Carib Scope

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  • $193.5m in cocaine found near preschool

    $193.5m in cocaine found near preschool

    Law enforcement agencies in Trinidad have pulled off one of the largest narcotics seizures in recent months, uncovering 416.5 kilogrammes of cocaine with an estimated street value of $193.5 million concealed inside modified backhoe tires at a warehouse in Longdenville, Central Trinidad. The location of the bust sits in the heart of a residential neighborhood, just steps away from a local preschool, raising new questions about how major drug operations are embedding in populated, community-focused areas.

    The coordinated operation unfolded over a 24-hour window, kicking off at 3:40 a.m. Wednesday and wrapping up at 3:30 a.m. Thursday. Organized under the oversight of Acting Assistant Commissioner of Police Kerwin Francis, head of the Criminal Division, the operation was led on the ground by Acting Superintendent St Clair. The action stemmed from intelligence that illegal weapons and narcotics were being stored at a compound along Pokhor Road, a quiet dead-end street located east of the commercial hub of Chaguanas.

    Acting under provisions laid out in Section 12 of the 2026 Emergency Powers Regulations, officers gained the authority to enter and search the premises without first securing a standard search warrant. These emergency powers were designed to enable law enforcement to move quickly on time-sensitive enforcement activity during a state of emergency, specifically when officers have reasonable cause to suspect criminal activity or contraband is present on site. After gaining entry, teams carried out a systematic search of the on-site residence, warehouse, and surrounding perimeter.

    It was during this detailed search that investigators stumbled on six large backhoe tires mounted on steel rims stored inside the warehouse. A closer inspection of four of the six tires revealed dozens of rectangular drug packages stashed inside their hollow casings. In total, officers recovered 420 individual packages of cocaine, which were packed inside crocus bags before being seized as evidence. While Trinidad’s Customs and Excise division typically handles contraband inspections at ports of entry and designated container examination facilities, the legislation grants the agency enforcement powers at off-port locations in appropriate circumstances. In this case, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) led the search and discovery, with Customs officers joining afterward to assist with official weighing and documentation of the seizure.

    After processing, the combined weight of the cocaine shipment was confirmed at approximately 416.5 kilogrammes. Using TTPS’s standard street value calculation of $464,640 per kilogramme of cocaine, the total estimated worth of the seizure comes out to roughly $193.5 million, making it one of the most valuable cocaine busts carried out by the service this year.

    Three individuals have been taken into custody in connection with the smuggling operation. Those detained include a 42-year-old businessman who holds residency in the British Virgin Islands, alongside two St Lucian nationals aged 37 and 38. Following the discovery, Acting ASP St Clair conducted an on-site inspection, while officers from the Central Division Crime Scene Investigations Unit processed the location for forensic evidence. The seized narcotics were later transported to the Special Investigations Unit headquarters in Port of Spain, and the three detainees are being held at the St Joseph Police Station as the investigation continues.

    Local residents of Pokhor Road told reporters they had no advance warning of the large-scale law enforcement operation, and only became aware when they saw dozens of officers swarming the compound. The dead-end road is home to a mix of permanent residents, and locals said they had not noticed any unusual or suspicious activity around the targeted compound in the weeks leading up to the raid. One resident noted that while neighbors noticed the heavy police presence overnight, most assumed officers were carrying out a routine targeted operation and did not probe for details. Public records show the warehouse where the cocaine was found is owned by a local businessman who holds multiple commercial and residential properties across Central Trinidad.

    This Longdenville bust marks the latest in a string of large-scale narcotics seizures carried out by TTPS in recent months. Other major hauls recorded by the service in 2025 and 2026 include:
    – In August 2026, port police in Scarborough, Tobago intercepted a vehicle entering the island and discovered 33 kilogrammes of compressed cannabis hidden in a custom-built compartment disguised as a spare gas tank in the vehicle’s trunk. The seizure was valued at approximately $1.1 million.
    – In March 2026, a multi-agency operation at Richardson Trace in Fyzabad uncovered five crocus bags holding narcotics worth a combined $23.1 million. The haul included 207.9 kilogrammes of high-potency Colombian cannabis and 0.5 kilogrammes of cocaine.
    – In February 2026, acting on intelligence that a large drug shipment had arrived from South America, police seized approximately $6.3 million worth of cannabis in Gasparillo.
    – Later that same month, the Central Division Gang Unit partnered with specialist enforcement teams to raid a marina on Cacandee Road in Felicity, Chaguanas, seizing high-grade cannabis valued at more than $102 million.
    – In December 2025, over a 24-hour enforcement period, officers uncovered a combined 2.2 tonnes of marijuana across operations in Point Fortin and the Caroni Swamp, including a single $56 million cannabis haul found in a forested area of Cap-de-Ville.

