A 59-year-old Barbadian man with a decades-long history of theft-related convictions has been handed another 18-month prison term, just months after completing a similar sentence for larceny. Troy Ryan Oneal Jordan, a resident of Vauxhall in Christ Church, entered a guilty plea this week at District ‘A’ Magistrates Court No. 2 to three counts of shoplifting stemming from an August 22 incident at the popular BJ’s Value Market location on Spooner’s Hill. Prosecutor Sergeant Kenmore Phillips detailed the sequence of events for the court, explaining that the alleged theft unfolded shortly after 9:30 a.m. that Saturday when Jordan entered the self-service grocery outlet. Surveillance and on-duty security staff, who already recognized Jordan from prior interactions, monitored his movements through the store after he made a beeline for the frozen meat section. According to Phillips’ account, Jordan placed a $104.78 pre-packaged ham directly into his personal backpack, before adding two $23.85 deodorants and a bottle of perfume valued at $12.45 to the concealed stash. Once Jordan passed all checkout points and approached the store’s main exit, the on-duty security officer moved in to intercept him. A search of his backpack immediately uncovered all four unreported items, leading to his arrest and subsequent court appearance. Speaking in his own defense during the hearing, Jordan told Magistrate Manila Renee that he had a change of heart mid-theft, claiming he was on his way back to return the concealed items when security stopped him. “I was stealing them but when I get to the front I tell myself, ‘Ya see this here? This is foolishness that I doing,’ and I was going to put dem back but I get hold before I could,” he told the court. Magistrate Renie, who originally sentenced Jordan to 18 months in prison on a separate theft charge last year, expressed frustration at the repeat offense, noting Jordan had only just been released from custody before committing the new shoplifting. “You are not learning. You were last here just last year and I gave you 18 months for something similar and you just got out of prison and back here again,” Renee said. The magistrate also pointed out that the vast majority of Jordan’s 39 prior criminal convictions are related to violations of the national Theft Act. Despite the pattern of repeated offending, Renee granted Jordan a sentencing discount for entering an early guilty plea that spared the court from spending additional time on proceedings. “You pleaded guilty at the earliest possible time and did not waste the court’s time and therefore I will give you 18 months even though you should be getting more time because as soon you got out you are back in trouble,” Renee ruled, handing down the new custodial sentence.
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Lions Club of St Andrew celebrates 55 years of service and impact
Fifty-five years after it first received its official charter, the Lions Club of St Andrew in Grenada is marking a historic milestone of sustained volunteerism, celebrating five decades of dedicated service that has lifted up vulnerable communities and changed lives across the Caribbean.
Founded on August 25, 1971, under the direction of founding leader Jerome Penny, the organization has cultivated a far-reaching legacy of community-centered action, adapting its work to meet evolving local and regional needs while upholding the global Lions Clubs mission of service. This year’s anniversary is marked by the theme “A Legacy of Service: Celebrating 55 Years of Impact”, a nod to the thousands of hours of volunteer work and hundreds of initiatives the club has carried out since its founding.
Over its 55-year history, the club has stepped in to respond to some of the region’s most devastating crises. When Hurricane Ivan tore through Grenada, the organization led efforts to rebuild damaged schools and destroyed family homes. After Hurricane Beryl impacted Carriacou, it coordinated rapid delivery of critical relief supplies to displaced residents. It also extended support to neighboring Caribbean nations facing disaster, providing aid to communities affected by the 2021 volcanic eruption in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and widespread flooding in Dominica. Beyond large-scale disaster response, the club has consistently provided targeted support to vulnerable individual community members facing hardship.
The club’s ongoing impact extends far beyond emergency response, covering a wide range of public health, environmental, education and social welfare initiatives. It has organized regular Sight First marches to expand access to vision care, provided free eyeglasses to low-income children, led regular coastal cleanups and large-scale tree-planting projects to protect Grenada’s natural ecosystems, distributed food hampers and hot meals to food-insecure households, supported young people entering agricultural careers, run public education campaigns for diabetes and breast cancer prevention, provided financial and practical support to families navigating childhood cancer diagnoses, and distributed free school supplies to students from low-income backgrounds.
