DUTCH investigators probing the $31-million donation to the People’s National Party (PNP) by oil-lifting firm Trafigura Beheer were yesterday said to be “on a fishing expedition” with some of the questions being posed to party officials.

The description was yesterday levied by Queen’s Counsel KD Knight, the attorney handling the matter on behalf of PNP officials including President Portia Simpson Miller, from whom the Dutch investigators are seeking answers in relation to the probe.

“There are a whole lot of questions. Some of them totally irrelevant, some clearly on a fishing expedition,” said Knight, during an interview with the Observer. “I’ve been reading the document and have seen some flaws and I’ll continue to look at it.”

Asked what the flaws were, Knight responded: “I don’t want to give away my hand.”

Knight’s comment could be an indication that Dutch investigators may not find much assistance in his clients, who also include party chairman Bobby Pickersgill, and former ministers Phillip Paulwell and Colin Campbell, notwithstanding an order in Jamaica’s Supreme Court compelling them to comply.

Knight said that all, except Campbell, whose resignation resulted from the Trafigura scandal, had been served with the court order and the questions for which answers are being sought. Knight said that the papers were received on Friday afternoon.

The four are to make a response in the Supreme Court between June 27 and July 1 of next year.

The application for the order was made under the Mutual Assistance (Criminal Matters) Act by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions on behalf of the Dutch investigators.

The Trafigura matter came to public attention in 2006 when the PNP, then in Government, accepted a $31-million gift from the Dutch firm which at the time had an oil-lifting agreement with Jamaica. The money has since been returned, the party said.

Reacting yesterday to last week’s renewed call by the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce for disclosure from the leadership of the PNP on the matter, Knight said that the party had already addressed the issue in a fulsome way, both in Parliament and other venues.