  • TTUTA: Book grant delays unacceptable

    TTUTA: Book grant delays unacceptable

    As education staff across Trinidad and Tobago returned to campus on Monday to prepare for the September 7 reopening of the 2026–2027 academic year, the country’s largest teachers’ representative body, the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA), has sounded the alarm over a cascade of unresolved issues that threaten to derail a smooth start to the term — starting with severely delayed distribution of critical book grants.

    TTUTA president Crystal Ashley did not mince words when criticizing the government’s handling of the book grant program Monday, noting that the rollout of the assistance only kicked off this week, leaving families scrambling to cover school costs ahead of the new term. The delayed distribution is already placing unnecessary financial and logistical strain on households across the country, she warned. Ashley also pushed back against the administration’s decision to task school supervisors with collecting and distributing book grant cheques, arguing that this responsibility is not outlined in the Education Act as part of supervisors’ official job duties.

    Over Monday and Tuesday, TTUTA national leadership deployed teams to schools across the country to meet with frontline educators and conduct on-the-ground assessments of campus readiness. In addition to the book grant delays, Ashley outlined a series of long-standing unaddressed issues that TTUTA is demanding the Ministry of Education resolve urgently to avoid disruptions when students return.

    One key point of contention is the slow rollout of the government’s annual Vacation Repair Programme. Ashley said critical maintenance work only got underway in August, leaving school facilities with barely four weeks to complete repairs and upgrades before students arrive — a timeline that is far too tight to ensure work is finished properly on time.

    The union has also raised fierce objections to the Ministry’s decision not to renew employment contracts for three critical groups of school support staff: social workers, guidance counsellors, and business operations assistants. Ashley emphasized that these staff members deliver irreplaceable, life-changing support to both students and school administrations, and leaving these roles vacant will undermine student well-being and campus operations.

    Worsening campus readiness issues, Ashley added, are ongoing furniture shortages at multiple schools across the nation. TTUTA is calling on the Ministry to move quickly to replenish stock before the first day of classes.

    Beyond pre-term preparation concerns, TTUTA is renewing long-standing demands around overdue pay. Ashley reiterated the union’s call for the Ministry to finally disburse salary arrears owed to Teaching Service members for the 2020 to 2023 period, and demanded the Ministry publish a clear, binding timeline for when the outstanding funds will be released to educators.

    Ashley also raised alarms over millions of dollars in unpaid fees owed to maxi-taxi concessionaires that provide transportation services for students, calling on the government to honor its contractual agreements and disburse the outstanding payments immediately.

    Ashley emphasized that none of these issues are new, and argued that recurring last-minute problems ahead of school reopenings should not be treated as an unavoidable norm in Trinidad and Tobago’s education system. She called for systemic improvements: more robust advance planning and inter-agency coordination for future school reopenings, timely completion of annual facility repairs, prompt filling of all critical vacant positions, and consistent investment in adequate furniture and learning resources for all campuses.

    Specifically, Ashley pushed for policy changes to ensure book grants are processed and distributed months ahead of the new term to actually deliver on their goal of easing financial burdens for families, and repeated the demand for a transparent timeline for outstanding salary arrears for educators.

    “The reopening of schools should be about more than simply opening the school gates,” Ashley said. “Students and educators deserve schools that are properly staffed, adequately resourced, safe and ready for teaching and learning.”

    While TTUTA remains fully committed to collaborating with the Ministry of Education to resolve these concerns, Ashley stressed that meaningful collaboration requires tangible action, clear accountability, and a sense of urgency from government officials. As of press time, multiple attempts to reach Education Minister Dr Michael Dowlath for comment on TTUTA’s concerns have been unsuccessful.