One of the club’s most enduring contributions to community development is the Leo Club of St Andrew, its youth-focused affiliate chartered 33 years ago. The Leo Club gives young Grenadians the chance to build leadership, teamwork and project management skills through hands-on community service, and many of its alumni have gone on to hold prominent leadership roles in both Grenada’s public and private sectors, creating a lasting ripple effect of positive impact.
To mark its 55th anniversary, the club has planned a full week of new service initiatives that carry forward its mission. Planned activities include distributing free backpacks to local students, making a major donation to the Crochu Home for the Elderly, hosting its annual Secondary School Transition Workshop to support new high school students, and partnering with the St Andrew Leo Club to deliver a career planning and development program for young men. The club is also launching a new social media awareness campaign aligned with two of Lions Clubs International’s global priority causes: ending food insecurity and expanding diabetes education and access to care.
In remarks marking the milestone, current club president Lion Gennesta Charles noted that the anniversary is both a time to reflect on past achievements and an opportunity to reaffirm the organization’s commitment to future service. “Fifty-five years of service. Fifty-five years of impact. And, with God’s grace, our legacy of service continues,” Charles said.
The organization extended sincere gratitude to all past and current members, local businesses, partner nonprofits, community groups and individual supporters who have sustained its work over the past five and a half decades. As it celebrates this landmark achievement, the club is calling on members of the public to join its ongoing mission of service, whether by supporting its upcoming initiatives or applying for membership to contribute hands-on to community work.
For 55 years, the Lions Club of St Andrew has answered the call to serve Grenada and its neighbors — and as it enters its 56th year, the organization remains as committed to its mission as it was on the day it received its charter.
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DNA behandelt nieuwe Algemene Wet Belastingen met ruimere bevoegdheden fiscus
On August 25, Suriname’s National Assembly began deliberations on a landmark overhaul of the country’s fragmented tax regulatory framework, a long-awaited reform aimed at streamlining administrative processes and resolving longstanding inconsistencies in the national tax system. The flagship piece of legislation, proposed as the new General Tax Law, seeks to unify procedural rules across nearly all major tax categories, covering everything from tax declaration filing and assessment procedures to audits, appeals, information disclosure requirements, and penalty enforcement.
Currently, Suriname’s tax system operates under a patchwork of separate laws for each type of tax, each with its own unique rules for deadlines, filing forms, payment processes, inspector powers, appeal protocols, and cross-border legal cooperation. According to the government’s explanatory memorandum, this fragmented structure has created widespread confusion and unequal treatment for taxpayers, as inconsistent rules are applied across different tax types. The new General Tax Law is designed to eliminate these disparities by harmonizing all procedural regulations into a single, clear framework.
Spanning 88 articles, the new legislation applies to all core taxes in Suriname, including income tax, wage tax, dividend tax, turnover tax, property tax, rental value tax, casino tax, and lottery tax. Importantly, the law does not adjust actual tax rates or change substantive tax obligations; it only standardizes the procedural mechanisms for tax assessment and collection, leaving substantive tax rules (such as liability, taxable bases, and rates) in place under existing individual tax laws.
One of the most transformative changes included in the reform is the accelerated digitalization of all tax-related interactions between authorities and taxpayers. The law introduces a new national Fiscal Identification Number (FIN) for all taxpayers and withholding agents, and grants the director of the Suriname Tax Administration the authority to mandate that all official communication with the tax authority be conducted exclusively through digital channels. The Tax Administration is required to provide a secure, encrypted digital platform to support this transition.
The reform also expands and clarifies information and record-keeping obligations for all taxpayers. Individuals and entities will be required to provide any data or details relevant to tax assessment upon request, while businesses must maintain organized financial records that clearly reflect their tax rights and obligations. Tax inspectors will also gain conditional access to private buildings and land to conduct on-site tax investigations, granting the Tax Administration broader and more clearly defined powers to gather information and verify compliance.
