Carib Scope

标签： Trinidad and Tobago

特立尼达和多巴哥

  • LIVESTREAM SPARKS OUTRAGE

    LIVESTREAM SPARKS OUTRAGE

    After 25 days of being missing, a 13-year-old Trinidadian girl who had been removed from her mother’s custody amid a police investigation has been found safe. But what should have been a moment of relief quickly turned into national controversy, after a live social media broadcast by the leader of the search team exposed the minor’s identity and publicly reprimanded her, sparking widespread condemnation from the public, law enforcement, and the girl’s family.

    The girl is now in the care of her aunt, who has emerged as one of the most vocal critics of how the recovery operation was handled. Speaking in a public video statement released this week, the aunt explained that she first learned her niece had been located not through official channels, but via social media. While she expressed sincere gratitude to all volunteers who dedicated time and resources to finding the teenager, she questioned the ethical judgment of broadcasting the minor’s face and interrogating her in front of a live audience.

    “This is a minor, a child,” the aunt emphasized in her statement, noting that the girl had already been removed from her mother’s care over allegations of sexual abuse before she went missing. “Why did you all publish my niece and question her like that on public media?” She has since threatened legal action against the search team for defaming her niece, and pushed back against unsubstantiated claims that she refused to assist in the search. She also alleged that members of the search team entered her home uninvited, accessed her car without permission, spoke to neighbors without authorization, and spread false rumors about her.

    In an official statement released yesterday, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) confirmed that the teenager is safe and receiving targeted support from the Children’s Authority, and that the Special Victims Department has launched an investigation into the inappropriate public exposure of the minor. The girl was located on Friday by the Hunters Search and Rescue Team, led by Shamshudeen Ayube, who also found a 49-year-old man on the premises with the teenager. During the livestream, Ayube showed the girl’s unblurred face and publicly addressed her, saying, “You know you have been missing for days and you were with this fella, this kinda hardback man.”

    The video quickly went viral, racking up more than 500,000 views, thousands of likes, and hundreds of shares across social platforms. Hundreds of users voiced their support for the teenager, condemning the public revelation of her identity, the condescending tone used to address her, and the unprofessional handling of a minor’s recovery. While a small number of users defended Ayube’s team, citing the grueling work of volunteer search operations, the overwhelming majority of public commentary has been critical.

    The controversy has also exposed a rift between two separate groups operating under the same “Hunters Search and Rescue Team” name. A separate group led by veteran educator Vallence Rambharat, which formed during the high-profile search for Andrea Bharatt, issued a statement clarifying its long-standing policy for handling missing minors, developed in coordination with the TTPS. Under Rambharat’s team policy, once a missing child is located, the group immediately contacts the local police station responsible for the case to allow law enforcement to take custody of the minor. “We do not transport minors in our vehicles, nor do we publish their pictures,” the group stated, adding that it has always adhered to a policy of discreet collaboration with police in missing child cases. “In this said case, two adults are already before the courts because our team worked quietly with the police. A child is a child and we must respect that at all times.” The aunt also confirmed that she received consistent assistance from a member of Rambharat’s group, whom she knows as “Mr Hulk,” from the very start of the search.

    When reached for comment by the *Sunday Express* amid the growing backlash, Ayube, a 2026 national award recipient whose team identifies itself as the “registered” Hunters Search and Rescue Team, pushed back against his critics. He argued that volunteer search teams face grueling conditions that most armchair advocates do not understand, noting that his team spent days searching through heavy rain, sweltering heat, and dangerous terrain to locate the teenager. “She is not the first and she will not be last. Tell them that the Hunters Search and Rescue Team is telling the advocates and the concerned citizens to join them when they are out on missions to look for missing persons, and see what they have to go through when they have to spend their own money from their own pocket and time to locate these individuals,” Ayube said. He added that he found the girl “lying in a drain in mud like a pig,” and argued that critics who stay at home instead of volunteering for search operations have no standing to complain. “Let them join up and see what we had to go through days of rain and night and sun to look for this girl… That is what you call advocate, not sitting down home and making money while children are missing.”

