The Government is planning to appeal the decision of a High Court judge to reject its application for the appointment of two provisional liquidators for CL Financial (CLF).

Sources close to the state’s legal team said yesterday that attorneys began drafting the appeal shortly after Justice Kevin Ramcharan dismissed their application during a late night hearing at the Port-of-Spain High Court on Wednesday.

The T&T Guardian understands that the appeal was expected to be filed yesterday afternoon and that the Government will be seeking an urgent hearing of the court to determine the matter before CLF’s shareholders meet next Tuesday to retake control of the company’s board.

The Government made the application and a corresponding winding up petition for the company earlier this month after the shareholders signalled their intention to change the composition of the board, which was government-controlled since the bailout of its cash-strapped subsidiary, Clico, in 2009.

As a condition of the bailout, CLF’s shareholder’s agreement with the government had agreed to honour its subsidiary’s debt and allow government to select four members, including the chairman, to CLF’s seven-member board.

At the meeting, scheduled for after the winding-up petition comes up for hearing before Ramcharan on Tuesday, the shareholders are being asked to vote on whether Carlton Reis and Kirk Carpenter should be elected as additional members of the board. If successful, the shareholders would control majority interest with five members, while the Government would remain with its original four board members.

The shareholders’ move was reportedly based on the refusal of the Ministry of Finance to consider a proposal from independent auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), which suggested that they be given control of the company and allowed to renegotiate its repayment arrangement for the $15 billion still owed to the Government. They are claiming that the company’s debt to the Government is inflated and the company is not insolvent, as is required for winding up proceedings.

In her submissions in support of the appointment of the liquidators, head of the State’s legal team Deborah Peake, SC, claimed it was to prevent the shareholders from disposing of the company’s assets whilst the winding up petition is being determined by Ramcharan.

In response, John Jeremie, SC, who led the team for the shareholders, who together have a over 60 per cent stake in the company, warned that the appointment was a “drastic intrusion” that may have irreparable consequences on the company.

“A liquidator is an undertaker. There is no life after a liquidator becomes involved. The company dies,” Jeremie said.

Ramcharan eventually agreed with Jeremie in his oral decision, as he claimed the application was premature because the State could not prove the shareholder’s future conduct. Despite Ramcharan’s ruling, the Government still has a lifeline in recouping its investment through liquidation, as its winding up petition against the company is still to be determined. However, the process would be time consuming.

Ex-CDF: I’m not satisfied with response Gail Alexander “It didn’t meet my expectations.” That was the disappointed view of former chief of defence staff Kenrick Maharaj yesterday, after the T&T Defence Force (TTDF) apologised for naming him as the person who authorised Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi’s children to pose with high-powered weapons at the Camp Cumuto shooting range in 2015.

The TTDF wrote to Maharaj on Tuesday clearing him on the issue, after a letter signed by Defence Force CDF Rodney Smart named him in April as the person who authorised the range practice.

The TTDF said a board of inquiry into the incident didn’t name Maharaj “nor did it state that you had any knowledge of the subject range practice and/or that you granted approval for the same to be conducted.” It said the range practice was in fact authorised by “the military chain of command through the delegated authority of the Chief of Defence Staff and subject to the necessary protocols being put in place by way of administrative instruction.”

The TTDF “sincerely apologised” for any inconvenience and/or embarrassment caused to Maharaj.

The letter, signed by TTDF’s Lt Colonel Sheldon Ramanan (acting director staff judge advocate), was the culmination of months of queries concerning the pictures of the children posing with high powered weapons—some of which still remain unanswered.

In last year’s Budget debate, United National Congress MP Roodal Moonilal raised the issue of the children posing with the weapons at Camp Cumuto. UNC Senator Wayne Sturge then wrote the army in March requesting answers on the issue based on the Freedom of Information Act.

An April reply signed by Smart stated that a board of inquiry on the matter indicated Al-Rawi’s children accompanied him to Camp Cumuto on October 31, 2015. This was to witness a tactical display to familiarise the AG with actions his security team may have to use in the event of an incident. Smart stated “it was established the former chief of defence staff Major General Kenrick Maharaj, acting on his own volition, authorised the range practice.”

Replies to Sturge also cleared the AG of abusing his power in the matter. However, Maharaj subsequently denied he’d authorised the practice, as he was not there, nor that he invited the AG to the base for any range firing activity in October 2015 or any other time. Maharaj also called out Smart on the “erroneous contents of the TTDF response” to Sturge and sought a retraction of its statements and an official public statement to undo the hurt caused to him and his family “in light of this painful, unfortunate but avoidable faux pas.”

Maharaj had also signalled legal action was being considered.

In the army’s response on Tuesday, it said it had considered the public interest requirements under (Section 35 ) of the Freedom of Information Act concerning Sturge’s request for disclosure of proceedings of the inquiry and “... it was determined that to place this in the public domain would severely jeopardise individual and organisational security and by extension, weaken the nation’s security.”

As such, the TTDF exempted the inquiry proceedings from the letter.

The letter added, “The said letter in response to Senator Sturge did not purport to be an extract from the Board of Inquiry. The record of proceedings of the Board of Inquiry did not name you Major General Kenrick Maharaj nor did it state that you had any knowledge of the subject range practice and /or that you granted approval for the same to be conducted.

“As you are no doubt aware the subject range practice and/or the granting of approval for same would normally be approved by the chain of command through the delegated authority of the Chief of Defence Staff and subject to the necessary protocols being put in place by way of an administrative instruction.

“As a consequence, there was no requirement for you (Major General Kenrick Maharaj) to attend the Board of Inquiry as a witness to give any testimony as you would not have been privy to the facts surrounding the subject inquiry.”

In blanking Maharaj’s request for a copy of the record of proceedings of the inquiry, the TTDF reiterated this had been exempted from the FOI Act. It, however, advised Maharaj he has right of appeal to the Ombudsman and/or the right to seek judicial review in court on the matter.

Contacted yesterday, Maharaj neither confirmed or denied he’d pursue legal action.

Expressing disappointment on the letter, he added, “This doesn’t have enough to give me comfort. I’m not comfortable with what was written. It didn’t meet my expectations, as it didn’t address the real issue.”

He added, “I had also given TTDF six points of rebuttal in my letter to them on the army’s reported statements (to Sturge’s request), but those points were not addressed by this either.

“I reserve my overall comments on the issue at this time, so as not to prejudice proceedings moving forward.”

Maharaj insisted the issue over who authorised Al-Rawi’s children to hold the weapons remained.

UNC’s Sturge also said,”The plot thickens - they can’t be trusted. More than ever now answers are needed. The Defence Force has only just cleared up the distraction they created.

