Carib Scope

分类： politics

  • Abinader outlines regional development hubs to attract investment and create opportunities

    Abinader outlines regional development hubs to attract investment and create opportunities

    SANTIAGO, Dominican Republic — Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader, joined by José Ignacio Paliza, Minister of the Presidency, has officially outlined the government’s flagship development initiatives rolling out across four strategically located regions: Manzanillo, Punta Bergantín, Cabo Rojo and Miches. Spanning core sectors from port infrastructure and energy generation to tourism, transportation, and workforce development, the ambitious portfolio of projects is designed to drive inclusive economic growth across the country’s coastal zones.

    In the northwestern region of Manzanillo, the government’s multi-pronged development strategy centers on expanding industrial, energy, and port capacity while uplifting local communities. The region’s cornerstone infrastructure project, the redevelopment and expansion of the Port of Manzanillo, is currently 52.9% complete, with a scheduled finish date set for the first quarter of 2027. Complementing the port upgrade, the government has planned more than 800 megawatts of new power generation capacity to meet the needs of incoming industrial operations and growing local populations. Additional initiatives in Manzanillo include the Navarrete Bypass road project, a new regional vocational training center run by the Dominican Republic’s National Institute of Technical Professional Training (INFOTEP), and a suite of urban renewal and cultural preservation projects.

    Along Puerto Plata’s northern coastline, Punta Bergantín is being positioned as a new national tourism and foreign investment hub. The development project brings together public sector investment and private sector backing to build new hospitality facilities, upscale residential developments, and supporting infrastructure, all aimed at stimulating sustained economic activity across the northern Dominican coast.

    In Pedernales’ Cabo Rojo region, authorities are advancing an integrated tourism development plan that combines port expansion, hospitality construction, airport upgrades, and road infrastructure improvements. Projected visitor numbers reflect strong growth expectations: officials forecast around 200,000 annual tourists by 2026, rising to 350,000 annual visitors by 2027. The region’s first 500-room flagship hotel is on track to open by February 2027, with two additional hotels already under construction and a fourth in the late planning stages.

    In eastern Dominican Republic’s Miches, authorities are pursuing a balanced tourism-focused development model that prioritizes local community benefit alongside industry growth. Public investment is flowing into road upgrades, expanded public services, core infrastructure, and targeted technical workforce training, all with the explicit goal of generating long-term, sustainable employment and economic opportunity for local residents.

  • STATEMENT: Monell Williams-Jno Baptiste says fairwell to 14 year political career

    STATEMENT: Monell Williams-Jno Baptiste says fairwell to 14 year political career

    After 14 years of consecutive service to the people of Dominica’s St. Joseph Constituency, three-term elected representative Monell Williams-Jno Baptiste has announced her formal departure from elective politics, marking the end of one public chapter and the opening of a new chapter of community-centered service.

    In an emotional, heartfelt public statement shared with constituents across the constituency’s 15 communities—including Layou, Mero, Clarkhall, and Belles—Williams-Jno Baptiste opened by acknowledging the mix of gratitude, humility, pride, sadness, and deep love that defines this moment of transition. She emphasized that her decision came after a long period of reflection, framing her 14 years in office as a profound privilege rather than a personal achievement.

    Throughout her time in public office, Williams-Jno Baptiste said she centered her work on a core principle: public service exists to serve people, not titles or personal ambition. It requires lifting up unheard voices, speaking out when silence is easier, and showing up for communities even when no public recognition is on offer. She openly acknowledged that her tenure was not without missteps, noting that there were moments she could have done more, circumstances outside her control, and decisions that may not have lived up to all constituent expectations. Even so, she affirmed that every action she took was rooted in a sincere, genuine desire to serve the people who elected her.

    Williams-Jno Baptiste extended gratitude to every group that shaped her time in office, from loyal supporters who opened their homes and offered encouragement to critics who challenged her positions. She noted that critics offered a vital reminder: democracy is larger than any single individual, and public service requires the courage to listen, the maturity to accept disagreement, and the understanding that all constituents remain part of one shared community.

    In a special address to the constituency’s young people, Williams-Jno Baptiste urged the next generation not to let current circumstances limit their futures. She encouraged young Dominicans to dream, work hard, continue learning, and pursue public service, noting that politics, local communities, and the nation of Dominica all need new, dedicated people to step forward. Even for those who never pursue elected office, she reminded young people that every person has a responsibility to leave their community better than they found it. She also thanked the constituency’s elder leaders for imparting key lessons about leadership: that effective leadership is often about listening more than speaking, about patience, and simply showing up for those you represent.

