PM gets letter from T&T Opposition leader

Prime Minister Mia Mottley on Thursday was expected to receive an official letter from Trinidad and Tobago’s Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar urging her to initiate a full public inquiry into the controversial arrest and handover of a Port of Spain firearms dealer to police from this country last October.

In the three-page correspondence which was copied to Attorney General Dale Marshall, Commissioner of Police Richard Boyce and Executive Director of the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) and dated May 10, 2023, Persad-Bissessar said she was drawing Mottley’s attention to “a matter of grave concern involving the illegal abduction of Brent Thomas, a Trinidadian businessman on Barbadian soil”.

Citing the April 25, 2023 decision of Trinidad judge Devindra Rampersad, the Opposition Leader recalled the portion of his ruling which accused the Barbados Police Service (BPS) of failing to follow the rule of law and due process by not requesting the extradition of Thomas, the owner of Shooters Training Centre, an authorised dealer of firearms and ammunition.

“Instead, it is undoubtedly an inescapable inference that the Barbados Police Force detained the first claimant upon the request of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, whether through ASP Birch or otherwise. There was no other reason given as to why the Barbados Police Force would have him because there was no evidence of any illegality committed by the first defendant while in Barbados such as would have rendered him liable for arrest and detention,” she quoted the High Court judge as stating.

The leader of the T&T Opposition also asked Prime Minister Mottley to consider another aspect of Justice Rampersad’s decision in which he ruled that “the arrest, detention and forcible abduction within, and the removal of the first claimant from the jurisdiction of Barbados to this country, at the behest of the State of Trinidad and Tobago acting through its servants or agents, were grossly abusive, unconstitutional, unlawful, unnecessary and disproportionate and in particular, contravened the first claimant’s constitutional rights guaranteed under Section 4 (a), (b) and (g) and Section 5 (2) (h) of the Constitution of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and was otherwise contrary to the rule of law.”

Persad-Bissessar told the Barbados Prime Minister that the “chilling facts” outlined in the judgment represent a “blotch” in the history of T&T’s democracy.

She added: “It raises serious concerns of extra-judicial exercise of coercive powers by the law enforcement bodies of both our sovereign nations.”

The political leader of the United National Congress (UNC) contended that the series of events involving the “abduction” of Thomas calls for transparency and accountability.

“It has caused damage to the reputation of both our nations which subscribe to the fundamental rule of law. To restore confidence, and in the interest of the people of our two nations, I respectfully call on you, as Prime Minister of the Republic of Barbados, to initiate a full public inquiry into this matter,” the UNC head suggested.

She said she also took note of the ministerial statement by Attorney General Marshall when he stated “the Prime Minister and myself, indeed, the Government of Barbados welcome a full distillation and ventilation of all the facts surrounding this matter.”

Meanwhile, attorneys for the businessman have started the process of taking legal action against the Barbados Police Service for the manner in which he was arrested and handed over to law enforcement officers from his country. (EJ) ]]>