“We now have to ask who/what is this ‘military chain of command?’ The buck had to stop somewhere and with someone. In the same vein they were prepared to throw (Maharaj) under the bus, the person(s) responsible should also be thrown under said bus.”

UNC Senator Gerald Ramdeen, via release, also deemed TTDF’s apology “empty.”

“Brigadier General Smart cannot continue in office as CDF after TTDF’s shocking revelation,” he said.

Since the TTDF has now stated the army inquiry into the matter didn’t name Maharaj, he added, “Upon what basis could Brigadier General Smart have signed this (April) letter making such serious and damaging allegations against the man who he succeeded? He has a public duty to disclose who drafted the April 2017 letter, whose counsel was sought before that was signed and what steps he took before signing the letter to verify contents as being true, correct and accurate.”

He added: “We can now add the TTDF to the Judiciary, Integrity Commission and Police Service as institutions that have been compromised under this Government.”

Neither Smart nor Al-Rawi replied to calls yesterday.

Four days before the second anniversary of the July 25, 2015, prison break which left three dead and traumatised citi?zens, the Prisons Officers’ Association (POA) is accusing those in charge of the probe of dragging their feet.

At a press conference at the association’s Arouca office yesterday, president Ceron Richards again called on the Police Service to give an update into the probe which was conducted into the incident, saying the suspended officers — acting Superintendent of Prison Wilbert Lovell and Prison Officers Two Lancelot Duntin and Mervyn Pierre — were merely scapegoats.

“Almost two years after there is no report from the Commissioner of Police. We are still at a point where we do not have a police investigation as to how the guns got into the prison,” Richards said.

His comments also came in wake of a the Joint Select Committee (JSC) on National Security earlier this month, at which members expressed concern and dissatisfaction with the “tardiness” of the Public Service Commission (PSC) in respect of the disciplinary proceedings arising out of the prison break. Among other things the JSC noted was that the commission took a year and a half to set up a disciplinary tribunal to deal with the issue of sanctions against the three prisons officers, who have been on suspension, with half pay, for about two years.

Attorney Farid Scoon, who was also present yesterday and who is representing Lovell and Duntin, said he wrote to the commission and was still awaiting on “full disclosure” from the PSC as he is yet to receive documents and statements. “The Public Service Commission is undermining the process of justice at the tribunal level,” Scoon said.

He said when the tribunal met on July 13 and 18 this year, no prosecutor was present and the matter could not proceed. Saying when the prison break occurred there was a general election a few months after, Scoon added, “There are too many unanswered questions, leading us to believe that this fiasco involving the suspension of the officers is nothing other than a political charade.”

On July 24, 2015, prisoners Allan ‘Scanny’ Martin, Hassan Atwell and Christopher ‘Monster’ Selby shot their way out of the Port-of-Spain prison. Police officer Sherman Maynard was killed during the breakout while prison officer Leon Rouse was shot and wounded.

Martin was killed during a shoot-out with law enforcement, and Atwell was murdered after hiding out in Port-of-Spain. Selby eventually surrendered to officers at the Barataria Police Station.

The prison break occurred six months after the executive of the Prison Service were informed of a possible escape from the prison during one of its meetings at the Prison’s Administration Building, Phillip Street, Port-of-Spain.Yesterday, Richards said Lovell, Duntin and Pierre had received this information some four minutes before the break and tried their best to act before the escape took place.

Calls to acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams went unanswered yesterday.

There has been an “unprecedented increase in the number of applicants” from T&T to go to Japan to teach English.

The announcement was made by the Japanese Ambassador in Port-of-Spain, Mitsuhiko Okada, during yesterday’s send-off ceremony at his residence in St Clair for the successful 17 T&T nationals who will be leaving for Japan next week.

There were 64 applicants last year and 78 this year.

Okada said there has also been a “notable increase in the number of successful candidates” for the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) programme.

He said the increase was “evidence of the growing popularity and reputation of this exchange programme.”

Okada said: “There has been a grounds swell of enthusiasm among Trinbagonians who are eager to experience Japanese culture.”

Some 17 nationals were chosen to go to Japan this year for an initial period of one year to teach at primary and secondary schools across Japan. The period could be extended.

Okada said the teachers are about to adopt dual roles as assistant language teachers and cultural ambassadors of T&T.

Since the programme was started in 1987 more than 100 nationals of T&T have visited Japan to teach English.

One of the successful applicants was Sashta Jebodh. She told reporters she was very excited about the new venture.

She said there should be more cultural exchanges between Japan and T&T.

Jebodh said there should also be more awareness in T&T about the various Japanese festivals and cultural events.

From August 1, 60 randomly selected police officers will begin nationwide body camera testing. It is hoped that at the end of a six-month trial stint, these devices will be issued to every officer on duty.

Speaking at the launch of the pilot project at the St Joseph Police Station yesterday, CEO of the Telecommunication Services of T&T (TSTT) Dr Ronald Walcott, who purchased the cameras and the accompanying supportive software to lend to the police service, said the programme is ground breaking and will aid in the management of the police service.

He said the footage collected from the cameras will be stored automatically and the footage cannot be modified, while access to the footage requires specific security clearance. The camera can be submerged in one metre of water for up to 30 minutes and has a 210-degree angle with five microphones for clarity and a pre-buffering system. Once fully charged, the cameras, which will be clipped onto an officer’s clothes, can last for 10 hours recording. The cameras were purchased from Motorolla at a cost of $500,000.

In his feature address, acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams said a safer country could not be created by the wave of a magic wand, adding that the pilot will be the first nationwide testing of body worn cameras in the world.

He commended head of the Police Social and Welfare Association, Insp Michael Seales, on his repeated public calls for the police to be outfitted with the body cameras, as police had been “unduly targeted” by citizens who presented only fractions of events that they recorded on their cellphones. He added that outside of using the toilets, a police officer assigned a camera must have it turned on at all times.

In response to questions, Williams said the project will be supported by a departmental order that will mandate that an officer does not remove or turn off the camera and if it is done the officer will be sanctioned. He added that based on the situation, the punishment will vary.

Williams said the previous project of body worn cameras in the Central Division was an internal experiment to see how officers treated with using the new equipment. He said the cameras will be given to 25 police stations across the country to be used for the trial period and the distribution of the footage will be done following advice from the legal team.

In a telephone interview with the T&T Guardian yesterday, head of the Police Complaints Authority David West said he was pleased the project was launched, noting it will bring the police service into the 21st century. He called it a “step in the right direction.”

Seales, who was at the launch of the project, later told the media he hopes the 25 stations selected will comprise those where there are numerous reports of police brutality.