    The outgoing representative made a critical distinction to constituents: her departure from elective politics is not a departure from service to St. Joseph. Though she will no longer seek elected office, she will remain a committed member of the community, as a neighbor, friend, and citizen, continuing to contribute to the constituency’s well-being in new forms. She leaves office with no resentment, only gratitude for the opportunity to serve and lifelong memories of walking alongside the people she represented.

    Williams-Jno Baptiste reflected that the true value of her tenure will never be measured by election wins or political power. Instead, it will be measured by the relationships she built, the stories she heard, the friendships she made, and the lives she was able to touch—things no election can ever take away. As she moves into this next phase of life, she shared a series of prayers for her constituency: that communities grow stronger, that young people find meaningful opportunity, that residents can disagree without becoming enemies, and that St. Joseph always remain a place where people look out for one another. She closed by reaffirming her enduring love for the people of St. Joseph and her gratitude for the trust they placed in her over 14 years.

  • Government moving to establish Marigot as port of entry

    Government moving to establish Marigot as port of entry

    Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit of Dominica has formally confirmed that the national government is pressing ahead with long-planned initiatives to convert the existing Marigot Fisheries Complex into a fully functional port of entry for the island. The announcement came during a recent press briefing held last week, where Skerrit outlined that earlier concerns raised by local fishing communities have now been successfully addressed, removing the last major barrier to advancing the project.

    With stakeholder disagreements reconciled, government agencies and the Dominica Air and Sea Ports Authority (DASPA) can now begin installing the operational infrastructure, regulatory systems, and supporting facilities required to open the new port to international traffic. Skerrit emphasized that the local project coordinator has made significant progress on pre-operational preparations, and responsibility now shifts to state bodies and DASPA to bring the initiative across the finish line.

    When completed, the new port of entry will be able to receive incoming vessels traveling from nearby French territorial jurisdictions in the Caribbean. Beyond streamlining cross-border maritime travel, the development is projected to unlock widespread commercial opportunities for local businesses, including new customer bases for neighborhood shops, coastal restaurants, local transportation providers, and a wide range of other service-focused enterprises.

    Skerrit framed the port conversion as a transformative economic catalyst for not just Marigot, but the entire northeastern corridor of Dominica, stretching from Marigot through surrounding communities to Calibishie and the Kalinago Territory. The project is also integrated into a broader suite of regional development initiatives for Dominica’s northeast, which includes the construction of a new international airport and a proposed redevelopment of Douglas-Charles Airport. Once the new international airport becomes operational, the Douglas-Charles site is set to be repurposed into a dedicated cargo hub and multi-use alternative sports facility that can host motor racing competitions, car shows, motorcycle rallies, and other large public events.

    Additional complementary components of the regional development strategy include expanding access to agricultural land leases and scaling up domestic food production across the northeast. Skerrit noted that the overarching goal of linking these interconnected projects is to generate sustained, broad-based economic growth and activity across Marigot and all adjacent communities, unlocking new livelihood opportunities for local residents and supporting long-term regional development.

  • PM Says Son Will Cooperate Fully With U.S. Subpoena in Alfa Nero Case

    PM Says Son Will Cooperate Fully With U.S. Subpoena in Alfa Nero Case

    The political fallout surrounding the contentious sale of the Russian-linked Alfa Nero superyacht has taken a new turn, with Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne publicly confirming that his son, Gaston Andron Browne III, will comply fully with any U.S. court subpoena issued as part of the ongoing legal process. In a recent public statement, Browne clarified that his son remains based in the twin-island nation and has made no attempt to avoid being served with legal documents, after a U.S. federal court granted approval to collect testimony and records from the younger Browne alongside multiple other individuals and corporate entities based in Florida.