  • T&T, Venezuela reset relations

    T&T, Venezuela reset relations

    After years of unspoken tensions and strained cross-border relations, neighboring nations Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela have formally inaugurated a new chapter of diplomatic and economic collaboration, signing a structured, multi-priority working agenda that aims to reset ties driven by mutual benefit and good neighborliness.

    The breakthrough agreement emerged from high-level diplomatic talks held in Caracas on Wednesday, where Trinidad and Tobago’s Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Sean Sobers met face-to-face with his Venezuelan counterpart, Felix Plasencia, Minister of People’s Power for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade. Per the joint official statement released at the conclusion of the meeting, the visit marks the formal start of a “new era” in bilateral relations, overseen directly by the top leaders of both governments: interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez and Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

    The newly agreed roadmap is built on a foundation of mutual respect, sovereign equality, and good neighborliness, and covers six core priority areas critical to both nations’ long-term development. Energy cooperation tops the agenda, with both governments committing to joint work to unlock and develop the shared natural resources located across their territories, a move expected to create new economic opportunities for energy-dependent economies in the Caribbean. Trade expansion is framed as a central pillar of the new relationship, with officials outlining plans to deepen commercial links that will drive inclusive growth for both nations.

    Additional key priorities include agricultural collaboration to strengthen regional food security, collective action to advance sustainable development and environmental protection across the Caribbean basin, cultural exchange initiatives to deepen people-to-people integration between the two countries, and coordinated work on cross-border collective security. The inclusion of security cooperation carries particular significance: given the two nations’ shared border and close geographic proximity, both have long grappled with transnational threats including organized crime, human and drug trafficking, and irregular illegal migration, challenges that can only be effectively addressed through coordinated bilateral action.

    The talks also carried a moment of solidarity: Sobers traveled to Caracas carrying a shipment of humanitarian assistance collected for Venezuelan communities affected by the devastating 24 June double earthquakes that struck the country. The Venezuelan government formally expressed its public gratitude for the support and solidarity extended by the government and people of Trinidad and Tobago in the wake of the natural disaster.

    Notably, the joint statement made no mention of past diplomatic disagreements between the two nations, reflecting a deliberate shared focus on moving forward rather than revisiting historical tensions. Officials also emphasized that Wednesday’s talks will not be an isolated engagement: both governments have committed to maintaining a permanent, open communication channel to advance the agreed working agenda, in full compliance with core principles of international law. This ongoing dialogue is intended to deliver tangible progress that advances economic prosperity and social well-being for the people of both nations.

  • ‘I Am Recovering Well’: PM Drew reassures St. Kitts and Nevis amid medical evaluations – WIC News

    ‘I Am Recovering Well’: PM Drew reassures St. Kitts and Nevis amid medical evaluations – WIC News

    As uncertainty grew over the health of St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew, the sitting leader directly addressed citizens in a public statement September 3, delivering a calm update that he is recovering well and remains in stable condition while undergoing ongoing medical evaluations in South Florida.

    On the recommendation of specialist physicians based in St. Kitts and Nevis and Martinique, Drew traveled to the United States alongside his wife to pursue in-depth diagnostic testing for his unexplained symptoms, which first emerged as persistent nausea before progressing to vomiting, left-side neck pain, mild headache and dizziness. The symptoms eventually impacted his balance and ability to walk, prompting the prime minister to seek urgent medical care. Even as he prioritizes treatment, Drew has emphasized that there are no alarming developments to report at this stage, and he has asked the public to allow clinical teams to complete their full assessments without pressure.

    Known across the two-island federation for his relentless, hands-on approach to governance, Drew has prioritized in-person check-ins on public projects and direct engagement with citizens over his four years in office. The prime minister, a trained medical doctor, has regularly visited construction sites, community development initiatives, and government infrastructure projects across the nation to gather first-hand updates on work aimed at improving local housing, healthcare systems, public infrastructure and overall quality of life for residents. This routine of nonstop public engagement continued right up until he fell ill, as Drew put his work ahead of addressing his own declining health.