“The association would have hoped that the hotspot areas, for example Port-of-Spain district, with police brutality reports will be the first primal area flooded with the cameras. Our hope is that for citizens’ sake that areas like that will be one of the 25 stations that get the body worn cameras,” Seales said, adding that it would have been ideal if the cameras were distributed to each police station.

Seales said the cameras will assist in reducing police overwork and overtime as the camera can work as a second officer, leaving a one-man patrol with the necessary support available when needed. He said the Central Division project showed that both police and citizens changed the way they interacted with each other.

“There needs to be a swift response to releasing the footage captured by these cameras in the case of police-involved shootings so that the public could formulate an opinion on what really took place,” Seales said.

A key member of the Unruly Isis gang was yesterday shot dead by police officers while making his way to purchase a vehicle in Chaguanas.

Police officers assigned to the Central Division said they were on patrol along the Caroni Savannah Road, near Sheldon’s Auto, at about 3.30 pm when they were allegedly shot at by a man who was standing with another man on the pavement. Police said they returned fire and later found Jelani Sajjad Martin, 25, lying on the ground with gunshot wounds about his body. Martin was taken to the Chaguanas Health Facility where he later died.

However, the T&T Guardian was told by an eyewitness that Martin had $22,000 on him and was with another man standing on the pavement in front of the car establishment when the police officers, who were passing by, opened fire on Martin. The eyewitness alleged Martin had no gun on him. He added that when the police stopped to take Martin to the health facility, they took Martin’s friend into custody and were up to last night said to be transferring him (friend) from one police station to the next.

“The police take him because he was right there and saw everything. Jelani had no gun. The police shoot him in cold blood and we have surveillance footage to show,” the eyewitness said.

Martin’s money, however, is yet to be accounted for, the T&T Guardian was told.

Martin, of Enterprise, originally lived in Diego Martin and according to the police was a known firearms and drugs offender. He was said to be currently out on bail on firearm charges.

At the health facility yesterday, friends, family and close affiliates of Martin gathered outside and protested the police killing. In fact, it was so heated that officials at the facility were forced to call in members of the T&T Defence Force and police to attempt to quell the angry mob. Some of the people even ran into the health facility and hurled abusive and threatening language towards the members of the protective services.

When contacted for comment yesterday, head of the Islamic Front, Umar Abdullah, said just days before he had a meeting with Martin and Abdul “Krysis” Wakeel about changing their way of life.

“They both decided then and there to go back into the community and attempt to bring a positive change. Jelani had agreed to start and was working towards that. Krysis, as we all know, also vowed to continue helping those in the community,” Abdullah said.

In relation to Martin’s killing, Abdullah confirmed that they had in their possession footage of the incident and promised that it would be sent to the Police Complaints Authority on Monday morning.

“This is unfair of what the police did and we will be seeking justice. We will go and lodge a formal report and submit the footage which shows far opposite to the police’s claims,” Abdullah said.

Several officers from the Chaguanas Police Station last night told the T&T Guardian they now fear for their lives as well as those of their families.
“Since what happen there this evening (yesterday), people real threaten to kill us and get to our families and wipe them out. We are scared but we still have to carry about our duties and try to be fearless about it,” one officer said.

The T&T Electricity Commission (T&TEC) has been ordered to pay $1 million in compensation to a driver who was unfairly forced to retire on medical grounds after suffering a mild heart attack in 2011.

The Industrial Court made the order in a 25-page judgment delivered at its headquarters in Port-of-Spain on Thursday morning.

In their judgment, Industrial Court judges Kathleen George-Marcelle and Janice Christopher-Nicholls agreed with the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) that the company had not followed the proper process when it forced the worker to retire in June 2012.

While the worker’s name was mentioned throughout the judgment, both he and his attorney requested that his name be withheld for fear of being targeted by criminals interested in his windfall.

The court held that the company failed to find an alternative position for worker, based its decision on a medical report that was not comprehensive and failed to consult with the worker before it made its decision.

“The employer seems to have disregarded the worker’s 19 years of service to the company and treated the worker in a less than humane manner,” Christopher-Nicholls said in the judgment.

While the driver was seeking over $3.8 million in damages for his loss of earnings inclusive of potential overtime, the court agreed to the reduced figure.

The driver began working with the commission from 1993.

In February 2011, the driver suffered a blunt chest injury during a cricket game which induced a heart attack. He was forced to take 44 days sick leave before he returned to work to resume his duties.

Later that year, he wrote to the company’s management suggesting that he be transferred to a job in the office to limit the possibility of him suffering another attack while in the field.

“It would be preferable for it to happen in a chair rather than behind a steering wheel with other lives at stake,” the driver said in the letter.

Following the suggestion, the driver was instructed to visit the company’s doctor Dr Tennyson Sieunarine for a medical assessment.

After the assessment, the driver was informed that he had to retire. He agreed and received a lump sum payment of $220,839.60 and a monthly pension of $2,822.73.

He solicited the union’s assistance in June 2013, after he went to the National Insurance Board (NIB) to apply for a disability grant and was informed by its doctors that he could not qualify as he was not invalid.

The union was represented by Lyndon Leu.

The Government’s appeal over the dismissal of its application for the appointment of two provisional liquidators for CL Financial (CLF) is set to be heard on Tuesday morning.

The date was set during a status hearing of the appeal at the Hall of Justice in Port-of-Spain yesterday afternoon.

Before setting the date, Appellate Judge Peter Rajkumar enquired whether a meeting arranged by the company’s shareholders to regain control of the company’s board scheduled for next Tuesday could be postponed pending the determination of the Government’s appeal.

Senior Counsel John Jeremie, who is representing one group of the shareholders, suggested a postponement would be nearly impossible, as newspaper advertisements had already been issued announcing the meeting at 3.30 pm - five hours after the appeal is scheduled to begin.

Head of the Government’s legal team, Deborah Peake, SC, agreed, as she said Jeremie and Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj SC were only representing some of the shareholders who requisitioned the meeting and that their clients could not make a decision that would affect all shareholders.

The appeal and the meeting falls on the same day the Government’s winding up petition for the company is expected to come up for hearing before High Court Judge Kevin Ramcharan, who dismissed the liquidator application on Wednesday night. The parties are expected to seek an adjournment of the petition in light of the hearing of their pending appeal.

During the brief hearing, Rajkumar instructed the attorneys to file their written submissions on both the urgency of appeal and the substantive issues over Ramcharan’s initial ruling.

“If you get past the threshold of urgency, then we will immediately hear the substantive appeal. If you do not, then the appeal will fail,” Rajkumar told the State’s legal team.

Appellate Judges Andre Des Vignes and Charmaine Pemberton are also on the panel.