In response to concerns about expanded regulatory powers, the government emphasizes that the reform also strengthens legal protections for taxpayers. It establishes uniform, standardized timelines and procedures for filing objections and appeals against tax assessments. Rulings from tax inspectors on objections can now be appealed directly to the Cantonal Court for tax matters, and the government’s memorandum explicitly acknowledges that expanded inspection powers must be paired with robust, accessible legal safeguards for taxpayers.
A comprehensive new administrative penalty regime is also introduced, which creates a clear distinction between penalties for negligence (non-compliance fines) and penalties for intentional misconduct (wrongdoing fines). Wrongdoing fines apply in cases of fraud or gross negligence, and can reach up to 100% of the amount of tax that was underpaid as a result of the intentional misconduct. The law also includes separate criminal provisions for severe violations of tax obligations, to deter large-scale tax evasion.
The reform also formalizes cross-border information exchange for tax purposes, enshrining the process in law for the first time. The Minister of Finance will be able to share taxpayer information with competent foreign tax authorities under predefined conditions, and allow foreign officials to observe tax investigations conducted on Surinamese territory. At the same time, the law outlines clear conditions under which requests for foreign information exchange can be rejected, protecting the interests of Surinamese taxpayers where appropriate.
Under the reform’s transition provisions, existing regulatory decisions and arrangements will remain in force until new rules are formally adopted to replace them. In all transitional cases, the provision that is more favorable to the taxpayer will be applied, to avoid unnecessary disruptions or unfair treatment during the shift to the new framework. The final effective date of the new law will be set by a separate state decree after it is passed by the National Assembly.
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LETTER: Concerned Consumer Appeals to Prime Minister Over $1,400 APUA Electricity Bill
A working-class consumer in Antigua and Barbuda has issued a desperate, public appeal to Prime Minister Gaston Browne, demanding urgent government intervention to investigate widespread allegations of abnormally inflated electricity and water billing from the Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA).
The filer of the appeal, who identifies as a frustrated but law-abiding citizen, laid out a staggering personal example of the billing crisis hitting local households: their monthly electricity bill, which previously never topped $280, has spiked abruptly to roughly $1,400. What makes this unexplained jump even more baffling is that the household does not own or operate any air conditioning units, one of the largest drivers of residential electricity consumption in tropical climates. There is no change to the household’s energy use habits that could account for the five-fold increase in costs.
When the consumer approached APUA’s customer service location on Independence Avenue to dispute the bill and request a review, they received a dismissive response. A company representative told the complainant that the charge was an “actual bill” and no further action or investigation could be offered. This brush-off left the consumer deeply discouraged, arguing that customers facing dramatically abnormal bills deserve a formal process to request meter testing, account audits, and independent reviews of unexpected charges.
The financial pressure of these exorbitant utility bills has pushed the household to the brink of financial insolvency. After payroll deductions, the consumer’s total monthly income amounts to just $2,000. A $1,400 electricity bill combined with a $400 water bill leaves only $200 to cover all other monthly living expenses, including groceries, household supplies, transportation costs, and family care. For an average working person, this math makes basic financial survival nearly impossible, the appellant notes.
Crucially, this is not an isolated incident. The consumer says they have heard dozens of similar complaints from other APUA customers across the country, all reporting sudden, unplanned spikes in their utility bills that do not align with their actual usage. This pattern suggests a systemic problem with APUA’s billing infrastructure or practices that requires high-level official attention.
In closing the appeal, the complainant emphasizes they are not refusing to fulfill their financial obligation to pay for authorized utility use. Instead, they are calling for three core principles: fairness, transparency, and accountability from the state-owned utility provider. Working Antiguans and Barbudans should not be forced to hand over nearly their entire monthly paycheck to cover water and electricity costs, leaving nothing left to support their families or cover basic needs. Consumers deserve to trust that their meters are calibrated correctly, their bills are calculated accurately, and that disputed charges will receive a full, impartial investigation. The appeal ends with a plea for the Prime Minister to prioritize this issue and deliver rapid relief for working households across the nation.
