A significant diplomatic dispute has emerged between Caribbean leaders regarding the 2022 apprehension of a Trinidadian national in Barbados. At the CARICOM summit opening in St. Kitts, Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar characterized the incident as a “kidnapping” operation allegedly coordinated by the previous Trinidad government using Regional Security System resources.
Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley vehemently rejected these allegations through the state-owned CBC TV, denouncing the characterization as “a scurrilous lie and defamatory in the extreme.” Mottley clarified that Trinidadian police had presented proper arrest warrants to Barbadian authorities, following decades-long regional practices for cross-border apprehensions.
The incident involved Brent Thomas, who was detained at a Barbados hotel and transported to Trinidad without formal extradition proceedings. While a Trinidad High Court later ruled the operation an “unlawful abduction,” Mottley emphasized that her government had no prior knowledge of the operational details until it became publicly controversial.
Both leaders acknowledged the need for procedural reforms. Mottley highlighted ongoing efforts to implement the CARICOM Arrest Warrant Treaty, which requires domestic legislation in each member state to become legally enforceable. Currently, only Guyana, Saint Lucia, and Antigua and Barbuda have enacted the necessary laws, while Trinidad and Tobago has ratified but not yet implemented the treaty.
Despite the strong language, Persad-Bissessar subsequently indicated she took no offense at Mottley’s response, noting that the Barbadian leader had simply reiterated her government’s previously stated position regarding the Thomas case.