Shastri Boodan
The Chaguanas business community has gotten the assurance that extortion would be dealt with. This pledge came from Keith Scotland, the Minister in the Ministry of National Security when he addressed a business mixer function hosted by the Chaguanas Chamber of Industry and Commerce (CCIC) on Friday night at the Passage to Asia Restaurant.
Scotland said, “I hear the horror stories, one of my last acts in private practice was to contact the Chaguanas Police Station in order for one of the police to go with one of my clients, a businessman, so he is not extorted by someone whose job it is to extort and I find that unacceptable. I want to give you all the assurance that I have direct contact with the DCPs. I am now acquainting myself with the job, but I want you all to have the assurance that when it comes to your businesses, your families, your homes, we will do all that is within our power to make Chaguanas a safe place.” Scotland said he wants to meet with the CCIC, the Commissioner of Police, within the next three weeks to develop a plan, which he plans to implement before the Christmas shopping season.
Baldath Maharaj, the head of the CCIC said at least 10 percent of the Chamber’s membership had been approached for extortion money. Maharaj said people who are not chamber members have also approached the CCIC with reports of extortion. Maharaj said he recently tried to get in touch with a doubles vendor who was being extorted for $75,000 and had to flee the country until he could come up with money to pay the extortionist. Maharaj said some business people have had to scale down operations to stay out of the limelight.