Carib Scope

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  • Dominican Republic to participate in Fuerzas Comando 2026 in Paraguay

    Dominican Republic to participate in Fuerzas Comando 2026 in Paraguay

    A high-stakes multinational special operations military competition is set to bring elite troops from 21 countries across the Americas to Paraguay next month, marking the third time the South American nation has hosted the U.S.-led Fuerzas Comando exercise. Scheduled to run from August 24 to 28, the 2026 iteration of the event is organized by the United States Southern Command, continuing a long-running program designed to foster regional military collaboration.

    Paraguay’s top defense leadership has highlighted the unique value of this year’s gathering. Defense Minister Óscar Rodríguez emphasized that the competition will assemble some of the most highly trained military personnel from across the Western Hemisphere, with experts drawn from a diverse range of specialized military disciplines to test their skills and share expertise. General César Moreno, commander of Paraguay’s armed forces, noted that the immersive, collaborative competition is designed to deepen mutual trust and strengthen operational cooperation between participating nations across the region.

    At its core, the 2026 exercise centers on the cross-border exchange of specialized knowledge, tactical techniques and operational strategies tailored to modern special operations. Beyond the competitive elements, the event prioritizes reinforcing collective regional responses to transnational security threats that impact all participating nations, including transnational organized crime, terrorist activity, and large-scale internal crises. The full list of confirmed participants includes Argentina, the Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, and the United States.

    Paraguay secured the right to host the 2026 edition during the closing ceremony of Fuerzas Comando 2025, which was held in El Salvador earlier this year. This is not the first time Paraguay has welcomed the competition: the country previously served as host in both 2006 and 2017, giving it extensive experience organizing the large-scale multinational event.

    The Fuerzas Comando 2026 exercise comes on the heels of another major regional military drill, Panamax 2026, which took place earlier this month in Panama. That exercise drew roughly 1,700 military personnel from nearly 20 countries across the region. In addition, Paraguay and the United States formalized their military cooperation framework last December with the signing of a bilateral Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which clarifies the legal status of U.S. military personnel operating in Paraguayan territory ahead of the 2026 competition.

  • Cuban diplomat says expulsion from Dominican Republic is a “Badge of Honor”

    Cuban diplomat says expulsion from Dominican Republic is a “Badge of Honor”

    When a group of expelled Cuban diplomats touched back down on home soil in Havana this week, they did not arrive as disgraced representatives—instead, they framed their forced expulsion from the Dominican Republic as a politically motivated attack orchestrated by outside forces, and a testament to their unwavering commitment to Cuban principles.

    Odín Ysla Hernández, one of the expelled Cuban diplomatic officials, described the Dominican government’s order to remove his delegation as nothing less than an imperial maneuver, designed to erode Cuba’s standing and prestige across the global stage. In remarks delivered shortly after his arrival, he emphasized that he and his fellow expelled diplomats had returned home with every part of their professional duty fulfilled, going so far as to call the expulsion a badge of honor that reaffirmed their loyalty to the core tenets of the Cuban Revolution.

    The returning delegation received an official welcome from Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where senior Cuban officials pushed back against the expulsion, arguing that the Dominican government had failed to provide any credible, sufficient justification for the drastic measure. Cuban leaders stressed that the entire diplomatic delegation had operated strictly in line with the terms of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, as well as all local laws governing foreign diplomats within the Dominican Republic, and praised the delegation’s professional conduct throughout their posting.

    Josefina Vidal Ferreiro, Cuba’s Deputy Foreign Minister, laid out the Cuban government’s formal assessment of the incident, saying the expulsions were a direct outcome of relentless pressure from the United States. She argued that the move fits into a long-running Washington-led strategy to isolate Cuba diplomatically, and cut off the island nation from its key regional partnerships across Latin America and the Caribbean.

    The sequence of events began on August 13, when the Dominican government issued an order requiring nine Cuban officials and their immediate family members to leave the country within a tight three-day window. That deadline expired on August 16, and in total, 21 people—including the accredited diplomats, their spouses, and their children—completed their return to Cuban territory.

    Cuba’s national government has issued a formal condemnation of the Dominican decision, calling it a clear example of the Dominican Republic’s political subordination to U.S. interests. Cuban officials also pointed to a series of recent public and private disagreements between the governments of Santo Domingo and Havana as evidence of a worrying shift in the Dominican Republic’s official policy toward Cuba, one that has strained long-standing bilateral ties between the two Caribbean nations.

