Da Silva star witness in case against opposition senator

Frank Da Silva, a vocal critic of the Dr Ralph Gonsalves government, could be the “star witness” in the perjury case against opposition senator, Vynnette Frederick, a lawyer for Gonsalves has said.{{more}}

“I think that the star witness is Mr Frank Da Silva, as far as I understand from Mr Richard Williams,” Senior Counsel Anthony Astaphan said on radio on Sunday. Williams is also a member of the prime minister’s legal team.

Da Silva told SEARCHLIGHT yesterday that he gave the police a witness statement in the matter.

“I am the one who pushed the case,” he said.

He had told SEARCHLIGHT previously that he gave lawyers for the New Democratic Party (NDP) audio recordings of comments Gonsalves made at political rallies during the 2010 election campaign.

The charges against Frederick are said to result from information she swore to, in an affidavit submitted to the court, reportedly based on the contents of the tapes.

“Quite apart from what the newspapers said before in the court, Frank Da Silva, who is not a known Labourite as far as I know, was extremely outraged at what happened,” Astaphan said.

“There was a front page newspaper [article] of him. He’s cooperating with the police, as far as I understand, in that he has given a witness statement.

“I don’t know what it says…” said Astaphan, who also said the charges against Frederick were not “a political witch-hunt”.

“I see this prosecution as maintaining the rule of law. I don’t see it as any political benefit to State or to Ralph or the [Unity] Labour Party at all,” he said. (kentonchance@searchlight.vc)