And apart from that civil suit, Contreras is also likely to be the star witness in the Senate Special Select Committee's investigation of the Portico Definitive Agreement.
That was formed yesterday at the Senate Meeting and they plan to probe the genesis of the agreement under the UDP and advancement into the Cabinet room in May of this year.
Today in a virtual press briefing via Zoom from the city of Jerusalem in Israel, opposition leader Shyne Barrow keyed in on the fact that the Select Committee was formed by a collective motion signed by the independent senators:
Reporter
"Regardless of how many opinions were sought after, at the end of the day the definitive agreement now former definitive agreement was torn, ripped apart in pieces in the house of representatives, there is now at play new discussions in leading towards some sort of new agreement."
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"You are absolutely off in your assessment and it is not the opposition saying that. The churches are saying that, the unions are saying that, the NGO is saying that, the chamber of commerce is saying that when they presented their motion for a Senate inquiry on this matter that goes from former Minister Erwin Contreras to Prime Minister Briceno. That is what was passed in the Senate yesterday. So the social partners do not believe that we are flogging a dead horse. This is a live issue. We need to know why, according to the PUP, a corrupt UDP agreement was embraced and a conspiracy was afoot to pass that agreement into legislation. We need to unpack that issue because I have long screamed corruption. I have long said that they are vested interest."
Reporter
"But at the end of the day this is an investigation as much as it is within what took place in cabinet. This is an investigation into the UDP and the signing of this agreement under the United Democratic Party's leadership."
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"We are comfortable with calling a spade a spade and when one of our colleagues does wrong, we call it out, we denounce it publicly and that is what you saw happen. Nobody tried to make excuses for former minister Contreras. So I have no concern that this will take my party as anything other than a party that holds its members accountable. A party that does not support corruption in any way and does not make excuses for corruption."
"So we have gain credibility in my view by coming out vehemently in objecting to the actions of Mr. Contreras."