  • PM on BPL Crisis ‘The buck stops here’

    PM on BPL Crisis ‘The buck stops here’

    The ongoing crisis engulfing the Bahamas’ state-owned electricity provider Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) has moved into a new phase, with Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis stepping forward to publicly defend his Energy Minister JoBeth Coleby-Davis, who has faced growing criticism for her public silence amid the escalating overtime abuse scandal. Davis asserted clear accountability, stating bluntly that “the bucks stops here” when addressing questions from reporters during a post-school-tour media interaction. The Prime Minister made these remarks alongside Education Minister Chester Cooper, after completing a scheduled visit to several Bahamian schools. Reporters pressed Davis on three key points of public tension: the explosive revelations of inflated overtime claims at BPL, the work-to-rule industrial action launched by the utility’s two major unions, and the conspicuous lack of public comment from Coleby-Davis, the cabinet member directly overseeing the power provider. When asked repeatedly about the minister’s absence from public debate on the scandal, Davis repeated his accountability line, declining to elaborate further on his minister’s silence. Davis also refused to answer questions about whether senior BPL management would face disciplinary or legal consequences for failing to prevent the alleged overtime abuse, but sought to downplay the disruption caused by the unions’ industrial action. “I gave a national address on the subject matter. I laid out what I perceive to be the issues and they’ll be dealt with,” the Prime Minister told reporters. The controversy first broke last week when The Tribune published an exclusive investigation revealing that three senior staff in BPL’s Fuel and Performance Department collected a combined total of more than $600,000 in overtime payments between May 2025 and April 2026. The report showed two of the three employees took home over $200,000 each in overtime alone, with some individual monthly payouts exceeding $20,000. One employee was even recorded working 90 consecutive hours over a four-day Christmas holiday period, a schedule that safety experts have flagged as inherently dangerous. In a national address delivered earlier this week, Davis joined in condemning the payments as systemic abuse of public funds. “It is not credible that a person works twenty-four hours straight, three days running, and does safe work,” Davis said in the address. “It is not fair to the ratepayer, who funds every dollar. And it is not fair to the honest worker, whose profession is tarnished by it.” The revelations of mass overtime abuse have triggered fierce pushback from BPL’s two main labor groups: the Bahamas Electrical Workers Union (BEWU) and the Bahamas Electrical Utility Managerial Union (BEUMU). Both unions have now ordered their members to adopt a work-to-rule mandate, meaning staff will only perform the exact duties outlined in their contracts, leading to widespread delays in maintenance and outage response across the islands. Two BPL employees have already been suspended over allegations of gross misconduct, though the connection to the overtime scandal remains unconfirmed. Local newspaper The Nassau Guardian identified the suspended staff as Senior Mechanical Technician Wellington Porter and Manager Melvin Babb. However, The Tribune’s review of payroll records does not list Porter as the employee who logged the controversial 90-hour Christmas week shift. BEUMU President Chris Hanna confirmed that the suspension letter issued to Babb does not reference the overtime abuse investigation, leaving the reason for his administrative leave unclear. With no clear timeline for a full investigation into the overtime claims, and industrial action disrupting power services across the country, the Davis administration now faces growing pressure from the public to resolve the scandal and restore accountability at BPL.

  • OP-ED: Dominica is building an international airport. It must protect the passport too

    OP-ED: Dominica is building an international airport. It must protect the passport too

    As Dominica pours one of the largest capital investments in its national history into expanding global connectivity, a growing contradiction threatens to undermine the island nation’s most ambitious development goal. During this month’s national budget address, government officials confirmed that construction of the long-awaited new international airport remains on schedule for completion in the second quarter of 2028. Already, more than 400 local Dominican workers are employed on the project, with runway construction crossing the 60% completion threshold. An additional EC$250 million has been earmarked for the initiative in the coming fiscal year, cementing its status as the cornerstone of the country’s national development strategy.

    Finance Minister Irving McIntyre has framed the airport as a catalyst for broad-based growth, projecting it will draw increased international visitor volumes, expand export capacity, attract new foreign direct investment, and unlock economic opportunity for all Dominican citizens. This vision is strategically sound — yet it sits alongside a growing, underdiscussed challenge that puts that progress at risk.

    While Dominica invests billions to open its borders and boost global mobility for people and trade, growing U.S. entry restrictions have severely limited international travel access for a large share of Dominican passport holders. A gleaming, world-class runway can only enable connection if the passports carried by Dominican citizens are trusted to grant access to global markets and destinations. This reality frames the ongoing public debate over Dominica’s Citizenship by Investment (CBI) program as far more than a dispute over government revenue, real estate development or partisan politics: it is a fight for the international credibility and travel rights that every native Dominican is entitled to.

    The human cost of strained passport credibility is already emerging. In June, prominent Dominican hotelier Gregor Nassief — recently elected president-elect of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association — revealed that his application to renew his U.S. travel visa had been rejected. Though his existing visa remains valid through August, Nassief has raised urgent alarm over the broader impact of tightened U.S. restrictions on Dominican students seeking overseas education, patients accessing medical care, separated families, local entrepreneurs, tourism industry leaders, and the future of regional air connectivity.