  • Nutrien to shut Pt Lisas operations

    Nutrien to shut Pt Lisas operations

    A growing wave of industrial closures has hit Trinidad and Tobago’s key Point Lisas Industrial Estate, with global fertilizer giant Nutrien Ltd becoming the latest major firm to announce an indefinite halt to its nitrogen operations, citing persistent natural gas supply shortages and long-term uncertainty. The move has deepened concerns over the country’s struggling energy sector and ignited fierce political debate over the government’s management of critical natural resources.

    Nutrien’s final shutdown announcement comes just 10 months after the company initiated a controlled, partial shutdown of the facility in October 2025, when it already flagged unreliable, economically unviable natural gas supplies and restricted port access that had eroded the site’s free cash flow contribution for years. Following months of extensive strategic reviews and closed-door discussions with key stakeholders, the company confirmed that permanent idling was the only viable path to protect shareholder returns and boost free cash flow.

    “Due to ongoing natural gas constraints and uncertainty, this was determined to be the optimal path to enhance free cash flow and return on invested capital,” the company stated in an official release. In a statement acknowledging the impact on staff, Dean Perkins, Nutrien’s Senior Vice-President of Upstream, Nitrogen and Proprietary Product Operations, emphasized the firm’s commitment to a responsible transition: “We greatly appreciate the contributions and dedication of our Trinidad team and are committed to managing the transition responsibly and safely.”

    Local media outlet the Express estimates the shutdown will affect hundreds of permanent employees and contract workers. However, Nutrien noted that the decision will not alter its 2026 global nitrogen sales volume guidance, as its projections had already factored in zero production from the Trinidad site. The company added that it remains well positioned to meet global customer demand, with planned growth coming from reliability improvements and low-cost debottlenecking projects at its North American nitrogen assets.

    Nutrien’s announcement follows a string of similar exits by major energy firms at Point Lisas, all tied to natural gas supply issues. Less than two weeks before Nutrien’s announcement, Proman Trinidad, the industrial estate’s largest tenant, unveiled a restructuring plan that included workforce cuts to adapt to persistent supply constraints. In July of this year, Methanex Corporation indefinitely idled its Titan methanol plant at the site after failing to secure a new natural gas supply contract, and the company’s Atlas methanol joint venture — where Methanex holds a 63.1% economic stake — has also remained idled in a preserved, inactive state indefinitely.

    Reaction from Trinidad and Tobago’s political leadership has been swift and divided. Current Energy and Energy Industries Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal called Nutrien’s decision “unfortunate” but pushed back against the company’s claim that the shutdown was driven by natural gas shortages. In a statement to the Express via WhatsApp, Moonilal argued that the decision was instead rooted in the company’s desire to secure a higher profit margin aligned with the expectations of its international shareholders. He countered that the Trinidad and Tobago government is obligated to prioritize the interests of its own citizens, the country’s de facto public shareholders.

    Moonilal revealed that the government, through the state-owned National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago (NGC), had been negotiating with Nutrien to keep the PCS Nitrogen complex operational since October 2025, and that these efforts will continue. He added that NGC had made multiple good-faith offers to keep the plant running, including a formal proposal to purchase the complex outright. “At all material times, the National Gas Company has engaged with Nutrien in good faith. They were invited to engage with the NGC for the supply of gas to the facility but refused to accept that invitation,” Moonilal said. He emphasized that the idled plant is a critical national asset, and restarting production remains a top government priority — whether with Nutrien or a new operating partner.

    “It is unfortunate that the pursuit of profit has trumped the best interests of this country, the energy sector and the citizens who have in some cases given their entire professional career and adult lives to Nutrien,” he added. Moving forward, Moonilal said the government will ramp up discussions with existing stakeholders and potential new investors to restart the facility as quickly as possible, as part of broader efforts to rebuild the domestic energy sector and mitigate the economic damage of Nutrien’s exit. “We are working to rebuild the domestic energy sector and through this we intend to mitigate the impacts of the decision by Nutrien,” he said, noting the government aims to have the Point Lisas facility operational again “in the not-too-distant future.”

