Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley wants answers from the T&T Police Service on the Brent Thomas affair.
In fact, Rowley says he has had grave concern about all aspects of the Thomas matter and he has requested National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds to get a full explanation from Commissioner of Police Erla Harewood-Christopher on how Thomas came to be removed from Barbados and brought back to Trinidad for a case.
That’s expected shortly.
Rowley confirmed this in a statement to Guardian Media yesterday, following queries to him on the recent judgment in the Thomas issue and subsequent developments.
The Prime Minister has also made it clear the Government was not involved in the matter.
Attorney General Reginald Armour, SC, who’s also acknowledged that the findings of the judge in Thomas’ matter raise serious concerns on the “constitutional propriety of actions” of the TTPS, has also sought to be fully briefed on the facts.
Both T&T’s Government and the Barbados government have now called for reports on the Thomas matter from each island’s respective police services.
The issue concerning Thomas, an authorised firearms dealer, catapulted the law enforcement agencies of T&T and Barbados into the spotlight following last week’s stinging judgment by Justice Devindra Rampersad.
Among findings, Rampersad stated that Thomas, who was at the centre of police investigations in mid-2022, was “unlawfully abducted” last October when T&T police officers, with Barbados police officers’ assistance, detained Thomas while he transited through Barbados en route to Miami.
Rampersad, who suggested the manner of the detention showed an attempt to bypass the lawful procedure of requesting Thomas’ extradition, halted the criminal case against him.
The Police Complaints Authority is now investigating the matter.
On Monday, National Security Minister Hinds denied that he or any other Government official was involved in the matter. Hinds said AG Armour and CoP Harewood-Christopher will investigate the issues which the judge raised.
On Tuesday and yesterday, Barbados newspapers carried articles on the matter, including the judge’s comments. On Tuesday, Barbados Today’s headline asked “Police Abduction?”, while the Midweek Nation blared “Judge Slams Bajan Cops over Abduction.”
Barbados Attorney General Dale Marshall was quoted as saying he had no prior knowledge of the issue and has asked Barbados Police Commissioner Richard Boyce for a report.
Rowley, who is National Security Council head, was asked by Guardian Media, via WhatsApp, to respond on the issue, including if he’d called for a report on this from the TTPS and CoP and if there was any communication with Barbados on the matter.
In his WhatsApp reply, Rowley stated: “This whole matter, being seen by me for the first time in the media and it being a wholly police exercise, which, in the process, rapidly became a sensitive court matter, I have had grave concerns about all aspects of it but have not spoken publicly on it for obvious reasons.
“However, a limited Government response as known to us, was appropriately made by the Minister of National Security, who described very clearly, the Government’s lack of involvement in any aspect of this piece of ongoing police work.
“As a follow-up, I have requested of the Minister to get from the Commissioner a full explanation as warranted by the circumstances and situation, without in any way getting involved in the actual police work.”
The PM added, “I expect to have that shortly and may be able to better respond to further enquiries.”
AG wants answers too....
Queries to CoP Harewood-Christopher and other police officials received no reply up to 8 pm.
Nor could it be confirmed if Caricom’s Arrest Warrant Treaty - which bypasses complexity, costs and delay potential” of extradition - played any part in Thomas’s issue.
T&T signed onto the Treaty in 2018.
The object of the treaty was to establish, within the Caribbean Community, a system of arrest and surrender of requested persons for the purposes of (a) conducting in respect of those persons a criminal prosecution for an applicable offence or; (b) executing a custodial sentence or greater punishment where the requested persons have fled from justice after being convicted or sentenced for an applicable offence.
On Monday, the T&T Guardian sought word from AG Armour on the judgment and appeal.
In a statement yesterday, Armour said, “As Attorney General, I acknowledge that the findings of the judge in that matter raise serious concerns as to the constitutional propriety of actions of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service.
“Insofar as I am responsible for the defence of constitutional propriety of agents of the State and, on the matter having been brought to my attention, I have asked to be fully briefed on the facts of this matter and, requested urgent advice on the merits of an appeal from Lead Counsel representing the Attorney General.”
T&T’s Foreign and Caricom Affairs Ministry sources indicated there had been no government-to-government communication involving the respective Foreign Affairs Ministries “at any point” in the arrangements involving Thomas.
Barbados treating
matter with urgency
Following emailed queries to Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley for her views on the issue and other aspects, Director of Citizen Engagement and Media Relations at the Barbados PM’s office, Roy Morris, said Mottley would not comment on the matter at this point, since Barbados AG Marshall, who had responsibility for that island’s police service, had asked Barbados’s Police Commissioner Boyce for a report.
Until that’s in hand, they wouldn’t be able to make additional comment, as “...People will be talking on what they don’t know,” Morris noted.
Morris said there was no deadline for the police report as far as he was aware.
“But the Attorney General has said he wants the matter treated with urgency,” he said.
Barbados’ CoP, Boyce, meanwhile told the T&T Guardian, “The matter is certainly being worked on. But I’m constrained to give details as I have to speak to my principals first, as you’d appreciate.”
T&T, B’dos, Erla must answer—Wade Mark
UNC Senator Wade Mark has called for answers on the Brent Thomas issue from Government and police officials of both T&T and Barbados - including TT Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher.
“(T&T) Police Commissioner, why are you silent on this? We demand she speaks up and takes action against those rogue TTPS officers who did this act!” Mark said at yesterday’s UNC media briefing in Port-of-Spain.
He claimed there was a “terror attack” on firearms dealer Thomas, who was “....kidnapped, abducted and forcibly returned to T&T with the full co-operation of the Barbados police, where the Barbados Prime Minister is in charge of National Security.”
Mark claimed people were “questioning if there was prime ministerial terrorism” in the region. Citing recent Barbados headlines on the matter, Mark said Barbadians are concerned about the “abduction” with Barbados police support.
Mark claimed there was silence on this “ugly, dangerous incident” from Barbados’s National Security Minister, T&T’s National Security Minister “who appeared to wash his hands of it,” from T&T’s Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister, T&T’s Police Commissioner and from the Prime Ministers of T&T and Barbados.
Mark said, “There’s no time for further silence on this matter! There must be a full statement from the Prime Minister of Barbados. The Prime Minister has to speak up!”
Calling on T&T Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to speak, Mark claimed no Defence Force aircraft could have left T&T heading to Barbados without T&T’s PM and National Security Minister knowing.
Mark questioned if police were “taking instructions” from Rowley and not the Commissioner, if there was a “secret Mongoose gang” and how officers in the issue were still on the job.
He called on T&T’s Attorney General to account, as the Barbados AG had spoken, adding that T&T’s Foreign Affairs Ministry also needs to speak. He said the UNC will be seriously considering writing the UN Secretary General seeking intervention and alerting the European Union and US government on the matter.