fp Turks and Caicos

Attorney General Kurt de Freitas says a recent report from the Foreign Affairs Committee in the House of Commons makes “very unfair” comments about him and he plans to respond.

“It is something that I have indicated to the governor that I intend to write to the FAC to take up those issues,” de Freitas said at a press conference after a meeting of the governor’s Advisory Council on Wednesday.

The FAC report published March 31 said the committee had received criticism of the attorney general’s office.

“While it is not claimed that the Attorney General has himself committed illegal acts, it has been argued that he “turned a blind eye” for five years to all that occurred,” the report stated, referring to a letter written by Shaun Malcolm.

“Furthermore, serious concerns have been raised about the capacity of the Attorney General’s Office to deal with the issues raised both in our 2008 Report and in the Commission of Inquiry,” the report stated, citing a letter from Chuck Hess, CEO, the Protection of Reefs and Islands from Degradation and Exploitation (PRIDE, Ltd).

“One correspondent stated that ‘the legal system of the government, specifically the inability of the Attorney General’s Chambers to demonstrate responsible behaviour be it for the legal drafting of proper ordinances or the policing of the legal fraternity, much less the undertaking of prosecutions for white collar crimes, makes the country appear to be still operating under the same procedures that led to your mandating the Commission of Inquiry.’”

De Freitas, who will not be seeking a third three-year term, said he was never contacted for the report.

“I think the FAC was deluge in these criticisms. I was never given an opportunity to actually respond to those criticisms, and quite frankly, if I had had the opportunity to respond to those criticisms, I don’t think that they could have made the comments that they have.”

“But I must say and I must reiterate it has been very unfair those things, and at some point in time and at some stage when I respond to the FAC, hopefully the public will have a chance to see what my response is and then you can be the judge as to whether all those things which have been said over the years have been fair.”

The governor has said on several occasions — and the FAC noted — that the attorney general’s office needs more resources to do its job.

“The AG chambers has been underfunded for a long time,” His Excellency the Gov. Gordon Wetherell said again Wednesday at the same press briefing. “I don’t know what the reason for the under funding was, but that was the situation they found themselves in.”

“The burden across the number of funds which they had to bear is considerable, frankly, in excess of the resources they have had to bring to the task,” the governor said.

The governor and the FAC say attorney general’s office needs to be bolstered considerably with funding and personnel, and the FAC has recommended that the U.K. provide the funds.