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A love Tested by Time: Artheton and Fae Martin celebrate 57 years of marriage
On August 23, 2026, a warm, heartfelt moment unfolded at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Chapel in Giraudel, as the entire congregation turned to sing a special anniversary rendition of “Happy Birthday”—reworked for Atherton “Athie” Martin and his wife Fae, who marked 57 years of marriage that weekend. What began as a chaotic favor from a girl next door to a troublesome teenage neighbor has grown into a half-century-plus union defined by distance, disagreement, forgiveness, and a quiet, unshakable commitment to choosing each other, again and again.
The pair first crossed paths as teenagers in Dominica, when Fae’s family moved into the home adjacent to Athie’s childhood residence. Athie was 14 or 15 at the time, and Fae was two years his junior. A self-described “troublesome boy” with a love of music and no shortage of female admirers, Athie found himself in a deeply awkward bind: he had accidentally scheduled two separate cinema dates on the exact same night. Desperate for a way out, he asked Fae’s mother for permission to bring Fae along to help defuse the situation, and Fae agreed. The foursome headed to Carib Cinema, with Athie sandwiched between two other young women and Fae by his side, bailing him out of his own social misstep. “She saw my predicament and decided to help,” Athie remembered. “And that was the first time we actually went out together.”
What started as a casual neighborhood friendship slowly bloomed into affection, forged through shared youthful adventures and quiet time spent together. Their bond deepened dramatically after the devastating 1963 Carnival fire that killed Athie’s oldest brother, Eddie. Fae and her family stood by the Martin family through their overwhelming grief, a show of support that changed how Athie saw his young neighbor. “It was a very grief-filled time for me, for my family,” Arthie recalled. “Their family, they were there with us.” In that dark moment, he came to see Fae not just as the girl next door, but as a compassionate, steady presence he could count on. By 1965, their friendship had naturally shifted into courtship, and they officially became boyfriend and girlfriend.
When Fae migrated to the United States in 1967, thousands of miles of ocean did little to dampen their connection. Athie proposed, and in a romantic gesture fitting for the era, his engagement ring traveled to New York via regular mail. “The ring arrived in the mail, the US Postal Service,” Fae confirmed. Unwilling to let the woman he loved build a life apart from him, Athie soon followed her to the U.S., and the pair married in 1969. Their new union faced an immediate test: the day after their wedding, Athie left to begin his university studies, and the newlyweds lived apart for nearly two years, until Fae joined him in upstate New York while he attended Cornell University. It was there they finally built their first shared home: Fae worked on campus while Athie pursued his degree, and they made lifelong friendships that endure to this day.
After Athie completed his studies, the couple faced another crossroads: he could either return to his native Caribbean or take a professional post in Africa. Fae favored the Africa opportunity, but Athie’s heart remained tied to Dominica. His choice to return home created years of extended separation: while Athie built his career, engaged in political work, and led community projects in Dominica, Fae stayed in New York, where the couple’s only child, their son, was born. The long-distance strain took a heavy toll on their marriage, and Athie speaks openly about his own mistakes, including extramarital relationships that caused Fae deep and lasting pain. He credits Fae’s extraordinary strength, generosity, and radical capacity for forgiveness with saving their marriage. “She had to have been a supremely strong person to remain engaged with me after all these events,” he acknowledged.
Eventually, the whole family reunited in the Washington, D.C. metro area, settling in Maryland. Both built successful careers, bought a home, and forged what Athie calls a “second version” of their marriage. But Dominica’s pull never faded for Athie. When he decided to relocate back to his home country permanently, Fae did not share his urgency and stayed in the U.S. for another year. Undeterred, Athie returned to the U.S. for her, bringing a 40-foot shipping container to pack up all their belongings—including their car—and made it clear that their next chapter would be written together, in Dominica.
While their return was not without conflict, working side by side on a shared business investment gave the couple a renewed common purpose. Decades of navigating differences together taught them a clear lesson about lasting marriage, Athie says: “The secret of staying married for 57 years is having common ground, but not being afraid of differences.” They also prioritize preserving each partner’s individuality: Fae gives Athie space to pursue his passions, and he extends the same freedom to her. Open communication is another core pillar of their bond, though they have learned communication does not always mean immediate conversation. Where Athie is naturally quick to speak, Fae often needs time to process before addressing conflict; over the years, they have learned that patience is a form of listening, and that love requires understanding what is communicated through silence as much as words.