    Former energy minister Stuart Young, of the opposition People’s National Movement (PNM), seized on the announcement to criticize the current ruling United National Congress (UNC) administration, calling Nutrien’s decision “black and white confirmation” of the government’s incompetence in managing the energy sector. “This is a loss of foreign exchange, massive loss of jobs, not only at the plants but all associated service providers as well. This is unfortunately bad news for all of Trinidad and Tobago,” Young said in a social media post.

    Young defended the PNM’s 2015-2025 tenure managing the sector, claiming the previous administration balanced natural gas supply and demand while keeping energy companies profitable. He accused the current UNC government of failing to negotiate a compromise to resolve the sector’s challenges, adding: “The UNC is incapable of negotiating and finding the necessary middle ground needed in tough times.”

    Warning that Nutrien’s shutdown could be the first of many industrial losses, Young said: “This is the first of more to come unfortunately and it is a very sad day for Trinidad and Tobago.” He also challenged the government’s record on natural gas development, claiming the current administration has not delivered a single new natural gas project, noting that all major ongoing projects — including Manatee, Coconut, Mento, Aphrodite, Ginger, Cassia Phase 2, Matapal and Cocuina/Manakin — were initiated under the previous PNM government. “The Kakistocracy is destroying Trinidad and Tobago whilst selling you fake snake oil promises. Elections have consequences,” he added.

  • …Beckles warns of ‘gerrymandering’

    …Beckles warns of ‘gerrymandering’

    A brewing political controversy has emerged in Trinidad and Tobago over the ruling government’s plan to create three new municipal boroughs, with Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles drawing sharp accusations of electoral manipulation against Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar. The plan, outlined in the 2026 Municipal Corporations (Amendment) Bill, was announced by the Prime Minister this past Sunday and formally introduced to Parliament this week. The legislation would establish the Boroughs of Barataria, St Augustine, and Couva as new local government entities.

    In a scathing public statement, Beckles argued that the proposal is a clear attempt at gerrymandering the local government framework to benefit the ruling United National Congress (UNC). She claimed that the Prime Minister’s actions have reinforced a growing narrative that describes Persad-Bissessar as a ‘rolling dictator’, whose overarching goal is to reshape constitutional and electoral systems purely to shore up the UNC’s political power.

    Beckles pointed out that all three regions selected for new borough status are currently represented by UNC members of parliament and have long been considered core political strongholds for the party. She questioned the extreme lengths the ruling party is willing to go to cling to power, saying the entire proposal raises serious questions about the government’s commitment to free and fair elections.

    The Opposition Leader also raised pressing questions about the financial sustainability of the plan. She noted that funding for municipal corporations controlled by her party, the People’s National Movement (PNM), was already slashed dramatically in the 2025/2026 national budget. Creating three new boroughs will require hiring additional staff and expanding public service delivery, placing new demands on government coffers. Beckles asked pointedly: ‘Where will this additional funding come from?’ She argued that the inevitable outcome will be even deeper cuts to PNM-held municipalities, while the government creates three unnecessary new administrative entities solely for political gain.

    Going further, Beckles accused the current government of being ‘out of control and hell-bent on creating a dictatorship in Trinidad and Tobago.’ Beyond the creation of new boroughs, she highlighted that the bill makes sweeping changes to the local government system: it redraws existing boundaries, reshapes electoral districts, and via Clause 4 of the legislation, grants national political parties far more control over the appointment of aldermen.

    Beckles emphasized that the future of local democratic governance in Trinidad and Tobago requires far more public scrutiny than it has received to date. She reiterated that two core questions remain unanswered: how the government will pay for the additional staffing and operational costs of the new municipalities, and why national political parties should be granted expanded power over already appointed local representatives.

    In closing, Beckles noted that PNM-led municipal corporations have already raised formal objections to existing funding cuts, and she called for transparent justification for the proportionality and necessity of the proposed changes. She argued that the government has failed to provide any clear public rationale for why these specific regions need new borough status, leading to only one conclusion: the entire plan is a naked power grab designed to skew the electoral system in the UNC’s favor.