The Government made the application and a corresponding winding up petition for the company earlier this month, after the shareholders signalled their intention to change the composition of the board, which was government-controlled since the bailout of its cash-strapped subsidiary, Clico, in 2009.

As a condition of the bailout, CLF’s shareholder’s agreement with the government had agreed to honour its subsidiary’s debt and allow government to select four members, including the chairman, to CLF’s seven-member board.

At the upcoming meeting, the shareholders are being asked to vote on whether Carlton Reis and Kirk Carpenter should be elected as additional members of the board. If successful, the shareholders would control majority interest with five members, while the Government would remain with its original four board members.

The shareholders’ move was reportedly based on the refusal of the Ministry of Finance to consider a proposal from independent auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), which suggested that they be given control of the company and allowed to renegotiate its repayment arrangement for the $15 billion still owed to the Government. They are claiming that the company’s debt to the Government is inflated and the company is not insolvent, as is required for winding up proceedings.

Former attorney general John Jeremie, SC, has no fear over Government’s threat to refer him to the Disciplinary Committee of the Law Association, over his alleged conflict of interest in representing a group of CL Financial (CLF) shareholders opposed to a move to wind up the company.

Contacted yesterday to respond to a report in which an unnamed Government source revealed the proposed move against him, Jeremie referred to a press statement from former AG Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj defending his (Jeremie) role on CLF’s legal team.

“I agree with it (Maharaj’s statement) and I have nothing to add save and except that it would be an entirely novel but fulfilling experience to appear before the disciplinary committee of my association,” Jeremie said.

In his statement, Maharaj, who is also representing a group of shareholders in the lawsuit, described the report as a “desperate and cowardly attack on the integrity of a senior counsel.”

“We shall not be intimidated by yet another of what can only be described to be ham-fisted efforts which were not pursued in court to defeat the claims of our clients and we shall continue to vigorously defend the interests of our respective clients in this matter,” Maharaj said.

He claimed that he had carefully studied the issue of conflict of interest and Jeremie was not in breach.

“They suggest that Mr Jeremie has not only the right to represent his clients, but his clients have the constitutional right to representation of their choice. Mr Jeremie is a critical element of the team,” Maharaj said.

In an interview with CNC3 yesterday, Carlton Reis, a spokesman for the shareholders, also criticised the move.

“The Government is acting like a financial terrorist and is trying to commit corporate murder,” Reis said.

According to the report, Jeremie is being criticised as he was the AG when the then government was negotiating with CLF over the bailout of its subsidiary Clico. In total, Government has claimed to have injected a little over $23 billion in the cash-strapped insurance giant since 2009.

Jeremie initially held the post between 2003 and 2007 before a two-year stint as High Commissioner to London. Upon his return to T&T in May 2009, he served for one year as AG.

The Government has initiated the winding up petition and is seeking to appoint provisional liquidator for the company as it seeks to recoup the almost $15 billion debt still owed to it.

Jeremie was reportedly privy to government information related to the bailout and had suggested that legal action be taken against former CLF chairman Lawrence Duprey.

If the Government decides to make good their threat, disciplinary proceedings under Legal Profession Act: Code of Ethics could be brought.

The legislation states: “An attorney-at-law shall not accept private employment in a matter upon merits of which he previously acted in a judicial capacity or for which he had substantial responsibility while he was in public employment.”

Contacted yesterday several senior counsel, who are normally outspoken on public interest issues, declined to comment officially.

“I think he should not have taken the case considering his position at the time. He could have still assisted in an advisory role but could have allowed another senior attorney to be the advocate,” one senior attorney said.

Two years after he escaped from the Carrera Island Prison, Steve McGilvery was recaptured in his home town of Sea Lots yesterday.

According to police reports, around 11 am officers of the Port-of-Spain Task Force and Criminal Investigations Department went to Pioneer Drive on enquiries when they came across McGilvery and another man.

Police said the other man was armed with a firearm and shot at the officers, who returned fire. McGilvery was shot in the groin and subsequently taken to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where he remained in a stable but serious condition last night.

McGilvery and Leroy “Redo” Mohammed escaped custody on August 31, 2015. McGilvery, who was serving a 30-year-sentence for manslaughter, was in the top security section of the prison along with Mohammed, as both were deemed high risk. The men were noticed missing just after 6 pm.

The escape of the men took place less than two months after the escape from the Frederick Street prison of Allan “Scanny” Martin, Hassan Atwell and Christopher “Monster” Selby, which resulted in the deaths of Martin, Atwell and police officer Sherman Maynard. Selby later surrendered to police. There are ongoing prison probes into both escapes.

McGilvery, Vivian “Clarkie” Clarke and Pernell Martin were sentenced in 2009 by then High Court Judge Rajendra Narine of manslaughter in the kidnapping and subsequent murder of Samdaye Rampersad.

Hundreds of short-term workers employed by the Ministry of Education are now facing uncertain futures after their contracts were not renewed due to a lack of funds to pay them for the next contract cycle.

Senior ministry officials, who did not want to be named, confirmed the situation yesterday, saying they were experiencing “challenges with respect to payments” as a “result of the economy being where it is at the moment.”

The news, which up to late yesterday had not been widely communicated to the affected employees, was publicised via social media by aggrieved workers who complained of not being able to secure contracts, even after they followed procedure and submitted justifications for why they should be kept on. Among those affected are technical workers, school social workers and personnel from the Student Support Services Division.

One officer said, “As usual we did our justifications, but strangely though we have not been told anything. When a couple of us inquired from HR what was the matter and when we would receive notice of our approval, we were told that the ministry had no monies to pay us and as such we would not be returning to work.”

Another officer added, “I was told there is no money to pay us and they are not getting any releases from the Ministry of Finance and would have to wait until October.”

A third officer, employed on a short term contract spanning a period of 14 months, estimated that close to 250 people were affected. Ministry officials did not offer a figure but admitted the number was “quite a lot.” But affected employees said while initial estimates would run into hundreds, it could possibly cross 1,000.

Ministry officials said the matter was discussed yesterday and that “efforts were being made to source funds from other areas which could be used to pay the workers.” Adding that many of the three and six-month contract workers had been affected, officials said one suggestion to improve the situation was the extension of the break between contracts expiring and people being re-hired. The official explained that usually, a contract employee would remain at home for a maximum of three days before their contract was renewed, but suggested this period be extended to one week to make things easier for the ministry.

Reminding that the Education Ministry was an amalgamation of three ministries now forced to operate on a singular reduced budget, the official added that sacrifices had to be made in certain areas.

Just last week, Public Administration and Communications Minister Maxie Cuffie had reassured people who had expressed alarm that job-cuts were on the horizon for the public service that although things were difficult, Government had no intention of sending home workers.