    In his address, Drew chose to directly respond to widespread public concern over his health rather than leave rumours unaddressed. He extended sincere gratitude to the public for the flood of prayers, supportive messages, and well wishes that have been sent his way, noting that this outpouring of kindness has served as a critical source of encouragement for both him and his family.

    Acknowledging that his own medical background gives him clear perspective on the need for patient care, Drew said he has stepped back from his packed governing schedule to follow physicians’ orders and get the rest his body requires to heal. “As a medical doctor, I know when it is time to practice medicine and when it is time to simply be the patient,” he explained.

    Drawing from his current experience, Drew also used his update to deliver a public health reminder to all residents of St. Kitts and Nevis: he urged citizens to prioritize their own well-being by attending regular preventive check-ups, getting adequate rest, and never ignoring early warning symptoms that their body sends.

    Drew also expressed thanks to the clinical teams that have cared for him along the way, including staff at St. Kitts’ Joseph N. France General Hospital, the specialist team in Martinique, and the current care team leading his evaluations in the United States. The prime minister confirmed he remains fully alert, stable, and in good spirits, and pledged to share a full public update once his medical evaluations are finalized. Closing his address to the nation, he reiterated: “I am recovering well.”

  • In memoriam Prof. Dr. Jan Mol

    In memoriam Prof. Dr. Jan Mol

    The global scientific community is mourning the passing of Jan Mol, one of the world’s leading experts on South American freshwater fish, who died in his native Netherlands in late August. His death came as a sudden shock to colleagues and collaborators, even as Mol had traveled back to the Netherlands for medical treatment just weeks earlier. The news of his passing was first shared by Mol’s assistant Kenneth Wan Tong You with his long-time colleague Dr. Paul Ouboter, who has penned this tribute to the trailblazing ecologist.

    Born in Oss, Netherlands in November 1958, Mol earned his biology degree from Utrecht University before relocating to Suriname in 1987. In a striking coincidence, both Mol and Ouboter officially joined the faculty of Anton de Kom University of Suriname on the same day: June 1, 1987. The pair first connected months before their official start dates, when Ouboter was called on to help treat a green iguana Mol was keeping that had stopped eating.

    In the early days of their careers at the university, which had only recently reopened after a period of violent national upheaval, the two Dutch researchers quickly built a close bond as they navigated the challenges of establishing new research programs in the South American nation. Ouboter had secured substantial Dutch funding for his doctoral work on caimans, which allowed him to organize multiple research expeditions into Suriname’s interior. Mol, whose research focused on fish populations, frequently joined these trips, and the pair collected fish specimens alongside Ouboter’s caiman research.

    Through decades of rigorous field work — most notably his doctoral research on callichthyid armored catfish — and exhaustive analysis of existing literature on South American fish species, Mol rose to become one of the most respected ichthyologists working on the continent. He completed his PhD at Wageningen University in 1995, and was appointed Professor of Aquatic Ecology at Anton de Kom University a decade later in 2005. While he taught a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses during his tenure, his greatest passion always remained field and laboratory research, a commitment that produced 57 peer-reviewed scientific publications across his career.

    Among Mol’s most impactful contributions to aquatic science are a series of transformative findings. He carried out groundbreaking new research on armored catfish, the group that formed the core of his doctoral work. He also upended common assumptions about the impact of small-scale gold mining on river ecosystems, showing that sediment clouding (rather than mercury contamination) is the primary cause of harm to aquatic life. Mol documented 40 years of shifts in fish communities after the construction of the Brokopondo Reservoir, conducted comprehensive biodiversity surveys of fish populations across Suriname’s major river systems including the Coppename, Palumeu, and rivers in the Nassau and Lely mountains, and contributed to the formal scientific description of multiple previously unknown fish species.

    However, Ouboter notes that Mol’s most enduring scientific contribution is likely his 889-page seminal reference work, *The Freshwater Fishes of Suriname*, published in 2012. The text catalogs 480 species of freshwater and brackish water fish found in Suriname, and remains the only comprehensive reference work on the country’s fish fauna to date.

    Ouboter, who collaborated with Mol on dozens of research projects and publications over more than 35 years of partnership, remembered his late colleague as a brilliant mind and irreplaceable resource for Suriname’s scientific community. “I will miss him as a brilliant colleague; Suriname loses in him the leading expert on fish and a sharp analytical mind,” Ouboter wrote.