  • Tighter controls on councillors

    Tighter controls on councillors

    A sweeping package of local government reforms that will reshape Trinidad’s municipal governance landscape took a key step forward this week, after the Municipal Corporations (Amendment) Bill, 2026 was formally tabled before the country’s House of Representatives. The legislation, which is scheduled to open for floor debate tomorrow, includes 15 clauses and only requires a simple majority vote to pass, with its official implementation date to be set via presidential proclamation once approved.

    The proposed changes were first previewed exclusively by *The Express* yesterday, which confirmed the government’s plan to expand the total number of municipal corporations across the country from the current 14 to 17. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar later backed this report, publicly confirming the restructuring and framing the overhaul as a necessary correction for deep inequities embedded in the existing local government framework.

    One of the most consequential provisions included in the tabled bill, outlined in Clause 9, introduces a controversial anti-defection rule that directly ties an elected representative’s hold on office to their continued party membership. Under the new rule, any elected councillor or appointed alderman who either resigns from or is expelled by the political party on whose ticket they won office will immediately forfeit their seat. The process requires formal written notification: resignations must be documented via a signed notice from the officeholder submitted to their party, while expulsions require a written notice from the party delivered to the member. A certified copy of the notice is then sent to the municipal corporation’s chief executive officer, who passes it to the mayor. The mayor is required to convene a special council meeting within seven days to table the notice and formally declare the seat vacant. If the meeting is not held within the seven-day window, the seat automatically becomes vacant once the period expires.

    The bill also addresses a longstanding procedural gap by establishing a clear framework for resolving deadlocks in mayoral and deputy mayoral elections. If a vote for either leadership position ends in a tie, the new rules prioritize the overall popular vote result for the municipality. In cases where a deadlock occurs at the start of the election process over selecting a presiding officer, the role goes to a councillor or alderman from the party that won the highest total number of valid votes in the municipality’s local election; that presiding officer is barred from running for mayor or deputy mayor. If a final vote for the leadership position ends in a tie, the presiding officer must cast a tie-breaking vote in favor of the candidate backed by the party that won a majority of valid votes in the general local election. If no party crosses the 50% threshold, the rule defaults to plurality, meaning the party that received more votes than any other is deemed the majority for this purpose. All determinations of vote totals must be based on official results certified by the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC), and the same process applies to deputy mayoral elections.

    Another key change updates the rules for alderman appointments, granting political parties full flexibility to revise their alderman candidate lists at any point, both before and after formal appointments are finalized. Parties can add, remove, or substitute names, or adjust the order of preference on their lists at will. A mandatory revision is also required if an alderman dies, leaves the party, formally withdraws their support for the party, or becomes disqualified from serving. In these cases, parties have seven days to submit an updated list to the EBC, which automatically replaces all previous versions and becomes the official document used for alderman selection and appointment.

    To smooth the transition caused by the restructuring, the bill protects existing labor rights for municipal workers affected by boundary and organizational changes. Clause 15 guarantees that current collective bargaining agreements for employees at the reorganized San Juan/Laventille, Tabaquite/Talparo and Tunapuna municipal corporations will remain in full force after the reforms take effect.

    The legislative overhaul comes in advance of the 2027 Trinidad local government election, the next scheduled poll after the 2023 vote held on August 14. The 2023 election maintained the status quo of the 2019 poll, resulting in an even split of the 14 existing municipal corporations between the country’s two major parties: the United National Congress (UNC) and the People’s National Movement (PNM) each controlled seven bodies. Once the reforms are implemented, all 17 newly restructured municipal corporations will be contested in the upcoming 2027 election.

    Beyond the procedural changes for representatives and deadlock resolution, the bill redraws Trinidad’s entire municipal map. In addition to expanding the total number of corporations, the legislation formally establishes Chaguanas as a full city, creates three new boroughs (Barataria, Couva, and St Augustine), and converts the existing Sangre Grande Regional Corporation into a borough. Two existing regional corporations will also be renamed and restructured: the current Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation will become the Tunapuna Regional Corporation, while the Couva-Tabaquite-Talparo Regional Corporation will be reorganized into the Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation. The final restructured framework will consist of three cities (Port of Spain, San Fernando, Chaguanas), eight boroughs, and six regional municipalities across Trinidad.