    “Send somebody on a plane with the document. He will gladly receive it,” Browne stated plainly, adding that his son is prepared to appear before the Florida court and that the government and family are committed to full cooperation with the judicial process. The approval for pursuing subpoenas was granted September 7 by U.S. Magistrate Judge Marty Fulgueira Elfenbein, acting on an evidence-gathering application filed by Russian national Yulia Guryeva-Motlokhov, who intends to use the obtained materials in parallel legal proceedings hosted outside the United States. It is important to note that the judge’s order only permits the service of subpoenas, and makes no ruling on the validity of any claims Guryeva-Motlokhov has put forward in her application.
    Browne acknowledged that his son will likely retain independent legal counsel to navigate the process, but stressed that no member of the family will take any step to obstruct or delay the U.S. court’s investigation. Beyond addressing the subpoena matter, the prime minister issued a firm denial of all allegations claiming that either he or his son illicitly profited from the sale of the 266-foot luxury superyacht. This includes rejecting claims the pair received $6 million in improper proceeds from the transaction, as well as unsubstantiated assertions that the family holds $700 million in hidden offshore assets.

    “I don’t have one cent outside of Antigua and Barbuda,” Browne asserted. “I have no savings, no stocks, no shares and no bonds outside of Antigua and Barbuda. I have no third party holding any stocks, bonds or savings for me.” The prime minister explained that all income he has earned during his career in Antigua and Barbuda has been reinvested in domestic assets within the country. He did acknowledge past limited offshore financial activity: he held personal bank accounts during his time residing in the United Kingdom, and made a roughly $30,000 stock investment during a period living in South America, most of which was lost when the global technology market crashed in the early 2000s.
    Browne also addressed public scrutiny over his son’s residential property in Florida, explaining that the purchase was funded entirely by a roughly $2 million profit from a private land development deal in Antigua’s Long Bay area. “I can say categorically that he did not get a single cent – not even a toffee – from Alfa Nero,” Browne emphasized. Guryeva-Motlokhov’s application notes that any evidence obtained through the U.S. subpoena process will be utilized in upcoming legal proceedings in three jurisdictions: Antigua and Barbuda, Russia, and the United States.

  • PM Drew’s health scare puts spotlight on four years of tireless public service – WIC News

    PM Drew’s health scare puts spotlight on four years of tireless public service – WIC News

    The head of government of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis has opened up about a sudden serious health event that has drawn new attention to his relentless four-year tenure in office, confirming he is now on the path to recovery after weeks of specialized medical care abroad.

    Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew made the official announcement in a pre-recorded video address from Florida, United States, on September 13, 2026, nearly two weeks after he was first hospitalized for unexplained symptoms. The 8th Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis confirmed that the medical episode he experienced at the end of August was a stroke, adding that he has been released from hospital care and is now progressing through a structured rehabilitation program.

    The chain of events began on August 30, when Drew sought urgent care at Basseterre’s Joseph N. France General Hospital after reporting a suite of concerning symptoms: nausea, vomiting, neck stiffness, mild headache and persistent dizziness. When local clinicians stabilized his condition, he was first evacuated to Martinique for advanced assessment before being transferred to a Florida medical facility on September 2 for ongoing specialized treatment.

    Sources close to the prime minister attribute the stroke to years of unrelenting professional pressure and a grueling work schedule that Drew maintained voluntarily throughout his time in office. A trained medical doctor before entering politics, Drew has prioritized hands-on governance since taking office four years ago, rejecting secondhand reports from cabinet ministers in favor of conducting on-site inspections of infrastructure and development projects across both islands of the federation. His schedule has long included frequent international diplomatic and economic engagements paired with constant community outreach, as he centered his administration on a core mission to improve quality of life for all citizens and build a more stable, prosperous nation.

    Over his first term, Drew maintained a round-the-clock work ethic, never stepping back from public responsibilities even when facing fatigue. Colleagues and close aides confirmed that in the days leading up to his hospitalization, Drew continued to fulfill all his official duties and even attended scheduled site visits for ongoing development projects. He has repeatedly framed his public role as a calling rather than a burden, pouring all his personal time and energy into advancing the needs of St. Kitts and Nevis over the past four years – a level of dedication that ultimately led him to neglect his own physical health, insiders say.

    In Drew’s absence, Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Geoffrey Hanley has stepped in to lead the federal cabinet on an acting basis. The Cabinet Secretariat has confirmed that all governance functions, as well as ongoing social and economic development initiatives across the federation, continue to operate without disruption. In his video address, Drew extended his sincere gratitude to members of the public across St. Kitts and Nevis and well-wishers around the world for the flood of prayers and support he has received since his hospitalization.