  • Clinical Patriots end home campaign with massive win

    Clinical Patriots end home campaign with massive win

    On September 3, 2026, the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) delivered one of its most memorable matches of the tournament, as the St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots closed out their 2026 home campaign with a dominant 137-run demolition of the Saint Lucia Kings at Warner Park. The result was not just a lopsided victory—it was a match defined by record-breaking individual brilliance and a complete all-round performance that has catapulted the hosts into title contention with soaring momentum.

    Sent in to bat first after losing the toss, the Patriots got off to a cautious start, losing star opener Kyle Mayers early to Matthew Forde, leaving the home side with an early 1-wicket deficit. That early setback quickly turned into a momentum shift when Andre Fletcher joined Johnson Charles at the crease. The experienced pairing stepped on the gas immediately, carrying the Patriots to 59 for 1 by the end of the mandatory Power Play, putting the Kings’ bowling attack under immediate pressure.

    Fletcher, who has been in red-hot form throughout the 2026 CPL season, was unstoppable from his first delivery. He blazed to a 23-ball half-century, benefiting from two costly drops in the seventh over—Ford and Maheesh Theekshana both failed to hold onto catching chances that would have removed Fletcher early. The Kings would come to regret those missed opportunities. Fletcher eventually departed for 64, but by then he had set the foundation for a massive total, clearing the way for the day’s standout batting performance.

    While Fletcher has anchored the Patriots’ batting line-up all tournament, it was Sri Lankan all-rounder Dasun Shanaka that stole the spotlight, unleashing a brutal attacking innings that rewrote CPL history books. Partnering with fellow Sri Lankan international Wanindu Hasaranga, Shanaka turned the pressure on the Kings’ bowlers from the moment he stepped onto the pitch. He reached his half-century in just 24 balls, and hit the century mark off only 39 deliveries—breaking the previous CPL record for the fastest century, which had been matched just one week earlier by Tim Seifert and Shimron Hetmyer at 40 balls.

    Shanaka single-handedly powered 79 runs from the final four overs of the Patriots’ innings, lifting the side to the highest total of the entire CPL 2026 tournament: 235 runs for 4 wickets from 20 overs. He finished the innings unbeaten on a staggering 121, which pushed him to the top of the tournament’s run-scoring leaderboard. His knock included 12 massive sixes, leaving the crowd at Warner Park in a frenzy.

    Chasing a mammoth 236 runs to win, the Saints Lucia Kings never recovered from the blow of the Patriots’ total. From the first over, their batting line-up struggled for rhythm, reaching 46 for 3 after just six overs, with Hasaranga, Naseem Shah and Ashmead Nedd each claiming an early wicket to put the Kings on the back foot. Though wicketkeeper-batter Tim Seifert offered brief resistance with a 36-ball 50, no other Kings batter managed to get going. The entire middle and lower order failed to reach double figures, offering almost no resistance to the Patriots’ bowling attack.

    If Shanaka was the hero with the bat, fast bowler Jeremiah Louis was the destroyer with the ball, capping an outstanding all-round team performance with a devastating five-wicket haul. Louis finished with unbelievable figures of 5 wickets for just 10 runs from 2.5 overs, taking the final wicket of Amari Goodridge to bowl the Kings out for only 98 runs after just 13.5 overs.

    The lopsided win gives the Patriots back-to-back victories heading into their next fixture, where they will travel to Guyana to face the Guyana Amazon Warriors full of confidence. For the Saint Lucia Kings, the side will look to reset and bounce back when they take on the Barbados Tridents this coming Sunday.

  • Opposition Leader denies being in possession of several drones

    Opposition Leader denies being in possession of several drones

    In a recent development out of Guyana that has sparked political tension, Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed has issued a firm denial of allegations that unregistered drones were found operating suspiciously near the private residence of sitting President Irfaan Ali.

    The allegations, which first circulated following a police intercept of two vehicles in the West Coast Demerara region, claimed that multiple unregistered drones were recovered from the vehicles near Ali’s Leonora home. Speaking publicly to Demerara Waves Online News one day after the incident, Mohamed pushed back systematically against every core claim in the narrative.