  • Mother mourns second son killed

    Mother mourns second son killed

    A Trinidadian family is grappling with unfathomable grief after becoming the victim of a second horrific tragedy, when 17-year-old Tristan Stephen was found murdered, just over a year after his older brother was killed in the same community.

    Stephen, a resident of Blake Avenue, Damarie Hill in Guaico, Sangre Grande, was first reported missing by his family last Friday when he failed to return home as expected. Local police were alerted immediately, and the volunteer Hunters Search and Rescue Team, under the leadership of Vallance Rambarath, also joined the intensive search effort that unfolded across the weekend.

    The search wrapped up just after midday Sunday at Turure cattle farm, but the discovery of Stephen’s body came an hour later, when relatives conducting their own search found the teen’s remains and contacted police. According to official reports, officers led by Acting Corporal Kallicharan responded to the tip around 1:10 p.m., meeting family members at a gravel road across from Malco Lane, Blake Avenue Extension. Relatives guided officers roughly 210 meters from the road to the site where the body was located.

    At the scene, police documented Stephen’s clothing: he wore a red jersey, red shorts layered over black long jeans, and a dark green slipper on his left foot, with his other slipper found roughly 50 feet from the body. A brown t-shirt was pulled over his head and face, and investigators noted visible bloodstains on his chest and head. Three apparent gunshot wounds were recorded: two to the chest and one to the right rib area.

    Members of the Homicide Region II unit and the Special Evidence Recovery Unit’s crime scene investigation team were called to the site. Forensic officers processed the scene, documented evidence, and took photographs of both the body and the surrounding area before the remains were removed.

    Investigators have not yet established an official motive for the killing, but they have confirmed a key detail: last month, Stephen had a disagreement with a person he knew, and that individual reportedly threatened the teen prior to his death.

    In an interview with the *Express*, Stephen’s mother shared her family’s anguish, saying she knows her son would never have gone to that isolated area alone at night because he had a well-known fear of the dark. “My son is afraid of the dark, so we knew when he didn’t come home somebody went with him,” she said.

    She remembered her son as a loving, well-loved young man who grew up in the small community of Damarie Hill, when the area had only a handful of homes. “When the community got bigger, he was the baby of the avenue… So he was everybody’s baby. Everybody loved him,” she said.

    Stephen was a student at Johnson Finishing School, and had already begun looking forward to starting full-time work. His mother said she occasionally let him help with construction and yard work alongside other local young men, despite her efforts to keep him close to home at 17, because he was eager to earn his own money.

    She also opened up about how the 2023 murder of Stephen’s older brother, 20-year-old Stephon Saroopsingh, forever changed her son’s life. After Stephon was shot and killed just a short walk from the family’s home last March, other young people in the community taunted Stephen about his brother’s death, bullying him and saying his brother’s killing was deserved. This constant harassment led to Stephen getting into repeated fights, and ultimately the family pulled him out of school.

    Now, the family is forced to cope with the loss of a second child to gun violence. “This is the second son I’ve lost,” Stephen’s mother said quietly. “We just trying to hold on.”

    She also criticized local authorities for unnecessary delays in processing the case, saying the family encountered significant barriers moving Stephen’s body to the Forensic Science Centre for official identification, after initial attempts to reach the responsible agency went unanswered.

    For the family, the killing remains a senseless, unexplainable tragedy. Stephen had never been arrested, was not known to police, and his mother says there is no obvious reason why anyone would target her son. “The child died for nothing,” she said. “I can’t say what the motive is.”

    Stephen is survived by two older sisters, who are also struggling to process their younger brother’s sudden death. Despite the overwhelming pain, the mother says the family is clinging to each other to get through this: “All we doing is holding up.”

  • DAMAGE IN CEDROS

    DAMAGE IN CEDROS

    On Saturday morning, a rare convergence of intense downpours, strong gusty winds, and an unusually high tide triggered catastrophic flash flooding across multiple coastal communities in Cedros, southwestern Trinidad, leaving dozens of residents displaced, destroying personal property, and reigniting long-simmering calls for urgent infrastructure upgrades.

