In a sharp rebuke issued on May 16, ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) assembly member Raymond Sapoen has publicly condemned Prosecutor General Garcia Paragsingh for her refusal to engage in a verbal briefing with a parliamentary investigative committee. The panel has been tasked with reviewing impeachment motions against three former cabinet ministers, and Paragsingh’s recent letter to the National Assembly explicitly stated she has no intention of meeting the committee in person.
Sapoen argues that the prosecutor general’s dismissive response amounts to an outright repudiation of the country’s highest state institution. The investigative committee, formally appointed by full parliamentary vote, holds every legal right to question Paragsingh and request clarification on the impeachment motions she brought forward, he stressed. Under existing governing rules, the committee’s interaction with the prosecutor general would not involve prejudging the merits of the allegations against the former ministers, a point Sapoen highlighted to counter any potential pushback on the committee’s mandate.
“The committee, appointed by the entire parliament, has every right to call on the prosecutor general to explain the impeachment motions she submitted as part of its inquiry, and this process is structured to avoid prejudging the validity of the case, as clearly outlined in existing law,” Sapoen emphasized.
While Sapoen acknowledged that Paragsingh may have legitimate reasons for preferring to communicate exclusively in writing, he maintained that her approach failed to meet basic standards of respect and protocol toward the legislative branch. The standoff highlights growing institutional friction between the office of the prosecutor general and the National Assembly as it moves forward with the high-stakes impeachment process. Paragsingh has yet to issue a public response to Sapoen’s criticism as of the time of reporting.