    Nassief’s case carries unique weight: a leading Dominican business leader tapped to helm a top regional tourism body now faces uncertainty over his ability to travel to the United States, the Caribbean’s single most important tourism source market. Following the leak of a private letter he sent to government officials, Nassief has now gone public with formal allegations of malpractices within Dominica’s CBI program, including unregulated discounting of citizenship packages and pervasive transparency gaps. He is calling for full independent scrutiny of the program. These allegations deserve full, evidence-based investigation and should not be treated as proven fact simply because they have been raised — but they also highlight a systemic issue that demands national attention, regardless of political affiliation.

    A national passport is far more than a legal travel document: it is a tangible representation of trust between sovereign governments. When an immigration officer in Miami, Bridgetown, London or Brussels reviews a Dominican passport, that document signals the issuing government’s standards for verifying identity, vetting applicants, and granting citizenship. That trust holds tangible economic value for every citizen — and when foreign governments begin to question that trust, the consequences do not fall only on people who acquired citizenship via investment. They impact every person who carries a Dominican passport.

    This link between CBI policy and passport credibility was made explicit by the U.S. government during the Trump administration, when Dominica was added to a list of countries facing new partial entry restrictions that took effect January 1. In justifying the inclusion, the White House specifically cited Dominica’s longstanding CBI model that does not require applicants to hold residency in the country, raising concerns that this structure undermines immigration screening and vetting processes.

    The U.S. restrictions generally bar entry for eligible Dominican nationals applying for immigrant visas, B1/B2 visitor visas, F/M student visas, and J exchange visitor visas, though narrow exceptions and case-by-case waivers are available. Visas issued before the restriction proclamation took effect were not automatically revoked. Washington has since added an extra layer of scrutiny: since January 21, Dominica has been subject to a U.S. visa bond requirement, which the U.S. State Department made permanent on August 3. The policy now requires eligible visitor visa applicants to post bonds of $10,000, $15,000, or $20,000 if they are approved to proceed with travel.

    It is important not to overstate the scope of these measures: the U.S. has not canceled all existing Dominican visas nor barred all Dominican citizens from entering the country. But it would be equally reckless for Dominica to dismiss the clear signal these policies send: Washington has publicly stated it lacks full confidence in the identity vetting and nationality verification standards associated with the Dominican CBI program, and has explicitly tied the restrictions to that longstanding policy.

    This creates a critical national interest that goes far beyond the longstanding debate over whether the CBI program generates sufficient government revenue. There is no question that the CBI program has provided critical financing for Dominican development, a reality that matters deeply for a small island economy that is highly vulnerable to hurricane damage and faces persistent structural constraints on capital access. No government can lightly walk away from a major, consistent revenue stream. But a full accounting of the program’s costs and benefits must include the hidden costs imposed on the broader population, not just the revenue it generates.

    If gaps in CBI program oversight erode international confidence in the Dominican passport, that cost is spread across every citizen. A Dominican student may lose access to educational opportunities in the U.S. A small business owner may face barriers to meeting customers and attending critical industry conferences. A family may be unable to attend a cross-border wedding, graduation, or funeral. A tourism industry leader may be blocked from meeting airline executives in Miami or New York to secure new routes for the very international airport the country is building.

    This contradiction is thrown into sharp relief by the new airport project itself. Dominica is building the airport specifically to capture the economic value of global connectivity: the government projects that easier air access will boost tourism, expand agricultural exports, grow the hospitality sector, and attract new investment. But connectivity works in both directions. It matters that international visitors can reach Dominica — but it is equally critical that Dominicans can access the international markets, universities, family networks and professional opportunities that their future economic growth depends on.

    For this reason, reform of the CBI program — where gaps and weaknesses are found — should not be framed as a concession to U.S. pressure. Instead, it should be understood as a defense of a core national asset that benefits all Dominican citizens. If U.S. officials cite deficiencies in identity verification, applicant due diligence, mandatory residency requirements, criminal record sharing, or cross-border information exchange, the Dominican government should demand clear, specific articulation of those concerns consistent with national security protocols. It should then move to address legitimate gaps and negotiate measurable benchmarks for the removal of existing travel restrictions.

    This principle should also guide the broader regional conversation around citizenship-by-investment programs across the Caribbean. Current revenue cannot be the sole metric of a program’s success. Governments must also weigh the long-term impact of program design on the international credibility of the citizenship that all native-born citizens hold.