But yesterday, Education Ministry workers said although they were willing to work, “the ministry and the executive are just doing nothing. We are not even sure that once October is here, if the ministry would take us back in or if they would pick and choose who they want. Short term officers are now fed-up with what is going on in the ministry and would like to get some answers.”

Head of the Highway Reroute Movement Dr Wayne Kublalsingh is calling on Government to remove a quarter mile embankment built by the last government, which he believes is responsible for extensive flooding in the Oropouche region.

The embankment, which was built with over 100,000 tonnes of aggregate from the Northern Range, was constructed as part of the Debe to Mon Desir segment of the Solomon Hochoy Highway Extension project.

Since the passage of Tropical Storm Bret, however, more than 100 acres of land alongside the Oropouche, Bhaganwa and Cuchawan Trace rivers have been inundated with flood waters.

Bikary Sigobin, of Riverside Trace, off Debe Trace, said the floods took more than two weeks to run off and caused devastation to his cascadoo farms. More than 60 ducks drowned in the water and his fields of ochres and saime were covered with over 20 feet of water from the Oropouche River.

Sigobin said the river, which was 50 feet wide, was clogged when a four-feet cylinder was placed across the river to facilitate passage of vehicles needed for the highway construction project. But another farmer, Nishwad Doobree, said the cylinder has since collapsed and caused extensive flooding and destroyed their livelihood.

In an interview, Kublalsingh said nine rivers running from east to west towards the sea in the Gulf of Paria have been clogged because of the embankment.

“The whole system is flooded like this and therefore if you put the highway here with an embankment of 12 to 15 feet, the mangroves system is affected. The quarter mile of embankment is making the water very difficult to cross to enter the mangroves system so the water is being trapped in the basin,” Kublalsingh said.

He added, “People have been farming here for over 100 years. They have been filling up the markets with produce from Oropouche. If you proceed with this project you will destroy agriculture on a permanent basis.”

Kublalsingh said he intends to approach the Ministry of Works to remove the embankment.

“They must mine back this embankment and use it on the Point Fortin to San Fernando highway. They should build a simple bypass connector road at the level of the street so people can cross here at four junction intersections,” Kublalsingh added.

Works Minister Rohan Sinanan has promised to meet with the HRM before any work is done on the project.

Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh says he has been forced to personally intervene in operations at North West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA), due to the inefficiency at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital which has led to gross neglect. Deyalsingh said he has also had a “serious exchange of communication” with the board, as managers were employed by the board and could not be fired by the minister.

In detailing a situation in which a minor operating theatre was not being sanitised for the past ten years, Deyalsingh said, “When you walked into it the first thing to hit you was the scent of mould. The second thing was the years of grime and dirt on the windows and the third was a broken piece of glass which for about three years was covered with bed lining.

“When I walked in I said all you need was somebody to steam clean the windows. So two weeks ago it cost $3,000 to fix a problem which was chronic for years.”

Describing such incidents as “horror stories,” he expressed frustration that such issues were not under his purview.

“It was sad that a minister had to assume that responsibility. I am taking personal responsibility in the interim to fix these management issues at the NWRHA,” Deyalsingh said at a press conference at his Port-of-Spain head office yesterday, adding he intends to make inefficient managers account.

On the need for him to personally intervene, Deyalsingh said this “said a lot” about the people managing the hospital.

“Every minister of health I have spoken to, they have identified weaknesses in executive management. What I am doing from a policy perspective is developing a hospital management training programme across the regional health authorities (RHAs).

“In the RHAs we don’t insist on hospital management qualification, so in the short term we are going to come up with a management programme,” Deyalsingh said.

Pressed about hospital managers being penalised after sterilisation units were shut down at the PoSGH, he said it was a matter for the board.

“That is the remit of the board and I have had a serious exchange of communication with the board of the NWRHA on this issue. Managers are employed by the board. Everyone feels that the minister can hire and fire. The RHAs have the responsibility for the delivery of goods and services...they own the properties and they hire,” he said.

“There has been a very frank exchange of letters with the chairman and the board of the NWRHA expressing my dissatisfaction and what the board intends to do.”

He said two out of three sterilisation units at the PoSGH were now functional because as minister he was forced to “take over” the matter.

Hospital workers also complained that while washing their hands in the kitchen water which dripped from the ceiling would burn their skin, Deyalsingh said. The problem was attributed to crystal formation caused over the years when the water mixed with chemicals.

“Is a minister of health responsible for that?” Deyalsingh asked, adding there was a “roomful” of equipment in storage since 2003, some of which now cannot be used and resulting in a waste thousands of dollars of taxpayers’ money.

But in the same breath, Deyalsingh said he did not want to condemn the managers as he noted that apart from lack of accountability there was also a high staff turn over, resulting in things “just being left by the wayside.”

Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj SC has written to the Registrar of the High Court asking “who authorised a gag order” on documents filed on behalf of former chief magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar against Chief Justice Ivor Archie, the Judicial and Legal Service Commission and the President.

In his letter to the Registrar, Maharaj asked that the media be informed there is “no gag or seal” on the documents. He gave the Registrar until 4 pm yesterday to respond, failing which he said he will embark on a public course of action.

The matter involving Ayers-Caesar is listed for hearing by Justice David Harris but a date for the hearing has not yet been set.

Well placed legal sources have told the T&T Guardian that for the Registrar to seal the documents from the public, an application to a judge would have had to be made.

The legal fraternity was abuzz with questions yesterday about how so important a matter could have found its way to such a junior judge. Lawyers who spoke to the T&T Guardian said “this is a matter of international importance and there are many experienced judges who could have been assigned, including Justices Kokaram, Dean-Armorer or any other senior judge.

But Israel Khan SC said “it does not matter who is the judge because it will be a question of law and fact.” He said any judgement given “could be corrected by the Court of Appeal and if the Court of Appeal is wrong it could go all the way to the Privy Council, where no matter the ruling the Privy Council is always right, that is the final court of appeal.”

Pastor Clive Dottin also yesterday voiced concern about the gag order placed on documents. He said the “judicial gag order will not increase confidence in the system of justice.”

“Justice is a flower that must be preserved. One must not roast justice on the altar of expediency. Why this gag order? What is there to hide?”

He said “whatever erodes transparency will undermine trust and respect.”

The judiciary, he said, had found itself in a “quagmire because of suicidal blunders,” and in this scenario he felt the “guardians of justice must display the highest levels of integrity.”

He added that those of who will suffer most are “those at the lowest end of the socio-economic ladder.”