    Mohamed acknowledged that a single drone was recovered from one vehicle he was associated with, but emphasized that the unmanned aerial device does not belong to him. He further clarified that he never attempted to operate the drone during the trip, and has already offered law enforcement full access to the drone’s flight log data to verify his statement.

    Contrary to claims that his group was loitering near President Ali’s private street, Mohamed explained his travel that day was focused on a planned trip to the local seawall. His stated purpose for the visit was to conduct an on-the-ground inspection of recent public works projects, as part of an opposition effort to flag alleged corruption in government contracting. He said he only passed through a public roadway adjacent to the presidential residence, and never entered the street where Ali’s home is located.

    Mohadeh also rejected any connection to the second vehicle intercepted by police at Crane, West Demerara. He told reporters that the driver of that vehicle only stopped briefly to exchange a polite greeting with his group before continuing on unrelated personal business. Despite the minor interaction, that driver was taken into police custody, along with the driver of Mohamed’s vehicle and a press photographer accompanying the opposition leader. As of Thursday, all three individuals remain in police detention.

    Following questioning, Mohamed was released on self-bail Thursday, with authorities ordering him to report back to the station for further questioning on Saturday. The incident has already drawn attention to ongoing political friction between the opposition and ruling government in Guyana, as the opposition continues its scrutiny of public infrastructure spending and governance practices.

  • Column: Maak salarissen staatsmachten los van die van ambtenaren

    Column: Maak salarissen staatsmachten los van die van ambtenaren

    A planned 15 percent pay raise for public civil servants has sparked a pressing national debate over outdated salary linkage rules that automatically pass this increase to the country’s top political, legislative and judicial officials. With the judiciary and President Jennifer Simons having already agreed to decouple judicial salaries from the civil service adjustment, observers are now calling for this reform to extend across all three branches of government, framing the moment as a rare opportunity to scrap an outdated compensation system that no longer serves the public interest.

    The commitment by the judiciary to opt out of the automatic 15 percent increase will be enshrined in national law, a meaningful step toward reform—but there is no logical justification for limiting this change to judicial roles alone, argues commentator Wilfred Leeuwin. The same principle of independent salary-setting should apply to all three branches of state power, he contends.

    Under the current system, all top state officials’ pay is tied to the civil service compensation structure, which uses the salary of a departmental director—the highest-ranking civil servant—as the baseline reference. A cabinet minister’s salary is set at twice that of a departmental director, with all other political officeholders’ pay linked to the civil service scale through similar fixed proportional formulas. Judicial salaries are in turn tied to the president’s pay, which itself is linked to the civil service baseline, with rules stating judicial members cannot earn more than the president. While this structure creates a formal hierarchy on paper, in practice additional allowances, benefits and separate schemes already push the total income of senior judicial officials above the president’s salary, eroding the original logic of the system.

    Critics argue it is long past time to move beyond narrow conversations about pay amounts and examine the broken system underlying salary decisions. Why should a pay adjustment approved for rank-and-file civil servants automatically translate to higher earnings for people holding political or constitutional offices? When the government approves a 15 percent raise for civil servants, the justifications behind that decision—eroded purchasing power from high inflation, a need to retain public sector staff, or improved compensation for daily work—apply specifically to civil service employment terms. Ministers, members of parliament, and judges are not civil servants, and each holds a distinct constitutional position with separate responsibilities. There is no inherent reason their pay should rise automatically alongside civil service salaries.

    This push for decoupling does not mean that top state officials should never receive salary adjustments, advocates stress. On the contrary, the president, vice president, cabinet ministers, legislators, and judicial officers carry heavy public responsibilities and are entitled to fair, competitive compensation. For the judiciary in particular, financial security is a core guarantee of judicial independence, a foundational principle of democratic governance. But fair compensation is fundamentally different from automatic, unconsidered linkage to civil service pay changes.

