(Trinidad Express) West Indian Cannabis Company Ltd is involved in the apparel industry.
It is also a “news forum to centralise all of the medical marijuana industry related news and press throughout the region”.
So said Christopher Joffre Moses, a director of the company who made a statement on Facebook yesterday, after questions were asked about Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi and whether the company was established to take advantage of decriminalisation legislation and the establishment of a Cannabis Authority which were piloted by the AG.
Moses registered the company in February of this year naming as directors himself and Jenna-Marie Nahous, a relative of the AG’s wife, Mona Nahous-Al-Rawi.
The shareholder of the company is GV Holdings Ltd-3 Star Sportwear-Rossi.
Social media activists raised questions about a conflict of interest.
Former government minister Devant Maharaj and Phillip Alexander pointed out that company was established months ahead of the tabling of the legislation.
“Law passed in December 2019, but you form a company since February?” Alexander asked, while Maharaj stated: “AG relations incorporate marijuana company since February 8, 2019 ahead of Cannabis Legislation piloted by the AG in December 2019.”
The Attorney General when contacted yesterday, told the Sunday Express he knew “absolutely nothing about the company, its intentions or positions” and he had “no financial dealing or relationship” with it.
He said had he known about the company he would have mentioned it “on the floor of the Parliament in passing” but said there was no conflict of interest “because I have no financial relationship at all” with the company.
Sometime later, Moses issued a statement, saying: “Our team believes a global cannabis apparel brand is prime to emerge from the Caribbean region and in preparation of this movement we have been in the process of building an apparel brand and a new forum to centralise all of the medical marijuana industry related news and press throughout the region.”
He distanced the company from any association with the Attorney General.
“I categorically state that I have no business dealings with Faris Al-Rawi whatsoever. I do not, nor did I discuss my business with him as I have no financial relationship with him. I do not possess any inside information pertaining to the cannabis industry as it come to the fore in T&T and region wide,” he said.
The announcement that the Government planned to decriminalise marijuana was first made in September 2018 by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley addressing a Diego Martin meeting during the PNM internal elections.
Moses did not say whether the company intends to go into marijuana production or not.
But, explaining the partnership, Moses said in pursuit of the apparel brand he needed a partner “with the experience and know how required to make this a successful venture”.
He said he aligned himself with his own family, GV Holdings, which had been in the textile and garment industry for over 40 years and which had successfully created mass market brands regionally over the years.
He said: “While we are still in the pre-execution stage of this venture; in light of (yesterday’s) social media blast our group feels it imperative to state the facts to dispel any rumours or assumptions made by certain persons… Our business in apparel certainly could not — to any right minded person — feature in the deplorable allegations being made.”
He described as “unwarranted and misleading” attempts to discredit his name, his partners and their venture.
In an online post yesterday, marijuana advocate and commentator Nazma Muller however pointed out an NGO called the Cannabis Foundation, with the intent of public education, was refused registration by the Ministry of Legal Affairs in 2015 because cannabis “is still illegal”.
“How then is it possible for a for-profit company to be registered with the name of the West Indian Cannabis Company (in February 2019, before the bill was even brought to Parliament)?” she asked.
