Golding instructs lawyers to file defence in Paulwell’s Trafigura lawsuit
OPPOSITION Leader Bruce Golding has instructed his lawyers to file a defence in the lawsuit brought against him by the industry commerce science technology and energy minister, Philip Paulwell, a statement from Golding’s office said yesterday.
The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) leader said he welcomed the opportunity to defend in court the statements he made, and to expose the full extent of Paulwell’s alleged involvement in the Trafigura affair, having regard to the fact that he has chosen to maintain a deafening silence both inside and outside of Parliament.
Paulwell’s suit was filed in the Supreme Court on Tuesday.
The government minister is suing over claims Golding made on October 4, the same day the opposition leader alleged in Parliament that the People’s National Party government had been involved in shady financial dealings with Trafigura Beheer BV, the international oil trading company contracted by Jamaica to lift and market Nigerian oil on the country’s behalf.
Golding, in the midst of a debate on a censure motion against JLP general secretary and MP for North Central St Andrew, Karl Samuda, raised the Trafigura issue inside the Parliament chamber, and called for the resignation of the entire government. However, the Speaker of the House did not allow Golding to continue on the subject, after which the opposition leader led a walk-out of his members.
At a hastily convened press conference held at the Opposition’s conference room, immediately after the walk-out, Golding presented copies of returned cheques and other documents he said were evidence of ‘skulduggery’ in the acceptance of money from Trafigura. He questioned the transfer of monies amounting to more than $31 million from Trafigura to CCOC Association, and then the depositing of cheques from CCOC into a First Global Bank account of SW Services -Team Jamaica.
Golding claimed that Paulwell was one of the signatories on the account.
But immediately, Paulwell denied the accusations, and signalled his intent to take legal action.
“I absolutely refute that I am signatory to any such company,” Paulwell said in a statement. That statement was backed up by a letter from First Global Bank president, Wayne Wray to Prakash Vaswani, one of the SW Services signatories, also issued on October 4.