THE Estate Management and Business Development Company Ltd (EMBD) has filed new allegations against former housing minister Dr Roodal Moonilal, several contractors, and former executives in the multi-million dollar cartel claim lawsuit brought against them by the state-owned company.
At a February 11 status hearing, Justice Frank Seepersad was informed that an amended statement of the case had been filed by the EMBD earlier that same morning, significantly expanding the claims against the defendants.
Senior Counsel Fyard Hosein, who represents one of the defendants, was outraged by the latest development, describing it as “incredible.”
He argued that the State had taken ten years to reach a final position on the alleged defects in the roadworks contracts that were central to the case.
“That in itself is an incredible situation … The second issue, which I find equally incredible, is the fact that the focus of the dispute now seems to have shifted to Dr Roodal Moonilal in a very, very oppressive way, with new causes of action, new allegations under the Integrity in Public Life Act.”
Hosein also criticised the timing of the new allegations, suggesting that political motivations might be at play.
While Hosein made it clear he did not represent Moonilal, he said the new case affected his client.
“It seems like a real, crass, oppressive political attempt to get at persons. That is reinforced by the fact that there are large swathes of new allegations concerning Dr Moonilal, who I do not represent...
“This case was filed in 2017. It took them seven and a half years to determine the nature of the defects, and what they have now is radically new allegations in respect of the defects of these roads which my client participated in.”
Hosein requested full disclosure of the State’s engineering reports to allow his clients the opportunity to conduct their own assessments.
Hosein said at the appropriate time, he would ask the court to conclude on the State’s conduct of the case.”
Hosein added, “This is the state. This is the arm of the state. This is a state enterprise acting with great oppressiveness.
“In this case, I don’t know. I may have to get my engineers or seek engineers to commission them to do a study on this issue. It’s very expensive, very expensive to get engineering reports.
And if you think legal fees are high, engineering fees far surpass that.” Justice Seepersad appeared unimpressed with the delays in the case or the requests for a long adjournment.
“It is incredible to me that these claims were filed in 2017 and are still at the first case management conference in 2025. I’m resolute in my view that timelines must be set for the filing of the responses,” he said.
The judge gave all parties until May 6 to file their responses but noted that extensions could be granted if necessary owing to new evidence.
EMBD attorney Jason Mootoo, SC, dismissed Hosein’s claims of oppression, insisting that the amendments were not politically motivated and had been anticipated.
“Respectfully, a l