Through every high and low, the couple has never lost their ability to find joy and laughter together. One beloved shared memory: a casual walk in an upstate New York park that turned into a frantic race to escape a swarm of mosquitoes dead-set on chasing Fae. What felt like a disaster in the moment became a running joke between them for decades. That ability to find humor even in uncomfortable, messy moments remains one of the strongest threads in their bond.
Today, 57 years after Fae bailed a teenaged Athie out of an embarrassing cinema mishap, the couple still stands together. Their love has not endured because their path was ever smooth; it has lasted through distance, heartbreak, disagreement, and changing life seasons because they never stopped choosing to find their way back to each other. When asked if he would make the same choice to build a life with Fae, Athie says he would not hesitate: “I would do it again.” Reflecting on a lifetime of possibilities, he says no other relationship could ever compare to the one he shares with his wife. For young couples just starting out, their advice is straightforward and honest: make time for each other, communicate openly, learn to navigate both joy and hardship together, respect each other’s individuality, and expect the unexpected. “Laugh at yourself and laugh with each other,” Arthie advises. “Create a relationship that is large enough to accommodate the good times, but also the tough times.”
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FLASH : New massacre in Kenskoff, at least 60 victims
A horrific unprovoked attack by a violent Haitian criminal gang has left dozens of civilians dead and injured in the mountainous town of Kenscoff, deepening the Caribbean nation’s ongoing humanitarian and security crisis. The assault unfolded shortly after 9 p.m. local time on August 23, 2026, when heavily armed members of the gang Viv Ansanm stormed the town’s central district and surrounding outlying communities, Kenscoff Mayor Jean Massillon confirmed in the immediate aftermath.
The gang’s primary target was a local church that had been repurposed as a shelter for people displaced by Haiti’s widespread gang violence. According to Massillon, attackers entered the camp and systematically executed or wounded dozens of unarmed civilians who had sought safety there. Beyond the killings, the gang abducted an unknown number of residents, set fire to residential homes and civilian vehicles, and slaughtered local livestock in an act of collective intimidation.
As search and recovery operations continue across Kenscoff, the provisional casualty toll stands at more than 60 affected people: at least 40 killed and more than 20 wounded. Massillon noted that the final death toll is expected to rise, as multiple residents remain unaccounted for in the wake of the attack.
In the hours following the massacre, Haiti’s Office of the Prime Minister issued an official statement condemning the attack and extending condolences to the families of all victims. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Fils-Aimé, the government affirmed its solidarity with Haitian citizens grappling with the violence, framing the attack as a critical test of state authority that will be met with force.
“All security forces are on high alert, and reinforcements are already being deployed to Kenscoff,” the statement read. “Our orders are clear: protect, secure, intervene. The Government’s authority will be restored, without weakness and without delay, throughout the entire territory of Kenscoff.” The prime minister’s office added an unequivocal commitment to ending gang dominance across the country: “No armed group will prosper in Haiti. The criminals will obtain no truce, no refuge, and no impunity. Security forces have been ordered to pursue, neutralize, and render these gangs harmless. Kenscoff will not be abandoned. Haiti will not be surrendered to the bandits. The Republic will prevail!”
Within hours of the government’s statement, the gang responsible for the massacre released a retaliatory video running less than three minutes long to signal its defiance. The footage shows roughly 20 hostages—including women, young adult men, and infants—whom the gang is using as human shields. A voiceover on the video threatens to execute all hostages if Haitian security forces launch an attack using kamikaze drones.
Haiti’s Office of Citizen Protection (OPC) joined the government in condemning the attack, issuing a statement expressing profound shock and sorrow over the tragedy that has once again plunged the Haitian people into collective mourning. The organization reaffirmed its solidarity with victim families and called for immediate, decisive action from national security authorities.”We urge the Superior Council of the National Police and all competent bodies to take all necessary measures as quickly as possible to restore lasting security in Kenscoff, protect the civilian population, and conduct a full investigation into these crimes,” the OPC statement said. “All perpetrators and those who ordered this attack must be identified, prosecuted, and brought to justice in accordance with Haitian law.”
