Former LifeSport programme co-ordinator Rajaee Ali was among a group of six people, including a woman, who appeared in court yesterday charged with being part of a plot to assassinate radio announcer Kevaughn “Lerbz” Savory. The group was remanded into custody when they appeared before Nanette Forde-John in the Port-of-Spain Eighth Magistrate Court on a series of charges under the Anti-Gang Act related to a planned attack on Savory in Port-of-Spain last Thursday.
The other accused are Keshorn Dempster, Brent La Croix, Brandon Borneo, Donna Dyer and Ali’s brother, Ishmael. Ali was one of the former LifeSport officials who were probed by Ministry of Finance before the programme was shelved in July by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
Security at the court was increased significantly for yesterday’s hearing with burly police, dressed in riot gear and armed with automatic sub-machine guns, standing guard outside the courtroom and along St Vincent Street, Port-of-Spain, which was blocked off when the accused arrived. Ali and his co-accused were not called upon to plead to the charges as they were laid indictably.
Although they all stood stone-faced with their hands crossed while the charges were being read, their demeanour changed as they were led out of court, with some turning around to smile and blow kisses at their relatives. While their lawyer Criston J Williams accepted that his clients would only be entitled to apply for bail in 120 days, as prescribed by the legislation, he asked that they be sent to the Maximum Security Prison (MSP), Arouca, as he said he was concerned for their safety.
“It is in the interest of the welfare of the accused that they be placed in MSP,” Williams said. Forde-John made a note of Williams’s concerns but said she did not have the authority to direct prison authorities on where to place remand prisoners. The magistrate also decided to defer Williams’s bail application for the non-gang-related charges to the next court hearing later this month.
Before the case was adjourned Williams made several requests for prosecutors to disclose evidence they had gathered in their investigation, including interviews with his clients and CCTV footage of their arrests. “It is my information that one of the police officers shot at their vehicle before they were arrested,” Williams said.
He also complained that his clients were not informed of the reason for their week-long detention before they were charged yesterday. He also asked whether their cellphone conversations had been illegally recorded by police. “I am requesting copies of judges’ warrants pursuant to the Interception of Communication Act of 2010,” Williams said.
Police prosecutor Richard Taylor told Williams his requests would be urgently addressed by investigators and also promised to tender into evidence the gun and seven rounds of ammunition allegedly found in the group’s car at the next hearing. The group, who are also being represented by attorney Darryl Worrell, will reappear in court on December 22.
The charges
Ali, 28, whose father is the head of the Jamaat-al-Muslimeen mosque in Carapo, is charged with being a gang leader. He and the others were all charged with being members of an unnamed gang. The group was also jointly charged with conspiring to murder Savory and with assisting a gang member in the commission of a gang-related act by possessing a gun and ammunition.
All, except Rajaee Ali, were charged with being in possession of an illegal gun and ammunition with the intention to use it under the direction of a gang leader. Ishmael was charged for being in possession of a gun and ammunition and for assaulting a man, identified as Gilmore Thomas, when he, Dempster, La Croix, Borneo, Ishmael and Dyer were arrested while in a car in Woodbrook last Thursday night.
Ali, who is on bail after being charged with possession of a lappe carcass during the ongoing hunting ban, was arrested on Tuesday night.
Savory responds
In a brief interview yesterday, Savory, a radio announcer with Guardian Media Ltd’s Slam 100.5FM, said he was “shocked and disturbed” by the reports. He said he had spoken to his lawyers yesterday and had been advised not to comment further. “It’s a scary thing. That’s all I can say,” the 27-year-old announcer said. Savory has had a career in media and entertainment for over ten years and currently works in both radio and television.
Last year he hosted the finals of the International Soca Monarch competition.
About the programme
In August 2011, Cabinet agreed to implementation of the LifeSport programme by the Ministry of Sport, through the Sport Company of T&T. It was launched in June 2012 and started in August 2012. Up to the time of the audit, the programme was being run in 43 centres throughout T&T for young men 16-25.
The audit team prepared a damning report after examining the programme’s payment process, centres, co-ordinators, coaches, participants, catering services, janitorial services, maintenance of recreation grounds, refurbishment of community centres, rentals, purchases, vocational training (trade component) and EBeam Interact Ltd.