    Dominicans should not be forced to choose between national development and the right to global mobility. A well-regulated, transparent CBI program can generate critical development investment without eroding international confidence in the passports carried by Dominicans born and raised on the island. The new airport rising in Wesley is a clear statement of the kind of nation Dominica aims to be: more connected, more accessible, and more fully integrated into the global economy. Protecting the international credibility and strength of the Dominican passport must be recognized as a core part of that same project. Concrete and asphalt can connect Dominica to the world — but that connection only matters if the world continues to trust the document every Dominican carries when they board a plane.

  • Greene Warns Crime Could Trigger International Travel Advisory

    Greene Warns Crime Could Trigger International Travel Advisory

    As the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda grapples with a rising wave of violent crime, Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister E.P. Chet Greene has issued a stark public warning about the potentially catastrophic economic fallout of inaction, highlighting that persistent criminal activity could lead major foreign governments to roll out restrictive travel advisories that would devastate the country’s core tourism industry.

    Greene laid out his urgent concerns during an interview on the local current-affairs radio show *Beneath the Surface*, pushing back against efforts to frame rising crime as a wedge issue for partisan political gain. He emphasized that the entire national economy is tied to consistent tourist arrivals, so allowing political rivalries to overshadow coordinated action would harm not just large corporate stakeholders, but thousands of working people and small business owners across the island.

    Addressing opposition figure Pringle directly, Greene reminded that Antigua and Barbuda’s economic model remains overwhelmingly reliant on international tourism. “Let me remind Pringle that we’re still a tourism-dependent country, and if this continues, somebody in the north will issue a travel advisory,” he told listeners.

    That warning extends far beyond the country’s large luxury hotel complexes, Greene explained. Small, informal and micro-enterprises that form the backbone of local communities — from taxi drivers and street souvenir vendors to independent restaurant owners — all draw their income directly from visitor spending. These businesses collectively make up a large share of Antigua and Barbuda’s national tax base, so even a small dip in tourist arrivals driven by safety concerns would send ripples through every sector of the economy.

    Greene’s remarks came during a broader national conversation about surging gun violence, inconsistent criminal sentencing, and the urgent need for a unified cross-sector strategy to curb violent crime. He stressed that Antigua and Barbuda cannot afford to slide into the pattern of sustained high violent crime that has plagued other Caribbean nations for decades, with long-lasting damage to their international reputations and economic outlooks.

    Calling for an end to partisan point-scoring, Greene argued that the current public safety crisis demands national unity rather than opportunistic attempts to win political advantage. “Crime and violence threaten the country’s peace, stability and economic future, making it necessary for the government, opposition, judiciary, law enforcement and wider public to support a common response,” he said.

    Allowing violent crime to continue unaddressed, he warned, would permanently erode Antigua and Barbuda’s brand as a safe, welcoming tropical travel destination — a reputation that took decades to build and would be extremely difficult to repair. Closing with a plea for urgent collective action, Greene urged all national leaders to unite behind practical, workable crime-reduction solutions, stressing that the country cannot afford to delay action and allow violent crime to become an entrenched part of national life.

  • FM Greene Says Government Will Never Deport a Judge

    FM Greene Says Government Will Never Deport a Judge

    A fresh controversy over potential executive overreach into the island nation’s judicial system has prompted a firm public reassurance from Antigua and Barbuda’s top diplomat that the government will never act to remove or deport a sitting judge. Foreign Affairs Minister E.P. Chet Greene delivered the administration’s formal clarification during a live interview on the popular WTP radio program *Beneath the Surface*, where he addressed widespread public debate sparked by recent comments from Prime Minister Gaston Browne regarding criminal sentencing practices.

    In clear, unambiguous terms during the interview, Greene stated: “This administration never deported a member of the judiciary, and it will never happen.” He pushed back against growing public narrative that suggested friction between the country’s three branches of government — the executive, legislature, and judiciary — warning that any perception of institutional division only serves to undermine public safety and embolden criminal actors.

    “The respect for the separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary is guaranteed. It’s protected,” Greene emphasized, noting that these core democratic principles are enshrined in the nation’s foundational law. During the interview, he also read out an official follow-up statement issued by Prime Minister Browne, designed to clear up any misinterpretation of Browne’s initial remarks that ignited the controversy.

    The Prime Minister’s clarification read: “To remove all doubt, no judge will be removed, reassigned, deported or otherwise dealt with by executive fiat. Questions concerning the tenure, assignment or conduct of a judicial officer are governed by the Constitution and the law, and those arrangements will be respected.”

    Greene offered context for Browne’s original comments, explaining that they were delivered in a moment of well-founded frustration over the sharp rise in gun-related violence across Antigua and Barbuda, and widespread public anxiety over lenient criminal sentencing. He stressed that the Prime Minister’s formal clarification should put an end to all unsubstantiated speculation that the executive branch planned to interfere with the independence of the judiciary.