The OPC also called on Haitian state institutions to deliver urgent emergency support to affected communities. Specifically, the organization requested immediate medical care for the injured, financial and emotional support for bereaved families, and resources to ensure that victims of the massacre are given dignified, respectful burials.
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Geweld laait weer op in Haïti; minstens 30 doden te midden van verkiezingsvoorbereidingen
Haiti has been plunged into renewed chaos by a fresh, alarming surge of gang violence, which has left at least 30 people dead following a coordinated assault on an agricultural community in Kenscoff, a rural area located just south of the crisis-hit capital Port-au-Prince. The attack, carried out by a powerful alliance of armed gangs, comes at a fragile moment: the Caribbean nation is currently preparing to hold its first general election in more than a decade, a vote that many Haitians have hoped would kickstart a long-awaited transition to stability after years of political and social collapse.
Jean Massillon, mayor of Kenscoff, confirmed that armed assailants unleashed widespread destruction during the raid, setting residential homes ablaze and gunning down residents indiscriminately. Targets of the attack extended beyond private homes to include a local church and the personal residence of Jean William Pape, a prominent Haitian public health expert. Massillon explicitly identified the coalition-leading gang Viv Ansanm as the party responsible for the violence. Notably, the United States government formally designated Viv Ansanm as a foreign terrorist organization last year, highlighting the group’s global notoriety as a violent non-state actor.
The security landscape across Haiti remains deeply critical, with independent estimates confirming that armed gangs currently control approximately 70 percent of Port-au-Prince, the country’s capital. Kenscoff holds particular strategic value for gangs, as it overlooks key access routes to Petion-Ville, a district that hosts multiple foreign embassies, upscale hotels, and Haiti’s temporary seat of government. This geographic importance has made the area a repeated target for gang incursions and territorial takeovers as groups fight to expand their influence across the country.
International efforts to curb gang violence have so far failed to reverse the country’s downward spiral. A UN-backed multinational anti-gang security task force, which is projected to eventually reach 5,500 personnel, has not yet reached full operational capacity, leaving security forces stretched thin across the country. United Nations data confirms that gang-related violence has already displaced more than 1.5 million Haitians nationwide since the crisis escalated. Despite ongoing diplomatic and security support from the international community, violence continues unabated: more than 3,100 people have been killed and over 1,100 injured in gang-related conflict in the first half of 2024 alone.
In an official response to the Kenscoff attack, the office of Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille issued a strong condemnation of the violence, reassuring the public that national security forces have been placed on high alert and additional reinforcements are being deployed to the area. “Kenscoff will not be abandoned,” the prime minister’s statement read. “Government authority will be restored without weakness and without delay.”
Meanwhile, Haitian authorities have begun processing voter registration for the general election scheduled for January 2025. But independent election and security experts have issued stark warnings that the ongoing security crisis has created conditions far too dangerous to hold a free, fair, and safe vote. The persistent wave of gang violence and systemic political instability has emerged as one of the largest barriers to the democratic process, dashing many Haitians’ hopes of breaking the country’s cycle of collapse and building long-term national stability.
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Woman prison officer arrested
In a landmark incident marking the first known case of a female prison officer caught smuggling prohibited items in Trinidad and Tobago’s correctional system, a 19-year veteran staff member was taken into custody at Golden Grove Prison in Arouca on Thursday morning during a routine security sweep.
The Trinidad and Tobago Prison Service confirmed that the arrest took place at approximately 8:48 a.m. Following the discovery of contraband in the officer’s possession, she was immediately cautioned per protocol, and law enforcement units assigned to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) were dispatched to the facility. The officer was then escorted to the Arouca Police Station, where she remained throughout the day to assist with ongoing investigative inquiries. Prison officials confirmed she is scheduled to face formal criminal charges later this week.
