Lee will appeal the High Court ruling. He says he has not been found guilty of any offence.
Housing Minister David Lee says he will appeal last week’s High Court ruling in the case against him, insisting the decision was procedural and not a finding of criminal guilt. In a public statement Monday, Lee said his attorneys advised there are substantial grounds for an appeal and good prospects of success. “I have not been found guilty of any offence,” he said.
Lee pointed to April 2025, when Acting Chief Magistrate Christine Charles discharged him after a four-day preliminary inquiry involving 19 witnesses and 29 witness statements. He said the magistrate found the prosecution’s evidence inherently weak. He said the Director of Public Prosecutions then applied to the High Court on the last day allowed, without notifying him or giving him a chance to be heard, and that an arrest warrant followed without reasons for departing from the magistrate’s findings.
Lee also questioned the legal basis of the procedure, saying it relied on legislation that was repealed by the Administration of Justice (Indictable Proceedings) Act, 2011. He said that raises serious questions about his right to be heard and natural justice. He said he respects the judiciary but disagrees with the decision.
He criticized political commentary that he said could mislead the public about the ruling, and said he will not let the proceedings distract him from his work as Housing Minister and Member of Parliament for Caroni Central. The Opposition has called on Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to remove him from Cabinet. The reports reviewed did not include a response from the DPP’s office or the Prime Minister.
This report draws on the Trinidad Express, the Trinidad Guardian and TTT News.