    The path forward, the argument goes, is to create a separate, legally enshrined compensation framework for each of the three branches of government. This new system would clearly outline in advance the financial relationship between different constitutional roles, establish explicit criteria for salary adjustments, and set out clear timelines for when changes can take effect. This would eliminate the current ripple effect that pushes a civil service pay raise through every level of the state apparatus automatically. Any new legal framework must also respect the constitutional separation of powers, rather than relying on simplistic fixed proportional multiples between different roles. Instead, salaries should be set based on objective criteria for each office: the scope of responsibility, the workload and complexity of the role, requirements for independence, necessary professional expertise, and the state’s overall fiscal capacity.

    A key flaw of the current system is that political officeholders ultimately retain direct or indirect influence over the size of their own compensation, a conflict of interest that is difficult to defend to the public. To address this, an independent salary commission should be established to issue periodic, public recommendations on the pay of top state officials, with all criteria and deliberations made fully transparent to the public. When a salary increase is approved for legislators, ministers or other political officeholders, the adjustment does not need to take effect immediately for sitting officials. Law can explicitly stipulate that changes only go into effect after the current term of office, eliminating any perception that politicians are voting to enrich themselves while in office.

    The rules for judicial compensation require a separate approach, given the need to protect judicial independence from political discretion. A distinct legal framework is needed to guarantee predictability and protect judicial pay from political manipulation. Still, the core starting principle holds for all three branches: automatic linkage to civil service salaries must be eliminated. This is a far more defensible arrangement for public trust.

    Rank-and-file civil servants are receiving the 15 percent raise to offset soaring costs of daily essentials, including food, electricity, transportation and housing, all of which have seen steep price increases. A percentage-based pay increase also has vastly different absolute impacts: it delivers far more relief in absolute terms to low earners than it does to the highest-paid officials in government. This makes it even more important to avoid a system where an adjustment for lower- and middle-income public workers automatically delivers an identical percentage increase to the very top of the state pay scale. The executive branch and national assembly should follow the judiciary’s lead and extend the decoupling reform.

    The current moment is a critical opportunity to design a new, transparent legal compensation framework for the highest offices across the legislative, executive and judicial branches. The new system should clearly state how much each official earns, what criteria that pay is based on, who can propose adjustments, and under what conditions changes go into effect. A pay raise for civil servants should benefit the workers it was intended for. Top state officials are entitled to fair compensation, but that pay should reflect the responsibilities of their office and be set through a transparent, accountable legal process—not simply flow automatically from a 15 percent raise approved for rank-and-file public servants.

  • Mohameds’ Extradition Hearing: Police intelligence spy chief admits to gaps in written statement

    Mohameds’ Extradition Hearing: Police intelligence spy chief admits to gaps in written statement

    On Thursday, 3 September 2026, a senior leader of Guyana’s national law enforcement acknowledged multiple critical discrepancies in his official sworn statement connected to a high-profile U.S. extradition request for two prominent Guyanese businessmen. Senior Superintendent Prem Narine, head of the Guyana Police Force’s Special Branch, made these admissions while undergoing cross-examination from lead defence counsel Siand Dhurjon during ongoing court proceedings.

    Over the course of questioning, Narine attributed multiple factual inaccuracies in his November 2025 written statement to simple typographical errors, and attempted to clarify gaps in the original document by adding previously unrecorded details. The first inconsistency centered on the date Narine claimed he received the official Authority To Proceed (ATP) for the extradition from Guyana’s Minister of Home Affairs Oneidge Walrond. His written statement incorrectly listed the date of receipt as 31 October 2025, a mistake Narine dismissed as a typo when pressed by Dhurjon.

    The second major discrepancy involved Narine’s original claim that he personally collected the full U.S. extradition request from Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, alongside the ATP from the Home Affairs Minister. When confronted with this claim, Narine once again stated the line was the result of a typographical error. Further questioning revealed a more consequential omission: Narine confirmed to the court that he never witnessed either minister sign the extradition-related documents in person on the day he collected them. Instead, he acknowledged he actually picked up both the ATP and required Section 6 Certificate from a female administrative staff member at the offices of the Attorney General of Guyana – a detail completely missing from his two-page official statement, with no mention of the visit to the Attorney General’s Carmichael Street premises at all.