  • Tedra Kirby embraces challenge as chief of gov’t communication

    Tedra Kirby embraces challenge as chief of gov’t communication

    St. Vincent and the Grenadines has made a landmark appointment to its public communications landscape, naming 37-year-old communications veteran Tedra Kirby as the country’s first-ever chief government communications executive, and the youngest leader in recent history to head the rebranded Agency for Public Information (API), formerly the Government Information Service.

    The Ministry of Information made the appointment official in a public announcement last Friday, tasking Kirby with a three-year initial term in this newly restructured, strategy-driven role. As a senior advisor to the national government, her portfolio covers public relations, media outreach, public engagement, and the development of strategic communications policy, placing her work at the intersection of governance, public information dissemination, and media relations.

    In an exclusive interview with iWitness News, Kirby acknowledged that she takes up the historic role fully aware of the heavy expectations and extensive work ahead. “I know there is a lot of work to be done but it is a challenge that I am looking forward to and that I am embracing immediately,” she said, noting that her youth at appointment is a rarity for a senior government leadership post in the country. Reflecting on the milestone, she joked, “When I look at the people who have come before me, I’m not sure if a director has ever been appointed that young.”

    Kirby framed her relatively early entry into this senior role as a double-edged sword. On one hand, her appointment aligns with a growing global push to bring younger generations into senior government roles, leveraging their specialized expertise in fast-evolving areas such as digital communications. On the other, she recognizes that skepticism may arise: “People may say, ‘But you are this age. Do you really have what it takes to lead an agency at this level, given the requirements of the undertaking that you’ve really been appointed to lead?’”

    Her appointment comes as part of a broader government initiative to revamp national public communications, with the stated goal of building “a more coordinated, responsive and contemporary government communications system,” per an official press release. A core priority of Kirby’s tenure will be transforming the API’s long-standing reputation and operating model: for years, the agency has positioned itself as a producer of “superior journalism” and operated as a competitor to independent private media outlets, leading to strained relations and criticism that it functions more as a partisan political tool than a neutral public information hub.

    Kirby made clear that her approach will mark a clear break from this history, prioritizing collaborative partnership over rivalry. “I definitely think relationship building is one of the most important skills that a leader in any institution, including the API, needs to have,” she emphasized. “Given the responsibilities of the media on a whole, which include things like keeping governments accountable, ensuring that information in general is shared, utilising various platforms, I do think that it is extremely important for the overall success of the API to form closer relationships with the media and view that relationship as a partnership rather than competition.” She added that the API retains a unique role sharing public information that does not fit standard news formats, creating space for complementary work alongside private outlets.

    Proactive public outreach, expansion of digital and multimedia content, and consistent media engagement round out Kirby’s core mandates. She brings more than 15 years of cross-sector experience to the role, spanning strategic corporate communications, broadcasting, media engagement, and education. Most recently, she spent three years as Network Communications Manager at the British High Commission in Barbados, leading communications strategy, public information campaigns, and regional media engagement across Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean. Kirby says that this external regional experience has given her valuable insight into global best practices that she plans to adapt to improve St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ government communications framework.

    A well-credentialed professional, Kirby is a 2018 Chevening Scholar who holds a Master of Arts in corporate communications, marketing and public relations, a Postgraduate Diploma in secondary education for English instruction, a Professional Development Certificate in digital marketing, and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and History. Her career trajectory began in broadcasting, where she started working unpaid at local station Hitz FM before moving to Hot 97, where she hosted the popular solo Sunday morning program “Woman Is Boss” and co-hosted the weekday “Afternoon Kickout” show. She later transitioned to television, hosting a long-running weekly Sunday evening discussion show on SVG TV that made her a well-known public figure across the country. Beyond her core communications and education experience, she holds certification in sports event announcing and is currently pursuing project management certification.

    Kirby steps into leadership at a time of internal transition at the API: many long-tenured staff have been transferred or requested reassignment following years of internal tensions with previous senior leadership. She says she welcomes respectful challenges to her leadership, and plans to build a collaborative work culture that empowers staff. “As a leader, we have to expect to be challenged, or we should expect to be challenged. We should, as leaders, empower our employees to not just do the work, but to also question what we do,” she explained.

    Recognizing that building trust with existing staff will be a gradual process, Kirby says she is fully committed to nurturing that trust, and upskilling communications personnel across all government ministries, not just the API. She says capacity building is a core part of her mandate, and is already developing new frameworks, guidelines and policies to leave the agency and national government communications stronger than she found it. “When I leave the post, people are better equipped to do their job than when I got there,” she said.

