declaring his occupation as a senior superintendent and adviser to the Minister of Justice but listed being employed by the National Security Ministry.