    Moving past the controversy, Greene called on the public and all political factions to refocus attention on the core national crisis of violent crime. He urged stakeholders to engage in calm, fact-based, nonpartisan dialogue aimed at solutions, rather than petty political conflict. He reaffirmed that all three branches of government share a common goal of curbing gun violence, and repeated that institutional disunity only creates conditions that allow criminal activity to flourish.

  • Canawaima onder vergrootglas: onderzoek naar financiële administratie over vijf jaar

    Canawaima onder vergrootglas: onderzoek naar financiële administratie over vijf jaar

    A sweeping forensic audit into the operations of cross-border ferry service Canawaima has been ordered by Suriname’s Minister of Transport, Communication and Tourism (TCT) Raymond Landveld, capping off a tense day of intense parliamentary questioning over persistent operational, financial and governance failures at the bi-national Surinamese-Guyanese entity.

    Landveld confirmed in an address to the National Assembly Tuesday that the probe will cover all financial and administrative activities at the ferry service dating back over the past five years, running parallel to a separate ongoing administrative review already underway. The minister made clear that the issues plaguing Canawaima extend far beyond the well-publicized recent service disruptions that have stranded passengers and disrupted cross-border travel. According to Landveld, every core area of the operator’s work requires fresh review, including corporate governance structures, executive leadership, financial and internal oversight, procurement processes, ticketing systems, technical maintenance protocols, safety management, human resources policies, and institutional reporting practices.

    Canawaima operates under a unique dual-entity structure agreed by the governments of Suriname and Guyana: Canawaima Ferry Services (CFS) is registered under Guyanese law, acting as the formal owner of assets and financial holding vehicle, while the Canawaima Management Company is incorporated under Surinamese law and manages all day-to-day operational activities. This structure itself became a major point of contention during Tuesday’s parliamentary debate, with lawmakers raising sharp questions about unmet transparency standards and unclear cost- and revenue-sharing arrangements between the two countries.

    Opposition lawmaker Raymond Sapoen of the National Democratic Party (NDP) pressed the government for concrete details on how maintenance costs are split between Suriname and Guyana, noting that deferred maintenance is a root cause of repeated service outages that have cut off the critical cross-border link. Sapoen also demanded clarity from the administration on its long-term plan to restore reliable, consistent service for travelers. Other lawmakers echoed concerns about financial arrangements, pointing out that a large share of return tickets are purchased by passengers departing from Guyana, and no clear public accounting exists for how these revenues are allocated between the two nations.

    NDP parliamentary faction leader Rabin Parmessar called for full access to Canawaima’s organizational charts, annual reports, and independent audit statements from recent years. He highlighted that despite being a relatively small operation, Canawaima maintains an overly large, bloated executive management structure, and called for full transparency on executive salaries and benefits paid to company leaders. Fellow NDP lawmaker Ebu Jones argued that much of the public and parliamentary confusion stems from a lack of clear explanation of the bi-national entity’s unusual structure, noting that greater transparency would resolve much of the ongoing debate over its operations.

    Landveld acknowledged multiple ongoing areas of concern, confirming that there remains significant ambiguity around pension contributions and payroll tax withholding from employee salaries. He added that clear directives have been issued to ensure all withheld funds are deposited to the correct authorities, and that this matter will be resolved as part of the audit. The minister also confirmed an ongoing internal conflict at the company that has already led to two senior staff members, including the terminal manager, being placed on administrative leave through the end of August. According to information provided to Landveld by Canawaima’s supervisory board, the conflict erupted when the pair refused to turn over requested operational and financial documents, forcing authorities to engage a court bailiff to gain access to the required materials. An independent external investigative firm is set to deliver its initial report on this internal dispute as early as Monday.

    Beyond operational and financial failures, Landveld also criticized Canawaima’s supervisory board for overstepping its mandate and interfering directly in day-to-day management, rather than maintaining appropriate independent oversight. To address this structural flaw, the minister announced that Canawaima will be required to operate under a formal annual planning framework going forward, which will require executive management to provide regular public accountability reports while allowing the supervisory board to carry out its intended oversight role at an arm’s length.

    The technical safety of the operator’s ferries was also addressed during the debate, with Landveld acknowledging that regulatory inspection findings were not acted on with sufficient urgency earlier this year. After the Suriname Maritime Authority completed its review and ordered all required corrective work to be carried out, the ferry service regained its operating license, and Landveld confirmed that safety standards are currently being met. Despite these acknowledgments and commitments to reform, parliamentary criticism remained firm on Tuesday, with multiple lawmakers arguing that Canawaima’s problems are long-term and structural, requiring far stricter oversight from the Surinamese government. Landveld has committed to providing additional written briefing materials to the National Assembly in the coming days, and acknowledged that systemic, long-term fixes are required to resolve the entity’s deep-seated issues.