  • Gonsalves admits companies owed his gov’t millions but blasts amnesty

    Gonsalves admits companies owed his gov’t millions but blasts amnesty

    A heated parliamentary debate over sweeping changes to St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ corporate regulatory framework has pitted the new ruling administration against the country’s opposition leader, who is warning the reforms undermine regulatory compliance and risk running afoul of global anti-money laundering standards.

    Ralph Gonsalves, who took over as opposition leader in December after his 25-year incumbency as prime minister ended in electoral defeat, has confirmed what many industry observers suspected: thousands of companies currently owe millions in unpaid regulatory penalties and charges to the state, even after his administration passed major 2016 updates to the Companies Act designed to force compliance with national rules.

    The debate centers on the NDP government’s Companies (Amendment) Bill 2026, a package of regulatory changes that modifies the penalty structure introduced by Gonsalves’ government a decade prior. Under the new framework, the original policy of uncapped daily fines will be replaced by lower, flat monthly fees, with total penalties capped at just over EC$10,000. The bill also offers a six-month amnesty period that allows delinquent companies to clear all historic debt by paying just 50% of their total outstanding obligations.

    While Gonsalves does not dispute that substantial arrears accumulated under the old daily penalty system, he has launched a fierce criticism of the new government’s approach, calling the reforms an unnecessary “giveaway” that benefits wealthy non-compliant foreign firms and a small group of connected lawyers at the expense of ordinary Vincentian households already grappling with skyrocketing cost of living. He called the legislation “a bad bill” that disproportionately serves the interests of “a set of non‑compliant external companies owing several millions of dollars” and the legal representatives that have profited from the existing system.

    In his address to parliament, Gonsalves accused un-named local lawyers of collecting legal fees from their foreign corporate clients but failing to complete required regulatory filings, leaving clients on the hook for mounting penalties that have built up for years. He added that by his own calculations, some companies would see their total penalties slashed by as much as 98% to 99% under the new law, a cut he described as arbitrary, unjustified, and unsupported by any rigorous policy analysis.

    Gonsalves also raised alarms over the lack of transparency surrounding the reforms, noting that lawmakers are being asked to approve writing off millions in potential government revenue without receiving basic information: how many companies are affected by the changes, what total sum is currently recorded as outstanding, and how much revenue the government actually projects to recover through the amnesty program.

    Beyond the fiscal impact, Gonsalves warned the broad debt relief sends a dangerous message to corporate entities that will erode a culture of regulatory compliance. He argued the reform signals that companies can simply delay meeting their obligations long enough to eventually earn a dramatic debt write-off through legislative action. This pattern, he claimed, would disproportionately benefit well-resourced external companies, which have the financial buffer to absorb administrative and legal delays while penalties accumulate on paper.

    The opposition leader also raised red flags about another key provision in the 2026 amendment bill: the repeal of 2016 rules that expanded the requirement for external companies to register with local authorities if they indirectly hold shares in entities that own land in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Gonsalves argued removing these registration requirements comes at a time when global bodies like the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) are demanding tighter, not looser, corporate transparency and anti-money laundering oversight. Rolling back these rules, he warned, will make it far harder for local regulators and international partners to trace the beneficial ownership of land and corporate assets within SVG, and could raise serious questions from global standard-setters about the country’s commitment to robust financial regulation.

    Prime Minister Godwin Friday, head of the ruling NDP administration, rejected Gonsalves’ criticism entirely, framing the 2026 amendments not as a reckless giveaway, but as a long-overdue correction of the “draconian” 2016 rules implemented by Gonsalves’ government. Friday argued the original 2016 amendments imposed “onerous” and “crippling” penalties that made SVG an outlier among regional economies and discouraged legitimate foreign investment.

    “The act of charging $350 a day every day that you fail to get registered… is extremely high,” Friday told parliament. He noted that under the old system, penalties quickly spiraled to sums completely disconnected from the severity of the underlying violation, leaving many companies with no viable path to come back into compliance and forcing them to question whether it was worth continuing operations in the jurisdiction at all.