    Stacy Hajarie, a new resident who had only relocated from Chaguanas to her uncle’s Bonasse home two weeks prior while searching for permanent housing, described the terrifying speed with which floodwaters engulfed the property. Trapped as rushing water surged in from both the front and rear of the property, she was unable to retrieve a single personal belonging before the waters rose. Her entire wardrobe, bed, kitchen furniture, and work computer were all destroyed, along with a custom chest of drawers valued at TT$5,000; Hajarie says she cannot yet calculate the full cost of her losses, and now only owns the clothes she was wearing when she evacuated to her uncle’s home. The flood also nearly claimed her uncle’s pet dog Whiskey, who was tied in an outdoor kennel; the animal was only saved when her uncle returned home mid-flood to pull him from the rising water. A visibly distraught Hajarie told reporters she will never forget the chaos of the disaster.

    Just a few properties away, Standard Five teacher and father of four Imam Kahleel Emamdeen was busy pressure-washing his waterlogged furniture just days after the flood. Emamdeen and his entire family were in nearby San Fernando when they received an urgent call that their neighbourhood was flooding. By the time they returned home, ankle-deep water had already seeped into their home, soaking couches and mattresses, forcing the family to bail out water by hand with mops, sponges and buckets for hours. Emamdeen explained that chronic drainage failure has plagued the Cedros area for years: the single existing drainage artery cannot handle heavy runoff during high tides, leaving nowhere for excess water to drain except into residential yards and homes. He warned that the situation will only grow worse if new housing developments are built in the area without expanding drainage infrastructure, and has called on Trinidad’s Ministry of Works and Infrastructure and Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government to intervene immediately. “We need an additional drainage outlet, or even a pump house near the bridge, to handle future heavy rain,” Emamdeen said. “If it rains again, we are certain flooding will return. We need action now.”

    Other local residents echoed Emamdeen’s concerns. Camira Harrylal, whose entire ground floor flooded, said Saturday’s flood was the worst the area has seen in two years. “I was home at the time so I was able to move most of my appliances to higher ground, but we still had water damage, and clearing all the dirty floodwater out of the house has been overwhelming,” Harrylal said. She added that clogged drains, blocked by accumulated garbage, worsened the flood’s impact, with high tide pushing backed-up water further inland. Eighty-three-year-old cancer survivor Eileen Toolsie, whose yard and ground floor were also submerged, said she had learned from past floods. “This is not new – we dealt with this terrible flooding four to five years ago,” Toolsie said. “This time around I got all my belongings up on bricks, so I didn’t lose any appliances, but it was still awful. All the mud, sewage, and contaminated water just poured into my home. It’s unbearable.”

    Local officials confirmed the scale of the disaster. Shankar Teelucksingh, Siparia’s deputy mayor and Cedros’ district councillor, said between 60 and 70 residents across Bonasse, Fullerton, and Granville were affected by flooding that peaked around 9 to 10 a.m. on Saturday. Four private cesspools were compromised by the high water, and widespread power outages shut down the area’s water treatment plant, cutting off running water for residents. Quick response teams from the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission and the Water and Sewerage Authority worked through the day to restore service by mid-afternoon.

    Teelucksingh said that disaster response agencies including the national Disaster Management Unit, local lawmakers, multiple government ministries, and private corporate sponsors quickly mobilized to deliver relief. Falling tide levels allowed most excess floodwater to recede within two hours of the peak, and response teams pumped standing water out of residential properties, distributed cleaning supplies and emergency groceries to displaced residents, and launched public health investigations into the compromised cesspools. He added that engineering teams are now assessing long-term solutions to create controlled drainage for seawater and rain runoff, to reduce future flood risk for local residents.

    Teelucksingh emphasized that full damage assessments and infrastructure planning are still ongoing, noting that the area faces heightened flood risk through the Christmas season and into January, when king tides and unstable tropical weather are common. He thanked multiple government agencies and the local member of parliament for their quick support. In an official statement released Saturday, the Ministry of Rural Development Local Government confirmed that its Disaster Management Unit was actively monitoring the situation across Cedros, and Minister Khadijah Ameen had issued a direct order to deliver immediate emergency assistance to all affected residents.