“The imploding has begun and the transitioning out of this present crisis requires consistency and due diligence. The wheels of justice may turn slowly but they turn. Nobody should be above the law,” Dottin said.

Whenever Marcia Ayers-Caesar is seen in public nowadays she is called names and disrespected. She is also shunned by family, friends and former colleagues. As a result of this, Ayers-Caesar now avoids going out in public and attending social events.

Ayers-Caesar made the statements in an affidavit filed in support of her lawsuit against President Anthony Carmona and the Judicial and Legal Services Commission (JLSC) chaired by Chief Justice Ivor Archie.

In her affidavit Ayers-Caesar said she did not want to take legal action against Carmona and the JLSC, but she needed to do so in order to “confront the deceit” which forced her resignation as a High Court judge and to “redress the grave injustice” she has suffered.

On Wednesday, Ayers-Caesar’s attorneys filed legal action in the High Court against the JLSC and the Attorney General representing Carmona.

Ayers-Caesar has sued the JLSC and the Attorney General as a result of what she claims was her forced resignation as a judge on April 27.

“I have and continue to suffer extraordinary distress, anxiety and embarrassment because of the unlawful and unconstitutional actions of the Chief Justice, JLSC and the President and my professional career is in shambles after serving 25 years as a magistrate and being elevated to become a High Court judge of the Supreme Court. I am forced to stay at home,” Ayers-Caesar claimed in her affidavit.

In her affidavit Ayers-Caesar said she is unable to practice law according to Section 54 (1) of Third Schedule of the Code of Ethics of the Legal Profession Act Chapter 90:03 which provides that “a person who previously held a substantive appointment as a judge of the Supreme Court shall not appear as an attorney-at-law in any of the courts in Trinidad and Tobago for a period of ten years commencing on the date of his retirement, resignation or other termination of such an appointment”.

“This means that my professional life in law has come to an end since I cannot practice as an attorney at law for at least ten years. Indeed, my entire professional life has been in the law and I have no other professional training which allows me to earn a living other than the law or the legal profession. I have lost all prospect of promotion as a judge,” Ayers-Caesar stated in her affidavit.

In her affidavit Ayers-Caesar said the actions of the JLSC and Carmona have caused “irreparable damage” to her professional reputation and have brought her into “public ridicule, odium and contempt”.

“I feel disrespected by members of the public,” Ayers-Caesar stated in her affidavit. “I have been called names whenever I am seen in the public such as in the supermarket etc and I am also shunned by family members, friends and colleagues as a result of which I avoid going out in the public and to social events. I feel disrespected by members of the public,” the affidavit stated.

In her affidavit Ayers-Caesar said the situation now is a far cry from the respect and admiration she used to be shown before.

“The damage to me has been incalculable largely because as a former chief magistrate and a recently appointed High Court judge I enjoyed the respect and admiration of not only my colleagues in the Magistracy and on the bench but also of attorneys-at-law including those who did not (whether regularly or at all) appear before me; I also felt that the public supported and respected me,” Ayers-Caesar’s affidavit stated.

“All of this has now gone and although the success of this claim would assist in redressing some of the injustice done to me, my reputation for integrity and public service will never be restored,” she stated in her affidavit. Ayers-Caesar is now seeking among other things “an order for the payment of damages to be assessed for misfeasance in public office and breach of her constitutional rights, including compensation for loss of office and the benefits that go with it if she is not reinstated as a judge as well as an additional award by way of general and vindicatory damages.

Marcia’s salary

As Chief Magistrate Ayers-Caesar received a monthly salary of $32,700 and other allowances inclusive of a $7,740 housing allowance and a $4,200 transportation allowance, the affidavit stated.

As a High Court judge Ayers-Caesar was entitled to a monthly tax free salary of $37,300 plus a personal chauffeur and other allowances inclusive of a $24,000 housing allowance and a $4,560 transportation allowance, the affidavit stated.

“In April and May 2017 I continued to receive a salary equivalent to what I received as Chief Magistrate.

“However, with effect from June 1 I have not received any salary, benefits or allowances save that on July 6 I noticed that the sum of $16,535.99 had been deposited in my account,” Ayers-Caesar stated in the affidavit.

“I made enquiries of the Accounts Department of the Judiciary and I was informed that this represents the difference between what I should have received as a High Court Judge in April and what I had actually received,” she stated in the affidavit. 

Carmona warned me not to do anything stupid like commit suicide—

Marcia’s affidavit

When Ayers-Caesar handed her resignation letter as a High Court judge to Carmona, he warned her “not to do anything stupid like commit suicide”, she stated in her affidavit. He also reminded her that she had children to think of, the affidavit stated.

According to her affidavit Ayers-Caesar said Carmona told her a story of a St Lucian friend he had at the University of the West Indies’ Cave Hill campus that committed suicide.

Carmona has still never come to terms with his friend’s suicide, he told Ayers-Caesar, according to the affidavit.

Both Ayers-Caesar and Carmona were crying when she delivered her resignation letter, she claimed in the affidavit. Carmona hugged Ayers-Caesar, she stated.

The part-heard matters

Ayers-Caesar was sworn in as a High Court judge on April 12.

Before her ascension to the High Court she held the post of chief magistrate after some 25 years in the magistracy.

She is this country’s first female chief magistrate.

On April 10, two days before Ayers-Caesar was sworn in as a judge, Archie called her and asked if she had any part-heard matters.

Ayers-Caesar said on April 11, the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court’s Note Taking Unit provided her with a list of 28 matters, according to the affidavit.

On April 25, Ayers-Caesar was provided with a list of 52 part-heard matters, according to the affidavit.

Ayers-Caesar said these matters could have been dealt with without her having to resign.

According to paragraph 17 of Ayers-Caesar’s lawsuit:

“39 of the 52 part-heard matters were part-heard preliminary enquiries in which the hearings began before a Magistrate could have been completed by another Magistrate in accordance with the procedure for the Magistrate dealing with the preliminary enquiry to call the custodian of the record of the evidence, that is, the Clerk of the Peace to re tender the evidence taken and for any witnesses who gave evidence previously to have the transcript of evidence read to that witness and if so required, that witness could then be asked further questions in examination in chief or cross examination”.

The lawsuit stated this procedure had been used previously to complete preliminary enquiries started by a magistrate who either retired or resigned and were unable to complete those enquiries before their retirement or resignation.

“Another alternative way of dealing with such a problem is for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) pursuant to Section 23(8)(c) of the Indictable Offences (Preliminary Enquiries) Act Chap 12:01 to consider preferring an indictment without the completion of the preliminary enquiry if he determines that there was sufficient evidence to prefer the indictment,” the lawsuit stated.

Archie and the JLSC also had the option of de-rostering her as a judge just to rectify the matters, the lawsuit stated.