    By replacing uncapped daily fines with a capped monthly penalty structure and a flat-rate monthly late fee with extended filing windows, Friday explained the reforms align SVG’s corporate regulatory regime with regional standards, and create a realistic path for companies to regularize their status. On the topic of the 50% amnesty, Friday acknowledged that “large sums” of unpaid debt are currently on the government’s books, but pointed out that the vast majority of this debt was effectively uncollectable under the old, overly harsh framework. Allowing companies to clear half their debt within a six-month window, he argued, is a pragmatic compromise that lets the government recover at least some lost revenue, cleans up the corporate registry, and keeps legitimate businesses operating in the country. “Half a loaf is better than none,” he noted.

  • Judge sides with prisoner

    Judge sides with prisoner

    In a landmark ruling that upholds core constitutional protections for incarcerated people, the High Court of Trinidad and Tobago has ruled that the State cannot carry out routine interception and recording of confidential communications between prisoners and their legal representatives. The judgment, delivered by Justice Robin Mohammed last Friday, has invalidated key provisions of the 2020 Interception of Communications (Amendment) Act, declaring them unconstitutional, illegal, null and void.

    The constitutional challenge was brought by Lyndon James, a prisoner who is currently awaiting retrial for the 2008 murder of businesswoman Vindra Naipaul-Coolman. James, represented by a team of senior attorneys from Freedom Law Chambers led by Anand Ramlogan SC, targeted two specific sections of the 2020 amendment: sections 6(b)(v) and 7. These clauses expanded the State’s authority to intercept all prisoner communications within correctional facilities and stripped the vast majority of these exchanges of their longstanding legal professional privilege protection.

    In his detailed judgment, Justice Mohammed found that the challenged amendments directly violated multiple fundamental constitutional rights, including the explicit right of detainees to retain legal counsel and communicate confidentially with them, as well as the foundational right to a fair judicial hearing. Beyond the substantive rights violation, the judge also determined that the legislation was never enacted in compliance with the special constitutional procedure required for any law that limits fundamental human rights, marking a fatal procedural flaw in the amendment’s passage.

    Justice Mohammed emphasized the inextricable link between legal professional privilege, the rule of law, and functional democratic governance. “The courts are the guardians of the Constitution, they can only fulfil that role of guardianship if there is unimpeded access to the justice system,” he wrote in his judgment. He further noted that confidential communication between prisoners and their lawyers takes on heightened importance, given that incarcerated people rely on these discussions to address a wide range of critical issues, from challenges to their detention and claims of mistreatment to claims of constitutional violations and safety threats within the facility. “A safe space is an integral element to fostering open dialogue between attorneys and clients,” he added.

    A key finding in the ruling was that the 2020 amendments effectively imposed a blanket ban on legal professional privilege for all prisoner communications. Justice Mohammed pointed out that no ministerial orders were ever issued to designate specific areas within prisons where privilege would remain protected, leaving no exception for confidential legal discussions.

    The judge also rejected the State’s core argument that legal privilege could not apply to conversations held over illegal mobile phones that prisoners may smuggle into correctional facilities. “The Defendant’s proposition that the Claimant cannot reasonably expect to attach privilege to conversations facilitated by illegal cellular phones, is unsustainable,” he ruled. While he confirmed that communications made in furtherance of ongoing criminal activity never qualify for privilege protection, Justice Mohammed stressed that the mere use of an unapproved device does not automatically strip a defendant of their right to confidential legal discussion about their own case.

    Justice Mohammed acknowledged that the State has a legitimate public interest goal of curbing criminal activity within prison walls. However, he found that the government failed to prove that sweeping, routine interception of all legal communications is a proportionate response to that goal. “Plainly a telephone call made by an inmate or detainee to his lawyer, to provide instructions or take advice, is not the same thing as the issuing of criminal instructions or the furtherance of criminal activity,” he explained.

    The judge also noted that a far less intrusive alternative was available to the State: engaging independent legal counsel to review any intercepted communications to determine whether they qualify for legal privilege before retaining or using the content. “The option of engaging independent counsel provided a less intrusive measure which could and ought to have been used,” he said. “A fair balance has not been struck between the rights of the individual (the prisoners) and the interests of the community (the public),” he added.

    Going a step further, Justice Mohammed found that the entire amendment was enacted on an “erroneous premise”: that the changes did not conflict with constitutional rights, and thus did not require the special legislative majority mandated under Section 13 of the national constitution. “Indeed, it is plainly obvious that if the parent Act was passed in compliance with Section 13, an Amendment Act which imposes further restrictions on Sections 4 and 5 rights ought to be passed in compliance with Section 13,” he wrote.

