No money was left at my office – Lawyer Sam Commissiong

Lawyer Samuel Commissiong has described as “patently false and silly” an allegation that Harlequin developer David Ames left money at his law office for Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves.{{more}}

Commissiong’s rejection of the allegation was made in a letter to Matthew Chapman, producer of a television programme being put together on Harlequin Hotels and Resorts by BBC Panorama.

In the March 11 letter, Commissiong was replying to one of nine questions Chapman had posed to the prime minister in an email dated February 26.

Chapman’s email said while researching their programme, the BBC was told of three meetings between Ames and Gonsalves, one of which took place in March 2011 at Commissiong’s office in the Building and Loan Association building on Halifax Street.

“It is alleged that during these meetings Mr Ames arrived with a substantial amount of currency (USD) and left the respective meetings without these monies,” Chapman’s email said.

“The allegation is not only patently false and silly, it suggests that Dr Gonsalves was there (at Commissiong’s office) to receive it or else it was left there for him. In the latter sense, you have implicated me in a potentially criminal act which never happened,” Commissiong wrote.

“For your information, Dr Gonsalves has never visited my office since he became Prime Minister. If it is being suggested that he sent to collect the money from me that, too, would be false because there was no money to collect. Finally, if the suggestion is that Mr Ames left the money at my office on a date in March 2011, you may verify if you wish that Mr. Ames did not visit my office at any time in the month of March 2011.”

Commissiong, in an interview with SEARCHLIGHT on February 28, said he had been present on every occasion the Harlequin developers met with Gonsalves. He also said during that interview that no briefcase of money had been left at the office of the prime minister by Ames.