On April 27, however, according to the affidavit, Archie told Ayers-Caesar that she should resign as a judge and return to the Magistracy to deal with the matters or the JLSC would advise Carmona to revoke her appointment.

“I was distraught as this was the last thing I had expected the Chief Justice to tell me and I was horrified by what I was hearing since it was clear to me from what the Chief Justice said that a decision had already been made by the JLSC and that I had no choice but to resign as a High Court judge or have my appointment as a High Court judge revoked by the President,” Ayers-Caesar said in her affidavit.

Distraught and in tears

In her affidavit Ayers-Caesar said she was presented with a resignation letter by Archie’s administrative secretary Sherlanne Pierre.

Distraught, Ayers-Caesar said she felt she had no choice but to sign the resignation letter, according to the affidavit.

“While I was in Ms Pierre’s office, I called my husband Matthew Caesar. I was crying on the phone and my husband could not recognise my voice. He asked me to calm down and explain to him what was happening,” Ayers-Caesar said in her affidavit.

In her affidavit Ayers-Caesar also said she messaged her priest, her friend who is a magistrate, and another friend in high public office whose name she did not disclose in the affidavit “so as not to breach confidence”.

“I did not have the benefit of any legal advice before I signed the resignation letter and I was not given the option to have any legal advice,” she said in the affidavit.

At 5.10 pm on April 27, Ayers-Caesar left the Hall of Justice to go to President’s House to tender her resignation, according to the affidavit.

Her husband was already there when she reached, she stated in the affidavit.

“I was in tears and very emotional. The President appeared to be concerned and his tone was a bit subdued. He told me that he was sorry about the way things had turned out,” Ayers-Caesar stated in her affidavit.

“I then told the Chief Justice that at no time did I ever deliberately or intentionally mislead him or the JLSC,” she stated in the affidavit.

In her affidavit Ayers-Caesar said after she handed Carmona her resignation letter she told her husband that she could not face her security detail and requested him to send them home.

On May 3 Ayers-Caesar and her husband Matthew attended a meeting with Archie, according to the affidavit .

“At that meeting my husband asked the Chief Justice if he genuinely believed that I had misled him or lied. The Chief Justice became annoyed and he then told his Administrative Secretary Ms Pierre to take us to the conference room,” the affidavit stated.

“We were accompanied by Ms Pierre to the conference room where she told us that the Chief Justice wanted tempers to be controlled and she told my husband that if he went back to the meeting that he should not say anything,” Ayers-Caesar stated in her affidavit.

On May 19, Ayers-Caesar wrote Carmona putting on record the circumstances surrounding her resignation, according to the affidavit.

On June 16, she issued pre-action protocol letters to the JLSC and the Attorney General calling upon them to advise Carmona to reinstate her as a High Court Judge, the affidavit stated.

On July 7, the Attorney General responded on behalf of the President and JD Sellier & Company responded to the pre action protocol letter on behalf of the JLSC denying Ayers-Caesar’s claims and challenging her allegation of what transpired, the affidavit stated,

Ayers-Caesar is being represented by Senior Counsel Ramesh Lawrence-Maharaj, Ronnie Bissessar and Vijaya Maharaj.

Affidavits by Raphael and Caesar were also filed to support the claim.

Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, SC says he has not received a response from the registrar of the High Court in relation to a reported move by the Judiciary to seal documents filed by former chief magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar against the Judicial Legal Service Commission (JLSC) and the President.

As such, Maharaj said it must be presumed therefore that no application was made to a judge for the proceedings to be sealed and no judge had made any order for the proceedings to be sealed.

On Friday, the media reported that the Judiciary had moved to seal all documents involved in the legal action filed by Ayers-Caesar.

Maharaj said, when questioned, he informed the media that no application to seal the proceedings were served on him or his law firm and the procedure required to seal the proceedings required an application to be made to a judge to seal the proceedings but such an application was not served on his law firm or his client.

Maharaj later wrote the registrar of the Supreme Court requesting confirmation of the media reports and a description of the process used to issue the order and requested a response by 4 PM.

This response was not forthcoming.

Ayers-Caesar initiated legal action against the JLSC and the President in July for the decision to strip her of her position as a High Court judge.

She resigned from the Magistracy in April after being appointed to the High Court bench before also being made to step down form that position.

She is seeking to have the court judicially review the move by the JLSC, which she says is illegal.

In a response yesterday, Maharaj said the Civil Proceedings Rules of T&T and the established principles of public law provide that whenever there is a hearing of a Judicial Review application it should be heard in public.

“The proceedings which have been filed by Ayers-Caesar, however, are public law proceedings.

“Public law proceedings are filed against public officials and public bodies for the court in its supervisory jurisdiction to determine whether the public authority acted illegally, in breach of the rules of natural justice or unfairly or acted unreasonably or irrationally,” said Maharaj.

“In these Judicial Review proceedings which have been filed there are allegations by Marcia Ayers-Caesar that provisions of the Constitution in relation to her were contravened.”

He said the inherent jurisdiction of the court could not be used to prevent a public hearing in any matter when there was sufficient public interest for the proceeding to be heard in public.

“There are restrictions in law against the registry providing to non parties to claims filed access to the documents filed in court proceedings.

“It would appear that the wrong term was used to members of the Media in describing these restrictions as the proceedings being sealed.

“By using the term that the proceedings were sealed could have given the impression that there was a court order sealing the proceedings with the consequence that the hearing of the proceedings would be conducted privately.”

He said the courts in T&T administer justice in public at which anyone may attend and the press may report and that the justification for this principle was the value of the public scrutiny as the guarantor of the quality of justice.

“The right to a public hearing is protected by our Constitution and the principles of the common law. The rationale for this rule is that it is a means for public confidence in the courts to be maintained.

“This principle of Open Justice, however, is subject to exceptions such as restrictions against a public hearing in respect to matrimonial matters, ward-ship proceedings, interlocutory proceedings and in cases where statutes have expressly provided for private hearings such as cases involving children, trade secrets and national security in immigration matters.”

He said the proceedings which had been filed by Ayers Caesar were public law proceedings.

After what he described as a successful test run to Tobago and back to Port-of-Spain on Friday, Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan says the cargo vessel the Cabo Star should be ready to begin inter-island transport tomorrow.

In an interview yesterday, Sinanan said there were still a few necessary documents and agreements to be put in place in order for the vessel to sail commercially, including customs, immigration and maritime documents.

“They do have protocols to complete and ensure management agreements are in place. They should have this in place by Monday or Tuesday, but more likely it will be on Monday.

Sinanan said he had received a report that the test run went well and that stakeholders in Tobago were not disappointed.