  • $1.9m for 6 remand prisoners

    $1.9m for 6 remand prisoners

    In a landmark ruling that underscores constitutional protections for pre-trial detainees, the High Court has ordered the state to pay nearly $1.9 million in damages to six former remand prisoners held in illegally harsh conditions at the Maximum Security Prison (MSP). Justice Devindra Rampersad, who delivered the judgment last Wednesday, ruled that the appalling conditions the men endured between July 2021 and their eventual transfers violated their fundamental constitutional rights.

    The legal dispute traces back to July 24, 2021, when the Prison Commissioner ordered the six claimants transferred to the facility’s Building 13 alongside around 90 other inmates. Justice Rampersad concluded that this transfer decision was unlawful from its inception, noting that no evidence had been presented to show the Commissioner reviewed critical, relevant factors before acting. These unassessed factors included required evaluations from the High Risk Management Unit, documented conflicts between the transferred prisoners and existing Building 13 inmates, the targeting of Muslim prisoners by gangs already housed in the unit, and pre-existing medical vulnerabilities among several of the claimants.

    During the court proceedings, state representatives defended the transfer by citing national security concerns, but the judge rejected this argument outright, describing it as “an unparticularised invocation of national security, unsupported by evidence of any kind.”

    Worse than the unlawful transfer were the inhumane living conditions uncovered during the trial. Building 13 was severely overcrowded, with 95 inmates sharing a space that lacked enough beds, forcing dozens to sleep directly on dirty floors. Complaints from the prisoners cataloged a litany of unacceptable hazards and deprivations: leaking sewage pipes, a leaking slop pail holding human waste that seeped across cell floors, inadequate ventilation that created persistent extreme heat and stifling humidity, widespread infestations of vermin, and no consistent supply of running potable water. Additional grievances included toilet water only being made available twice per day, overhead lights left on 24 hours a day that disrupted sleep, and the use of cells that had already been officially condemned as unfit for occupation. The claimants also reported limited access to necessary medication and clinical care, failure to provide required prescribed diets, and repeated interference with the religious practices of the Muslim prisoners in the group.

    Justice Rampersad emphasized that these conditions could not be written off as routine, minor shortcomings in prison infrastructure, noting that such failures were unacceptable even in 2021. “That the slop pail, the sewage on the floor and the overcrowding should be found in that building in 2021 is not a matter of mitigation. It is a matter of aggravation,” he stated. He also pushed back against the state’s attempt to frame the case as a routine dispute over substandard prison conditions, clarifying that the egregious nature of the abuses set this case apart.

    Crucially, the judge highlighted that all six claimants were remand detainees: individuals who had not been convicted of any crime, and were only being held in custody to ensure they appeared for their upcoming trials. After reviewing all the evidence, he ruled that the conditions crossed the constitutional threshold, qualifying as cruel and unusual treatment in violation of section 5(2)(b) of the national Constitution.

    In addition to compensatory damages, Justice Rampersad awarded vindicatory damages, arguing that the state’s disregard for the rights of unconvicted detainees demanded a stronger legal response than mere financial compensation for harm. “Taken together, that discloses an institutional posture in which the State does not regard itself as obliged to account to this court for the manner in which it holds men whom it has convicted of nothing. It is precisely that posture which an award of vindicatory damages exists to address,” he explained. The judge further noted that constitutional protections are most critical when citizens are most vulnerable and unable to advocate for themselves, explaining that an award limited only to compensatory damages would leave the constitutional guarantee effectively meaningless, subject to the convenience of the executive branch.

    Under the final ruling, each claimant received $150,000 in vindicatory damages, plus $250 in compensatory damages for every day they were held in the unconstitutional conditions. Individual awards break down as follows: Ayokie Charles received $374,500, Kerry Valentino took home $304,500, Brent Johnson was awarded $248,000, the estate of the late Stefon Austin received $319,750, Joshua Janet was granted $304,500, and Darrel Diaz was awarded $336,750. The total sum of damages before interest adds up to $1,888,000. Additional separate damages were also awarded to Charles, Johnson, and Diaz for assaults they endured while incarcerated in MSP.