    In his explanation, Narine clarified that while the two documents were officially issued by the respective ministries, and he recognized the ministers’ signatures on the paperwork, they were routed through the Attorney General’s chambers for collection. The 26-year veteran police officer also agreed during cross-examination that drafting accurate, transparent statements after an investigation is one of the core responsibilities of any policing officer, and that official police statements are intended to be fully transparent records of first-hand information.

    The two businessmen at the center of the extradition request, Azruddin Mohamed and Nazar Mohamed, are wanted by U.S. federal authorities to stand trial on charges of wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering. The charges are linked to their billion-dollar international trading operation, making this one of the most high-stakes extradition matters Guyana’s legal system has handled in recent years.

  • Parlement onderbreekt reces voor behandeling Surinamerschapwet

    Parlement onderbreekt reces voor behandeling Surinamerschapwet

    On Thursday, the National Assembly of Suriname (DNA) made the decision to push forward the debate on a proposed amendment to the Surinamese Citizenship and Residency Act to the coming Monday, citing the need for additional preparatory work from the bill’s sponsors. The legislative proposal, which carries direct implications for the eligibility of Suriname’s national men’s football team in upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers, will not move to substantive discussion until backers submit a formal amendment note outlining adjusted text of the bill. Lawmakers have already agreed to interrupt their scheduled parliamentary recess to convene for the vote, highlighting the urgent national importance of the legislation.

    The bill was initially tabled for debate on Thursday, but after hours of closed-door internal caucus negotiations, assembly leadership opted to delay the substantive debate rather than move forward with an incomplete draft. Assembly Speaker Ashwin Adhin explained that multiple stakeholder submissions had been received, and the bill’s original sponsors have confirmed they intend to introduce revisions to the original text. Thursday’s session opened more than six hours behind its scheduled start time before adjourning to await the revised amendment note, which is required to be released no later than Friday.

    Adhin noted that holding deep, meaningful debate with both sponsors and the administration before the adjusted text is finalized would be unproductive. The amendment note will be distributed to all parliamentary caucuses over the weekend to allow for full review before Monday’s resumption of debate, scheduled for 9:30 a.m. local time.

    The original initiative to amend the 1975 Citizenship and Residency Act was first submitted to the DNA on August 18 by a cross-party group of sitting lawmakers: Ebu Jones of the National Democratic Party (NDP), Steven Reyme of the A20 party, Geffery Lau of the National Party of Suriname (NPS), and Edgar Sampi of the Progressive Bottleneck Party (ABOP). The proposed changes address longstanding questions around Surinamese nationality law, particularly for people of Surinamese descent born and residing outside of the country’s borders, a category that includes many professional footballers playing for European clubs.

    Current eligibility rules under FIFA allow players to represent a national team if they can prove ancestral ties to the country through citizenship, making this legislative amendment critical to clearing eligibility for a number of Suriname’s top players ahead of qualifiers.

    Asiskumar Gajadien, parliamentary leader of the ruling VHP party, has called for President Chan Santokhi (referred to in earlier reporting as President Simons) to attend Monday’s plenary session in person. Gajadien argued that the amendment represents a far-reaching policy change that will reshape nationality for generations of Surinamese, and parliament deserves to hear directly from the head of state on the administration’s preferred policy direction ahead of a vote. Adhin confirmed that he will formally transmit the request to the president, and that the revised amendment note will be sent to Santokhi for his review ahead of the session.

    NPS parliamentary leader Jerrel Pawiroredjo echoed the sentiment of the VHP, emphasizing the unique national significance of the bill. He framed revisions to citizenship law as a matter tied directly to both Suriname’s national pride and core national interest, noting that the changes touch on fundamental questions of national identity that require careful, deliberate consideration rather than hasty passage. All caucus leaders have confirmed they will pause their scheduled recess and return to the capital for Monday’s vote, a step that reflects the broad consensus across parties on the urgency of the issue.

    In a separate statement addressing concerns over delayed attendance by cabinet ministers on Thursday, Minister of Justice and Security Harish Monorath clarified that all relevant members of the administration were present and waiting in the assembly building from 11:00 a.m. local time, but that a parliamentary quorum was only reached much later in the day. Monorath reaffirmed that the administration remains fully committed to fulfilling its responsibility to participate in all stages of parliamentary debate on the amendment.