    In final orders, Justice Mohammed formally declared the challenged provisions unconstitutional, and ruled that the amendments to the Interception of Communications Act are “illegal, null, void and of no effect”. James was awarded full costs for his successful challenge, with the judgment certified to allow for costs at the senior and junior counsel level. The Office of the Attorney General, which defended the law, was represented by Senior Counsel Gilbert Peterson, Rishi Dass SC, and Rachel Wright.

  • ‘Wealthy drug mafia’ targeted

    ‘Wealthy drug mafia’ targeted

    Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has issued a stark public warning to the country’s wealthy drug trafficking networks, signaling that her administration will not ease its aggressive anti-crime push even after the expiration of the national state of emergency (SoE) on September 17.

    In an official statement released via social media, the Prime Minister outlined a clear, uncompromising stance against organized criminal groups, specifically calling out drug gangs operating out of the upscale West Trinidad neighborhoods of Westmoorings, St Clair and Federation Park. She slammed these networks as “filthy, greedy” for flooding the twin-island nation with illegal narcotics and unregistered firearms that fuel violent crime and harm local communities.

    Persad-Bissessar made clear that the end of emergency powers would not bring a halt to the government’s law enforcement campaign. She emphasized that criminals, their backers and their family members will still face harsh consequences for any ongoing criminal activity, noting that holding cells at the Teteron and Maximum Security Prison (MSP) remain ready for anyone who continues to terrorize law-abiding residents. “Negotiating with or placating criminals only emboldens them to continue their criminal activities,” she stressed.

    As part of her commitment to transparency and public accountability, the Prime Minister declassified previously confidential law enforcement data submitted to the National Security Council, which outlines the results of the six-month state of emergency. The data shows that the operation has been “highly successful”: authorities arrested 5,802 people across the country, with 3,552 of those arrested – 61.2 percent of the total – facing formal criminal charges. Persad-Bissessar confirmed that the six-month period saw the “primary threat” of organized crime reduced, with crime rates dropping in every single police division across Trinidad and Tobago.

    The Prime Minister used the address to critique decades-long trends that she said eroded public safety in the nation. She argued that over the past 30 years, Trinidad and Tobago slid from a peaceful society to what she called a “lawless dump,” a shift driven in part by a widely perceived two-tiered justice system. Under that unequal system, she explained, ordinary citizens face the full force of the law, while what she termed “eat-a-food fake elite and politically connected” actors get special treatment and avoid consequences for criminal activity. “I am working to bring those days to an end. Everyone must now bear personal responsibility for their individual behaviour,” she said.

    To target high-level criminal networks that believe their wealth and influence put them beyond legal reach, Persad-Bissessar confirmed her administration is coordinating closely with foreign law enforcement agencies to dismantle local drug trafficking operations. This collaborative effort will ensure that even wealthy mafia figures face the same prosecution procedures as any other person accused of breaking the law, she said. The Prime Minister stressed that gangs from wealthy West Trinidad neighborhoods will not receive preferential treatment, and will face the same legal consequences as long-recognized street gangs from areas including Siparia, Arima and Laventille.

    This public warning is consistent with Persad-Bissessar’s ongoing campaign to root out white-collar facilitation of organized crime, not just low-level street gang activity. Back in June, she backed a similar warning from Attorney General John Jeremie that the anti-crime push would target wealthy, influential figures suspected of profiting from drug trafficking and organized crime, not just traditional street-level groups. Reiterating the principle that “justice is blind,” the Prime Minister affirmed that the law applies equally to all citizens, no matter their net worth, social status, political connections or public influence.

    Later that same month, Persad-Bissessar revealed that United States intelligence agencies had identified a network of local individuals, business owners and banking staff allegedly linked to large-scale money laundering and drug trafficking for international cartels, moving millions in U.S. currency out of the country. She confirmed at the time that U.S. authorities had already begun punitive action against these actors, including restricting their access to U.S. territory and American financial institutions. To strengthen domestic enforcement, the Prime Minister added that her government is bolstering the capacity of the Inland Revenue Division to increase regulatory scrutiny of white-collar criminals and businesses tied to drug trafficking, financial crime and gang activity.

