OPPOSITION Leader Kamla Persad-Bissesar has said the collapsed case in the Piarco Airport scandal was part of the People's National Movement (PNM) playbook to hold on to political power by tarnishing the image of the United National Congress (UNC) and its members.

She said the charges brought against former prime minister Basdeo Panday, his wife Oma, former minister Carlos John and businessman Ishwar Galbaransingh, were a blatant case of political persecution to stay in power.

'The case was never meant to succeed in court. All it was meant do was to drag out as long as possible to have the UNC seem as corrupt people,' Persad-Bissessar said at political meeting in Chaguanas East on Monday night.

At the first live meeting since the pandemic began, she referred to Monday's decision by Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gaspard to discontinue the 2005 case against the Pandays on charges of corruptly receiving £25,000, when he was prime minister (1995-2001).

John and Galbaransingh were accused of giving the sum as a reward for the $1.6 billion Piarco Airport expansion project. An investigation by forensic expert Canadian Robert Lindquist resulted in four different set of charges - identified as Piarco 1, 2, 3 and 4 - being laid against multiple ministers in the Panday cabinet and business people.

Galbaransingh has said he will take action against the State over the matter, which he says has ruined his life. He is confident other related charges, including those being heard in the US district, will have similar outcomes. In 2005 a grand jury in Florida returned an indictment against Galbarnsingh and Steve Ferguson as well as six Americans of corruption involving the airport expansion.

Accusing the ruling PNM of 'always painting the UNC in the corner of corruption and wickedness,' Persad-Bissessar said this decision came 'after 25 years of smears and lies to bring down the UNC government. Airport, airport matter, scandal, UNC thief, UNC corrupt.

"No, no, no. Lies. All that is PNM lies, persecuting these men for 25 years.

'That was a major plank from the PNM campaign and their narrative - 25 years of prosecution. Not just prosecution, that was persecution. Political persecution of Mr Panday.'

She said this was not the first time the PNM had resorted to lies and propaganda to hold on to power.

'Every time we are going into an election, they come with their smear campaign, slander, to make sure they stay in power.'

Persad-Bissessar made reference to the general election in 1995. At the time, Panday, then leader of the UNC, faced the election while defending five charges brought against him under the Sexual Offences Act.

Persad-Bissessar noted that the magistrate's acquittal was delivered after the election.

She quoted an April 1995 report from a Washington, US, centre which concluded there was a pattern of legal and political harassment of Panday by the government of the day.

She said she was not spared either, as prime minister under the People's Partnership (PP) government, in 2013, w