Acting Commissioner of Prisons Elvin Scanterbury publicly praised the work of the officers who detected and intercepted the smuggling attempt, emphasizing a core institutional principle: no person employed by the prison service, regardless of their gender, rank or length of service, is exempt from the consequences of violating the law. The prison service has long maintained a strict zero-tolerance policy for contraband trafficking and all other illegal activity carried out by staff within correctional facilities, a stance officials reaffirmed in the wake of the arrest.
The Prison Officers’ Association of Trinidad and Tobago (POATT), the national union representing prison staff, also confirmed it has been officially notified of the arrest and the contraband trafficking allegations. POATT public relations officer Kris Guerero stated that the association’s position aligns firmly with that of the prison service: there is no room for tolerance for any officer who smuggles or helps facilitate the movement of prohibited items into or within correctional institutions. Guerero stressed that professional accountability must apply equally to all officers, no matter their gender, rank, tenure, social status or personal connections. He added that the actions of one individual officer should not tarnish the professional reputation of the vast majority of prison staff who carry out their duties with integrity.
“ The POATT stands firm: no officer is above accountability, ” Guerero said.
POATT General Secretary Lester Logie echoed this position, pointing to formal policy changes and national legislation that reinforce strict penalties for contraband trafficking by prison staff. Logie explained that during the association’s 2019 delegate conference, POATT members voted to amend its constitution to add Clause 13(b), which governs the provision of legal representation for union members. Under the revised rule, the association will not provide legal support to any member formally charged with contraband trafficking or other offences falling under Prison Rules 233(2) and Section 8 of the Prisons Service Act, Chap. 13:01.
Logie noted that Section 8 of the Prisons Service Act was updated by Act 25 of 2019, which introduced sweeping new provisions specifically targeting the possession and trafficking of contraband within correctional facilities. The updated legislation clearly defines core criminal offences related to smuggling, outlines what items qualify as prohibited goods, and establishes significant penalties for law enforcement officers convicted of these crimes. Officers found guilty can face fines as high as $500,000 and sentences of up to 15 years in prison.
Under the updated legislation, it is a criminal offence for any person to bring, move, supply or possess any prohibited article into or out of a correctional facility without explicit written authorization from the Commissioner of Prisons. Logie clarified that written approval is a non-negotiable requirement, even for items that may seem harmless such as books. The broad list of prohibited items includes common contraband such as tools, unapproved cash, unauthorized clothing, cigarettes, illicit drugs, mobile phone SIM cards, electronic chargers and a range of other unauthorized goods.
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PNM Sando East exec resigns
Long-simmering internal friction within the People’s National Movement’s (PNM) San Fernando East constituency branch boiled over this week, when the entire sitting executive submitted their resignations effective 4 p.m. local time Thursday. The coordinated departure came on the heels of a Sunday negotiation meeting between top PNM national leadership and more than 20 constituency executive members, convened to address long-running internal disputes and review findings from an independent inquiry commissioned by the PNM General Council.
In an official statement released on behalf of the body, outgoing constituency chair Patricia Alexis confirmed that local MP Brian Manning, the son of former PNM prime minister Patrick Manning, had been extended an invitation to the Sunday talks but declined to attend and took no part in the deliberations that led to the resignation decision. The outgoing executive framed its collective step as a measure taken to prioritize the long-term health of the PNM and enable stable, ordered governance of the constituency. By stepping down, the group explained, the national party leadership and PNM National Executive will be able to install a transitional interim body, oversee preparations for internal party elections, and clear a path for a fully democratic selection of a new constituency executive.
All outgoing members have pledged full cooperation with the leadership transition and a party verification process stemming from the inquiry’s recommendations, including turning over all requested documentation and constituency records. Alexis herself has confirmed she will not stand for re-election to the chair position when a new vote is held.