  • Alexander: ‘No issue’ with CoP’s absence

    Alexander: ‘No issue’ with CoP’s absence

    Questions over leadership continuity within the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) have emerged in recent days following the unexplained absence of Commissioner Allister Guevarro, but top government officials are moving quickly to dismiss fears of a power vacuum at the head of the national law enforcement agency.

    Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander addressed growing public and political speculation during a televised interview with TV6 on Wednesday, firmly stating that the TTPS remains fully functional despite Guevarro’s unannounced leave, and that no formal crisis exists in the service’s leadership ranks. Per TTPS’s established hierarchical structure, Alexander explained, Deputy Commissioner of Police Junior Benjamin — the most senior active officer on duty at present — has stepped into the role of interim leader to oversee all agency operations.

    The controversy ignited after Opposition chairman Marvin Gonzales publicly questioned Guevarro’s whereabouts, and called out the Police Service Commission (PolSC) for failing to confirm whether any formal arrangement for an acting commissioner had been put in place during Guevarro’s absence. An anonymous senior police source confirmed to media outlets that Guevarro had applied for emergency leave, though the source could not verify widespread claims that the commissioner had already left the country.

    In comments to the *Express* over the weekend, Benjamin himself acknowledged that while he is currently the highest-ranking serving officer in the TTPS, he has not received a formal official document appointing him to serve as acting commissioner. That revelation amplified opposition calls for clarification from the government on the TTPS’s leadership status.

    Alexander pushed back against those calls on Wednesday, arguing that the TTPS’s longstanding chain of command eliminates the need for extra formal procedures during a temporary absence. “Who is next in line holds on in the interim. There’s no need for additional action,” the minister said, noting that the government and senior TTPS leadership have full confidence in Benjamin’s ability to guide the service. Alexander added that Benjamin has previously fulfilled interim leadership duties for the TTPS, and that the deputy commissioner continues to receive full support from both the government and rank-and-file officers under his command.

    “As the line minister responsible for this portfolio, I can confirm that there are no issues with the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service,” Alexander emphasized.

    The minister also rejected opposition claims that Guevarro’s absence has left the TTPS leaderless, pointing to the agency’s deep bench of senior leadership to back up his argument. “The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service has three deputy commissioners and 11 assistant commissioners of police. This is not a one-man job,” he said. Alexander added that temporary absences for senior officers are a routine occurrence across all public institutions, and the TTPS’s clear hierarchy is designed to allow other qualified leaders to step in seamlessly when needed.

    “I don’t know why all this excitement,” Alexander said. “There are a number of persons in the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service who from time to time would go here, there and everywhere. And even in their absence, there are persons who can replace them.”

    Alexander also criticized the intense public focus on Guevarro’s personal whereabouts, arguing that even elected and appointed public officials are entitled to a reasonable degree of personal privacy. “It is almost like, when you enter public office, your personal life becomes completely public. Some things that we need to leave alone at times… And when the time comes, we will explain it all,” he said.

    The minister went a step further, questioning the priorities of critics who have continued to press for details on Guevarro’s location. “There are persons who continue to ask a certain question that makes no logical sense,” Alexander said. “I often say this… there are some persons right now asking where the Commissioner is, and they don’t even know where their own children are. They’re asking where the Commissioner is, and their own boss at work is looking for them because they haven’t been seen on the job in days.”

    “Some of the children are not going to school, the parents are not even asking if they went to school or not. But where is the Commissioner? The Commissioner is where he’s supposed to be,” Alexander added.

    Despite Alexander’s assurances, public and political questions persist over whether a formal acting appointment is legally required for the TTPS during Guevarro’s leave. For his part, Alexander has remained firm in his position: the TTPS can continue its core public safety work through its existing command structure, and Benjamin is fully capable of leading the service until Guevarro returns.

  • In-person hearings resume Sept 1

    In-person hearings resume Sept 1

    Starting September 1, the vast majority of magistrates’ courts across Trinidad and Tobago will transition back to full in-person judicial hearings, the Judiciary announced in an official statement. The only exceptions to this rollout are the Port of Spain and Scarborough district courts, which will retain their current operational arrangements through 2027 due to ongoing infrastructure works. The return to in-person proceedings is being implemented on a gradual phased schedule, designed as a core step in the Judiciary’s long-term push to expand public access to the justice system. Alongside the changes to magistrates’ courts, 15 criminal high court venues will also open for in-person hearings on the same date: 11 located in Port of Spain, three at the Princes Town Judicial Centre, and one at the Tobago High Court. Masters’ courts will operate under a temporary hybrid model for the time being, with specific administrative protocols to be determined at the local divisional level.