    Persad-Bissessar closed her statement by extending formal gratitude to all government officials and frontline personnel who supported the state of emergency operations, including the Attorney General, defense and security ministerial teams, police and prison leadership, and all rank-and-file protective service workers who worked extended shifts to keep the public safe. She also thanked law-abiding Trinidad and Tobago residents for their patience, support and willingness to cooperate with authorities during the emergency period, saying their backing was critical to the operation’s early success.

  • PM hails SoE ‘success’

    PM hails SoE ‘success’

    As the Government of Trinidad and Tobago prepares to wrap up a six-month state of emergency (SoE) on September 17, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has made public previously classified operational data to demonstrate what she frames as the security initiative’s success.

    In a social media post published this week, Persad-Bissessar published the full contents of an internal document marked “SECRET”, which lays out the most granular breakdown of arrests, charges, and preventive detentions recorded during the operation to date. The dataset covers the full operational period from March 3 through September 10, 2026, with cumulative figures updated through day 192 of the SoE. The document was reportedly compiled in response to an urgent request for updated statistics on detained and charged individuals, though the identity of the requester has been redacted in the version released by the Prime Minister.

    According to the declassified figures, law enforcement arrested a total of 5,802 people between the launch of the SoE and September 10, with 3,552 of those detainees — 61.2% of the total arrested population — formally criminally charged. This total marks an increase from the previously reported 5,767 arrests, with 35 additional people taken into custody on day 192 of the operation.

    Of the 3,552 total charges, more than 60% (2,154 cases) were classified as Serious Reported Crimes (SRCs), with the remaining split between 816 Minor Crime charges (23%) and 582 Minor Offence charges (16.4%). The report explicitly notes that serious offences make up the majority of all charges filed during the SoE.

    Within the Serious Reported Crimes category, charges related to illegal possession of firearms and ammunition were the most common, with 558 people facing these charges alone — accounting for more than a quarter of all serious offence charges. Following firearms charges, the most common serious offences were robbery (246 charges), general larceny (238), breaking and entering offences (225), narcotics possession with intent to traffic (214), fraud (140), other serious crimes (135), sexual offences (118), wounding or shooting offences (69), home invasion (66), motor vehicle larceny (48), murder (46), kidnapping (41), serious indecency (5), and larceny of a dwelling house (5).

    For the 816 Minor Crime charges, possession of narcotics was the most frequent offence, with 494 people charged. Other minor crime charges include 82 for unspecified other offences, 79 for possession of drug paraphernalia, 39 for fraud and related minor financial offences, 38 for minor larceny, 30 for assaulting a police officer, 18 for malicious wounding, 13 for unlawful possession of contraband, 10 for praedial larceny, eight for possession of housebreaking tools, four for indecent assault, and one for minor larceny of a dwelling.

    A further 582 people were charged with Minor Offences, the lowest-level classification in the report. Of these, 216 fell under the “Other Minor Offences” grouping, with 129 charged with breach of the peace, 115 charged with assault on police, 54 charged with assault, battery, or criminal threats, 39 charged with unlawful weapon possession, 23 charged with gambling or betting offences, four charged with malicious property damage, and two charged with loitering or public vagrancy.

    The classified report also includes contextual data on home invasion trends, clarifying the difference between the 66 people charged with home invasion during the SoE and the 238 total home invasion incidents recorded nationwide in 2026 to date. Long-term trend data shows that national home invasion incidents fell roughly 42.6% from 535 incidents in 2024 to 307 in 2025. While associated murders rose slightly from 28 to 31 over that period, burglary (down from 179 to 79), robbery (down from 295 to 177), and shootings/woundings (down from 33 to 20) all recorded sharp declines.

    The document also details the use of Preventive Detention Orders (PDOs), a special power granted under the SoE’s emergency regulations. As of day 192, authorities had recommended 801 PDO applications, with 702 (87.6% of recommendations) approved by relevant bodies. Of those approved, 574 PDOs were executed, after one additional detention was carried out on day 192.

    Of the 574 people detained via PDO, 240 (41.8%) have been formally charged with criminal offences, while the remaining 334 (58.2%) do not currently appear on the charged list. The report explicitly warns against interpreting this to mean the uncharged detainees are innocent, noting that “investigations may remain ongoing” for those not yet charged.

    Persad-Bissessar’s decision to release the sensitive security data comes just days before the SoE’s authorized mandate expires on September 17. Last Friday, Minister of Homeland Security Roger Alexander confirmed to Parliament that the government would not seek an extension to the emergency period, confirming the operation will end as scheduled.