Lies told by Senator Frederick have her in this situation – PM

The lies told by Opposition Senator Vynnette Frederick have caught up with her, that is why she is in the situation she is in today.{{more}}

This is the view of Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves, who also said he is in no way responsible for the recent arrest of the senator.

The Prime Minister, speaking on Star FM last Thursday, said that he was not even aware of Frederick’s re-arrest two weeks ago, until someone overseas called and told him.

He said that day, he was engaged with a number of farmers, during the visit of Food and Agriculture Organization director general Jose Graziano da Silva.

“I had just finished with my guests at my residence at Gorse when I got a telephone call, interestingly from the USA, telling me of this matter,” Gonsalves said.

“Telling me she had been arrested, and the person asking me if I knew for what and I said no I didn’t know she was re-arrested at all.”

Frederick was re-arrested on Thursday, July 11, and slapped with nine charges, just hours after magistrate Ricky Burnette ruled that six charges levelled against her “lacked details and particulars,” and struck them out.

The nine charges allege that she made false declarations, swore falsely and intended to mislead the court by fabricating evidence.

Gonsalves said that Frederick may have been the architect of her own demise, when she brought private criminal matters against him in 2011, following the 2010 general elections, relating to a speech he is alleged to have made in Park Hill.

“When that complaint was made to the Chief Magistrate Sonya Young, she simply refused to entertain the summons, on the basis it was frivolous and vexatious,” he pointed out.

“On the basis of her own applications with her own affidavits, she (Frederick) herself admitted subsequently that what she said was not true. She explained it by saying she didn’t listen to the tape and she didn’t follow this and follow that, but she swore to it.

“And in the judgement of the Chief Justice, the Chief Justice made comments adverse to the honesty and credibility of Frederick in relation to this matter.

“Well, if she didn’t listen to the tape, who listened to it and transcribed it and write up what she said? Her lawyers? A clerk?” Gonsalves asked.

“Those are matters which ordinary people would ask themselves; it’s a matter that is serious; would you allow a clerk to just listen to it and give you the information?”

The Prime Minister also pointed out that he has no jurisdiction over the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, which decided to bring the charges against the New Democratic Party senator, and that the matter is being politicized by the party.

The NDP has been holding protest rallies, and this Friday, a protest march has been planned for Kingstown.

“They have now decided to make it political. There is nothing political in it, other than the original complaint that Frederick took to the Chief Magistrate against me which was distorted… and said things that I said which were not true, with the object of having me lose my seat… if the court accepted it as true and had found me guilty, and I would be out of government and can’t run for five years.

“What about swearing affidavits where the Court of Appeal itself said that what was in the affidavit was false, in order to bring down a duly elected government. Could anything be more serious than that?

“So, the simple point I’m making is that this attempt to put this as a political matter…. I had nothing to do with this. It’s foolishness.

“As always it’s Ralph fault, but the person who started the politics with this matter is Vynnette Frederick, and she based it on untruth and on lies, and those lies caught up with her and that is why she is in the situation in which she finds herself, not of my making,” Gonsalves said.