    This planned transition follows a comprehensive nationwide assessment of judicial infrastructure led by Chief Justice Ronnie Boodoosingh, who personally toured court facilities across Trinidad and Tobago over recent months. During these visits, the Chief Justice met with court personnel, evaluated the condition, functionality and accessibility of each building, and flagged areas in need of upgrades to meet the needs of court users, staff and judicial officers. “As we return to wider in-person hearings, it is important that our court facilities are ready to meet the needs of everyone who uses them,” Boodoosingh said, emphasizing that the shift to increased in-person proceedings must be supported by safe, fully operational and accessible spaces. “We are committed to improving the court environment and ensuring that our facilities support the effective delivery of justice,” he added. The Judiciary noted the phased rollout was developed following extensive consultations with key justice sector stakeholders, and additional details on specific local arrangements will be released in the coming weeks. The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service has already been notified of the changes, and is currently reallocating officers to court locations. On Monday, leadership from all 10 policing divisions was briefed, with regional assistant commissioners and divisional commanders ordered to finalize officer deployment plans ahead of the September 1 deadline.

    Legal industry stakeholders have broadly welcomed the announcement, though many have called for a balanced approach that retains virtual and hybrid options for certain proceeding types. The Assembly of Central Legal Practitioners (ACLP) confirmed its support for the Judiciary’s plan, but argued that in-person hearings should be restricted primarily to trials and other matters where a presiding magistrate specifically requires physical attendance. Speaking to local outlet *Trinidad Express*, ACLP executive member and attorney Steven Mawer noted that routine case management conferences, held to update the status of cases moving toward trial, function far more efficiently in virtual or hybrid formats. “The Magistrates’ Court should be open, but in-person hearings should be limited to trial matters, or matters specifically ordered to be in person by the magistrates in charge of their respective courts,” Mawer explained.

    Senior judicial figure Justice Frank Seepersad also echoed this balanced perspective, welcoming the expansion of in-person hearings while warning against abandoning the technological advances adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Seepersad stressed that virtual hearings still hold an important place in the modern justice system, particularly for case management, routine procedural applications, and matters where physical attendance adds no meaningful value. However, he cautioned that efficiency cannot be the sole guiding metric for how justice is delivered. “Efficiency, however desirable, cannot be the ultimate measure of justice,” he said. Seepersad placed particular emphasis on criminal trials, where outcomes can result in loss of liberty and permanent reputational harm for accused persons. “A criminal trial is the solemn occasion upon which the coercive authority of the State is brought to bear upon the individual. Liberty, reputation and sometimes the course of an entire life may hang in the balance,” he noted. For such high-stakes proceedings, physical attendance should not be dismissed as an outdated practice, he argued, as it remains a critical safeguard for procedural fairness, human dignity and effective participation by all parties. Seepersad also highlighted the irreplaceable human element of judicial proceedings, noting that technology cannot fully replicate the empathetic dimension of in-person justice. “Justice is, after all, a human undertaking, and there is an empathetic dimension to its administration which no technology can fully replicate,” he said. He further emphasized the core principle of open justice, citing a landmark observation from the Privy Council in *Ambard v Attorney-General of Trinidad and Tobago* that “Justice is not a cloistered virtue.” Judicial authority depends on public scrutiny, Seepersad explained, with transparency fostering accountability and accountability sustaining public confidence in the justice system. “Justice does not derive authority from seclusion, but from its capacity to withstand scrutiny,” he said. Outlining a balanced path forward, Seepersad said the Judiciary should neither reject virtual technology nor cling blindly to traditional practices, but instead use each modality where it is most effective. “Technology must remain the servant of justice, never its master,” he concluded.

    This planned transition aligns with priorities Boodoosingh laid out late last year during the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago’s annual dinner and awards ceremony. At that event, the Chief Justice identified the full reopening and maximum utilization of court buildings as a top personal priority, noting that justice inherently requires in-person human interaction. He pointed out that multiple court buildings, including the Port of Spain Magistrates’ Court, have remained closed for extended periods for renovation works that have stretched to more than four years, with both costs and completion timelines ballooning over that period. Boodoosingh also restated his goal of building a more efficient, higher-performing Judiciary with shorter timelines for both hearings and final rulings, noting that all citizens have a fundamental right to have their cases heard and resolved within a reasonable timeframe, and that clear performance standards must be established to improve justice delivery across the system.

  • PM meets police top brass, vows to ‘stick with it’ until crime problem solved

    PM meets police top brass, vows to ‘stick with it’ until crime problem solved

    St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Godwin Friday has launched urgent, coordinated action to curb a sharp, unacceptable rise in gun violence across the nation, convening a high-level security summit with the country’s top law enforcement leaders to map out a strategic response.