The resignation follows closely on a public announcement from former PNM government minister Hazel Manning — widow of Patrick Manning and mother of current MP Brian Manning — who entered the race for the constituency chair last Saturday. Hazel Manning stated that she had been contacted by dozens of constituents alarmed by growing turmoil and questions over the conduct of sitting constituency leaders, and that she had agreed to run to restore unity and stability to the district. She described San Fernando East as a historically symbolic seat for the PNM, tied to decades of service from her family: her husband represented the constituency from 1971 until 2015, and Brian claimed the seat for the PNM in the 2020 general election. “For decades I watched my husband, and now my son Brian Manning, walk every street, take note of every issue and make sacrifices to try to reach and represent every constituent,” she said in her announcement, calling on local members to unite to “repair, recover and rebuild” the constituency branch.
PNM national chair Marvin Gonzales told reporters Thursday that the mass resignation did not catch party leadership by surprise, following the difficult Sunday discussions with the outgoing executive. Gonzales revealed that many departing executive members had reported receiving unsolicited calls and direct threats pressuring them to step down, and that family members had urged them to exit the role rather than continue working in a deeply hostile political climate. “I tried to use my persuasion as the chairman of the party to encourage them not to bow to hostilities, external hostilities, threats, intimidation, and that they have done well to keep…the San Fernando East corner of the PNM for all of the years that we have been having elections in Trinidad and Tobago,” Gonzales said, adding that the national leadership had thanked the entire outgoing group for their years of service. He acknowledged that the ongoing internal conflict had taken a significant emotional and professional toll on the executive members, saying, “I felt their pain and I felt their disappointment” after Sunday’s meeting.
The current dispute erupted after MP Brian Manning publicly aired formal concerns about the performance and conduct of Alexis and the existing constituency executive. Gonzales had previously issued a public warning to party members against airing internal disagreements in public, noting that leadership was working to address Brian Manning’s complaints privately. Despite that directive, the constituency executive released its own public response, and ultimately moved forward with the mass resignation.
In their formal statement, the outgoing executive stressed that their decision to step down should not be misinterpreted as a break from the PNM or abandonment of the San Fernando East constituency. Members noted that they had served the party and local constituents through multiple successive parliamentary representatives, and remain proud of their record defending the seat for the PNM through every recent general election. “This resignation should therefore not be interpreted as an abandonment of either the party or the constituency,” the statement read. “It is a deliberate decision to facilitate the orderly reconstitution of the constituency and, ultimately, to allow the membership to determine its leadership through the democratic processes of the party.” The group also reaffirmed its unwavering support for PNM political leader Pennelope Beckles and the current national party leadership.
While Alexis confirmed she would not run again, she noted that other individual outgoing executive members will be free to choose whether to stand for election to the new executive. The ball is now in the court of PNM national leadership to put interim governing arrangements in place ahead of the scheduled constituency executive elections to select a permanent new body.
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Corporal pleads not guilty to sexual misconduct charges
After nearly a four-year gap in military judicial proceedings, the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) has launched its first court-martial at its Chaguaramas-based headquarters, centered on a reserve corporal facing two distinct military misconduct charges connected to alleged sexual wrongdoing.
The unidentified service member made his initial appearance before Judge Advocate Captain (Naval) Zin-Mark King on Tuesday, where he was formally read the two charges laid against him and entered a not guilty plea to both counts. The first accusation falls under Section 73 of the nation’s Defence Act, which prohibits the ill-treatment of junior-ranking personnel by senior service members subject to military law. The statute explicitly outlines that any service member convicted of striking or otherwise abusing a more junior subordinate can face up to two years of imprisonment if found guilty by court-martial, alongside less severe alternative penalties.
The second charge the corporal faces is Conduct Prejudicial to Good Order and Military Discipline, a violation laid out in Section 77 of Chapter 14:01 of the Defence Act. This charge carries a matching maximum sentence of two years imprisonment upon conviction, with other potential disciplinary outcomes including rank demotion, involuntary forfeiture of earned pay, and military detention.
During the opening session of the proceeding, the judge granted a request from prosecution teams to amend the official charge report against the accused. Following this action, defense counsel Kirk Cumberbatch submitted a formal motion for an adjournment of the proceedings, which was also approved by the judge. The court-martial is scheduled to resume its proceedings on August 27, when both sides will continue to present their cases and move forward with the judicial process.