The vessel reportedly left Port-of-Spain at 11.30 am and docked in Scarborough shortly before 5 pm. It returned to Port-of-Spain on Friday night.

Yesterday, secretary of the Tobago Business Chamber David Wong said a group of about 30 stakeholders including Minister Ayanna Webster-Roy toured the vessel.

“We managed to go aboard and get a walk around. It is a big boat and can carry a lot of trucks. It can do the job,” Wong said.

He said while things were returning to normal, in terms of the capacity of cargo which could be transported, he added that the effects of the past three months could still be felt by Tobagonians.

“We still don’t know where the Ocean Flower is. Now that we can bring goods to Tobago, moving people to Tobago is still a big problem.”

Both vessels were leased from Bridgemans Services Group of Vancouver, Canada, at a daily cost of US$22,500 (around $157,500 TT) and US$26,500 ($185,500 TT) respectively, and are expected to fill the transportation gap created when the Super Fast Galicia left these shores in April after a contractual fallout with Patt.

The Cabo Star will cost the Government $4,725,000 (TT) per month and the Ocean Flower $5,565,000 (TT).

The maintenance and staffing will be provided by the vessel’s owners given that it is being chartered for one year.

The vessel does not have the capacity to sail between both islands twice a day, but will sail once from either island six days a week.

Once the Cabo Star vessel begins operations, both the Atlantic Provider and the Barge will be pulled from the sea bridge.

A group of students from Arima North Secondary School, Fatima College, Bishop’s High School West and Costaatt visited Orlando from July 10 to July 17. The 15 students were part of a group founded by Arianne D’Abreau.

The main purpose of the group is to show that these students are capable of excellence, thereby building self-esteem, D’Abreau said.

These selected students, who were accompanied by their teachers, were pivotal in developing anti-bullying programmes and initiatives at their schools and it was felt that a trip such as this would motivate other students to develop similar programmes at their schools.

“The purpose of the trip was not only to provide an opportunity for travel but also many educational and memorable experiences,” D’Abreau said.

The students, who were rewarded for their dedication to anti-bullying, visited Disney World Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Disney World, and the Aquatica Water Park. They also enjoyed America’s expansive cuisine and some shopping.

This trip was initially in danger of failing as several deadlines for payment of airfare, hotel accommodation, ground transportation could not be met in the required time. However, many organisations, corporate entities and individuals came forward to render assistance. China Railway Construction was among the biggest supporters. Others were Mohammed’s Books Store, Bermudez Group of Companies, Pave the Way Foundation, Arima Borough Council, Us Kids, T N Ramnuath, Classic Cleaners Launders, Arouca Tent Rentals, Hoi Kam and others who requested anonymity.

Crime Watch television host Ian Alleyne has complained of serious threats he received from Unruly Isis gang leader, Abdul “Krysis” Wakeel Krysis while at the Chaguanas Health Facility on Friday evening.

Alleyne said while he was accustomed to receiving death threats from people “almost on a daily basis,” he is not taking the latest threats by Krysis lightly.

The threats come after the killing of gang member Jelani Sajjad Martins.

On Friday, about 3.30 pm, Martins and another man were standing along the sidewalk near Sheldon’s Auto, Caroni Savannah Road, when, according to a police report, Martins opened fire on patrolling officers. The officers returned fire and Martins was shot several times about the body.

He was taken to the Chaguanas Health Facility where he later died.

In an interview with the Sunday Guardian, Alleyne said he was concerned about his staff as they had also been threatened.

“My camera guy, and other staff members were told that they could be killed one by one as they leave the building where I have my studio,” Alleyne said.

“I was even told me to watch my back as it could have someone waiting for me by the doubles man close to the vicinity of where my studio is. As you know, they shot at a doubles man and robbed a man in earlier months.”

Alleyne, however, said while he has beefed up security at the premises and around himself, his family and Crime Watch staffers, he is very concerned at the threats made to the police officers.

He said: “I am shocked over the brazen threats carried out in the faces of these police officers. They were told that they know where they live. These people have no respect for the police and soldiers and this only shows that it is a slap in the face of the Police Commissioner Stephen Williams himself. But, protection is needed for these police officers and soldiers and I hope they are given priority.”

LAUNCH INVESTIGATION INTO KILLING—ABDULLAH

Head of the Waajihatul Islaamiyyah (The Islamic Front), Umar Abdullah yesterday called on Williams to launch an independent investigation into Martins’ killing and to immediately suspend the officers involved.

“We have already contacted the head of the Police Complaints Authority David West who is awaiting an official complaint tomorrow (Monday). Witnesses and video footage would also be made available.

“We would not stand idly by in the face of an act which is bound to erode public trust in our security forces.

“This approach to battling the challenges of crime and corruption in our nation must be reviewed.

“Those responsible for this behaviour must be brought to account and pay a heavy price,” Abdullah said.

On Friday, about 3.30 pm, Martins along with another man were standing along the pavement near Sheldon Auto, Caroni Savannah Road when, according to a police report, Martins opened fire on patrolling officers.

The officers returned fire and Martins was shot several times about the body.

He was taken to the Chaguanas Health Facility where he later died.

However, eyewitnesses are claiming that Martins was unarmed when he was shot in “cold blood” by patrolling police.

It was said that Martins went there with $22,000 to purchase a vehicle.

However, only $500 was recovered and questions surround as to where the rest of Martins’ money ($21,500) went.

Questions also surround the arrest of Martins’ friend by police subsequent to the shooting.

It is also alleged that a businessman was also assisting police into the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Emily Sookraj and her daughter were home alone yesterday when parts of their house were destroyed as a result of heavy rainfall.

The rain brought with it a landslide which crashed its way into their Jaggan Village, Santa Cruz, home.

Sookraj’s 31-year-old daughter, Suzanne Gomez, was asleep when the incident happened around noon.

In a brief interview last night, Sookraj said the only thing standing was the living room.

“Everything else mash up.”

Gomez was injured and had to seek medical attention at hospital. Sookraj said about ten years ago a similar incident occurred. The family did not receive assistance then and up to last night, Sookraj said none of the first responders responded to her call.

The heavy showers caused severe flooding in areas such as Maraval and Diego Martin.

It also brought traffic to a halt in some places.

The Meteorological Office forecast that light to moderate showers were expected today with a chance of thundershower activity mainly during the morning and early afternoon becoming heavy and thundery over Trinidad.

The Diego Martin and Santa Cruz rivers were raging yesterday after the heavy downpour.

The roadways in La Seiva, Saddle Road and Mt Hololo were flooded, with some vehicles stalled.

Just after noon, the rain began and in minutes, the city was under water.