Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has alleged that two Independent senators attempted to sell their votes on the Zones of Special Operations (ZOSO) Bill, but were rejected.

Persad-Bissessar told the Express she knew that the Law Reform (Zones of Special Operations) (Special Security and Community Development) Bill, 2026 would fail in the Upper House because her Government would not buy votes to secure the three-fifths majority required for passage.

“During the debate, two of the President’s senators approached a senior Government senator seeking personal favours in exchange for support and for securing the remaining votes needed for passage. Those requests were rejected. From that moment, it was clear the Bill would not pass,” she said.