PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – In a forceful rebuttal, former Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley has categorically denied allegations that his People’s National Movement (PNM) party headquarters was financed through drug trafficking proceeds. The accusations were leveled by current Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar during a parliamentary session last Friday, where she characterized the PNM as a “narco-party” in league with criminal elements.
Addressing journalists at a press conference, Rowley expressed profound disappointment with what he termed “evidence-free allegations” from the sitting prime minister. The former PNM leader, who stepped down following his party’s electoral defeat in April 2025, emphasized his five-decade association with the party since 1974, including 15 years at its helm.
“For 70 years, the PNM has participated in Trinidad and Tobago’s political landscape both in government and opposition,” Rowley stated. “To suggest that Balisier House’s operations under my stewardship were funded by narco-terrorists represents a reckless disregard for truth.”
Rowley drew parallels between Persad-Bissessar’s allegations and the treatment of former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, suggesting the prime minister’s close alignment with U.S. President Donald Trump’s security policies could lead to similar extraterritorial actions against himself. He questioned whether the government’s participation in the U.S.-led Shield of Americas initiative – a multinational security pact established in March 2026 – effectively endorsed extrajudicial measures in anti-narcotics operations.
The former prime minister raised grave concerns about the initiative’s implications for due process, noting that Guyana remains the only CARICOM member participating in the project. He referenced the Attorney General’s reported legal advice that lethal force could be employed against suspected traffickers without evidence gathering or judicial oversight.
“This policy effectively permits our Coast Guard to eliminate suspected individuals based merely on suspicion, without any evidentiary requirements or legal proceedings,” Rowley warned. “Such approaches risk devastating our societal fabric and international standing.”