    Speaking to reporters in Kingstown Tuesday, shortly after concluding an official visit to Taiwan, Friday disclosed that the closed-door meeting — held roughly two weeks prior on the island of Bequia — brought together the highest-ranking command of the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force, senior Coast Guard leadership, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security St. Clair Leacock, and Leacock’s permanent secretary. The gathering centered on the growing public anxiety over the spike in shootings and widespread feelings of insecurity that have shaken communities in recent weeks.

    To signal a clear shift in the government’s approach to public safety, Friday confirmed that his administration has already implemented leadership reshuffling at the very top of the national police force. On Monday, Trevor “Buju” Bailey was appointed acting Commissioner of Police, replacing Enville Williams who is currently on seven months of paid leave. Junior Simmons will serve as acting Deputy Commissioner, while Brenton Smith has taken on the role of acting Assistant Commissioner. These leadership changes took effect immediately after a violent weekend that saw three separate shooting incidents in Kingstown leave two women wounded, followed by a fatal shooting early Tuesday that left one man dead in an abandoned building directly across from His Majesty’s Prison on Kingstown’s White Chapel Road.

    Friday openly acknowledged that the string of violent attacks has amplified public fear and placed his administration’s security record under intense public scrutiny. While he reaffirmed the government’s full commitment to directly confronting the national crime crisis, he warned that translating policy commitments into tangible, visible public safety improvements will require time.

    Among the most pressing issues discussed at the Bequia summit, the prime minister highlighted the unregulated flow of illegal firearms into the country as a particularly urgent threat. “We don’t manufacture them here, yet anybody who wants a gun seems to be able to get one. This has to end,” he stated. Friday added that law enforcement already holds intelligence on key entry points for these illegal weapons, and the government is now finalizing a targeted plan to crack down on smuggling networks, prioritizing strengthened border control and interdiction of illegal gun shipments. He declined to share sensitive operational details, but stressed that halting the inflow of illegal firearms is a non-negotiable core priority.

    For Friday, guaranteeing public safety is the most fundamental obligation a government owes its citizens. “The first thing that a government owes its citizens is security,” he said, expanding on this core principle: “We are responsible for creating an environment where these violent incidents don’t happen, and that if they do occur, perpetrators are quickly apprehended, prosecuted, and jailed.”

    The prime minister also emphasized that solving the long-standing crime crisis will require more than just law enforcement action — it demands a whole-of-society approach. He announced plans to convene a national dialogue with political leaders across the aisle and civil society stakeholders at an appropriate time to align on a unified national strategy to tackle violence. “We can’t allow a situation where people are afraid to leave their homes. How can a country function that way?” he noted, underscoring the high stakes of the current crisis.

    When asked about his past criticism of the previous administration’s handling of rising crime during his time in opposition, Friday pushed back against claims of inconsistent rhetoric. “When I speak in opposition, I don’t speak with a forked tongue,” he said. “What I said then, I stand by now; it is just shaped by the different facts and circumstances of holding office.” He did acknowledge that timelines for progress he outlined while in opposition may need adjustment, and pledged to be transparent with the public if deadlines shift: “If the timeline changes, I will come to the public and explain why, and reasonable people will understand that.” On the question of accountability, he was unambiguous: “You asked if we are responsible. Of course we are. We hold the office of national security, so we are responsible for building a safe society.”

    Friday also pointed to systemic impunity for violent offenders as one of the most damaging weaknesses in the current security system. Restoring public trust, he argued, depends on establishing a consistent track record of arrests, prosecutions, and convictions for serious violent crimes — something the public has not consistently seen in recent years.

    International assistance, including security support from Taiwan, will play a supporting role in the national strategy, but Friday stressed that all foreign aid must be aligned directly with St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ domestic priorities. During his recent visit to Taiwan, security cooperation was discussed, with Taipei already providing some equipment and hosting training for Vincentian law enforcement officers. However, Friday argued that ad hoc donations of surplus equipment — such as secondhand vehicles or extra bulletproof vests — while useful, do not address the most urgent needs of the current crime-fighting plan. “We have to be clear: these are our priorities, this is our national plan, how can your support help us meet these goals?” he said. He expressed confidence that Taiwan will align its support with the nation’s formal strategy once it is finalized, and emphasized that the government will not relent until the crisis is resolved: “Until the problem is gone, we don’t back off. This isn’t a six-month quick fix; we stick with it until we get results.”

    Ultimately, Friday said his mission as prime minister is to acknowledge the public’s widespread fear of violence and deliver decisive action to restore safety. He added that voters will ultimately judge his administration on whether it delivers on its promises: reducing violent crime, stemming the flow of illegal guns, strengthening policing institutions, and ending the culture of impunity that has allowed violent offenders to act without consequence.