RHON­DOR DOWLAT-ROS­TANT

The Trinidad and To­ba­go Po­lice Ser­vice (TTPS) has con­clud­ed its in­ves­ti­ga­tion in­to the MV Ocean Pel­i­can’s Box­ing Day event with the file be­ing sent to the Di­rec­tor of Pub­lic Pros­e­cu­tions for fur­ther in­struc­tions as to whether or not charges are to be laid.

A po­lice source con­firmed that the file was sent on Thurs­day.

Guardian Me­dia was told that DCP Wen­dell Williams and his in­ves­tiga­tive team were at the Of­fice of the Di­rec­tor of Pub­lic Pros­e­cu­tions (DPP) on Jan­u­ary 4, since then the in­ves­ti­ga­tion con­tin­ued as there was still pend­ing work to be done.

Ear­li­er this week, Williams said the in­ter­view process was not yet over as some were sched­uled for Jan­u­ary 9.

At the cen­tre of the in­ves­ti­ga­tion is busi­ness­man and par­ty pro­mot­er Adri­an Scoon. Scoon is the son of Paula Gopee-Scoon, Min­is­ter of Trade and In­dus­try.

On Jan­u­ary 3, the Unit­ed Na­tion­al Con­gress (UNC) had called on the TTPS to in­clude four se­nior Cab­i­net mem­bers in the probe, and for their cel­lu­lar phones to be seized.

When Guardian Me­dia asked if any Gov­ern­ment Min­is­ter was in­volved in the in­ves­ti­ga­tion, Williams said he had no com­ment.

On Box­ing Day, De­cem­ber 26 2021, po­lice of­fi­cers de­tained 100 peo­ple on board the MV Ocean Pel­i­can in Ch­aguara­mas.

The TTPS said they all were de­tained, processed, and re­leased. The Po­lice Ser­vice said at that time that con­sul­ta­tions were held with the DPP and in­ves­ti­ga­tions be­gan to as­cer­tain if there were any breach­es of the Pub­lic Health Reg­u­la­tions.

Sec­tion 4(1) (b) of the reg­u­la­tions pro­hibits the op­er­a­tion of a par­ty boat.

How­ev­er, Scoon re­port­ed­ly told the TTPS that it was in fact a float­ing restau­rant. Restau­rants are al­lowed to op­er­ate as Safe Zones un­der sec­tion 8(1) (a) un­der the reg­u­la­tions.