    Compensatory portions of all awards will accrue annual interest of 2.5% starting from April 19, 2023, through the date of the final judgment. The claimants were represented by attorneys Vincent Patterson and Joshua Hamlet under instruction from Nicole de Verteuil-Milne, while the state defendants were represented by Monica Moore under instruction from Savi Ramhit. The court also ordered the state to cover the claimants’ legal costs, which will be formally assessed by the court if the two sides cannot reach an agreed sum.

  • Three new boroughs coming

    Three new boroughs coming

    Trinidad is poised to undergo the most significant restructuring of its local government system in decades, as the national government prepares to introduce legislation that will expand the number of municipal corporations from 14 to 17, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has confirmed. The proposed overhaul addresses long-standing inequities in resource allocation and political representation that have emerged as population patterns and regional development have shifted dramatically since the current boundaries were first established.

    In an interview with local outlet *Trinidad Express*, Persad-Bissessar emphasized that the decades-old status quo has become untenable. Boundaries for cities, boroughs, and regional corporations have remained largely unadjusted for generations, even as some regions have experienced explosive population growth while others have seen electorate numbers decline or stagnate. This imbalance has left growing communities under-resourced and underrepresented, creating gaps in service delivery that directly impact quality of life for residents.

    Under the terms of the draft legislation, three new boroughs will be created: Barataria, St. Augustine, and Couva. The proposal also includes upgrades to the status of two existing municipalities: the current Borough of Chaguanas will be elevated to the City of Chaguanas, while the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation will be reclassified as the Borough of Sangre Grande.

    Multiple existing regional corporations will see major boundary adjustments to accommodate these changes. The Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation will be split to make way for the new Borough of St. Augustine, while also ceding additional territory to the Arima Borough Corporation. The remaining territory will be reorganized into the smaller Tunapuna Regional Corporation. The San Juan/Laventille Regional Corporation will also see its territory reduced, with a portion carved out to form the new Borough of Barataria. For the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation, the proposed changes would create the independent Borough of Couva, leaving the remaining area as the smaller Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation.

    Geographic expansion is also on the table for several established municipalities. In southern Trinidad, both the City of San Fernando and the Borough of Point Fortin will gain additional territory, with Point Fortin absorbing one electoral district currently part of the Borough of Siparia. On the western side of the island, the Diego Martin Borough Corporation will cede territory to expand the geographic and population size of the City of Port of Spain.

    Persad-Bissessar noted that discussions around local government reform have stretched on for years, but growing disparities have made action unavoidable. She argued that municipal corporations are the level of government closest to communities and their daily needs, so a functional, equitable structure is critical to delivering responsive services that improve residents’ quality of life.

    The Prime Minister also pushed back against opposition claims that her government has unfairly allocated resources to opposition-controlled municipal corporations, asserting that it was the previous People’s National Movement administration that oversaw inequitable distribution. She added that the reforms are designed to eliminate disparities rooted in outdated boundary lines, ensuring all communities receive adequate resources regardless of their location.

    Full details of the restructuring plan will be included in the legislation, which will be debated in Parliament in the coming weeks. Passage only requires a simple majority, putting the reform on track to be approved if the government maintains party discipline. The overhaul comes on the heels of the 2023 local government election, which ended in a deadlock: the ruling United National Congress and opposition People’s National Movement each won seven of the 14 existing municipal corporations.

  • ‘He made us feel special’

    ‘He made us feel special’

    A memorial service held on Monday at the Linden Seventh Day Adventist Church in New York brought together family, dignitaries, and admirers to celebrate the life and legacy of Slinger Francisco, the iconic performer universally known as The Mighty Sparrow, who passed away on September 27 at the age of 91 after a short, undisclosed illness.

    Widely celebrated across the globe as the “Calypso King of the World”, the man behind the legendary stage persona was first and foremost a devoted, loving family man to his wife Margaret and his 13 children, according to his daughter Gina Francisco, who delivered a heartfelt, personal tribute during the service.

    Gina shared intimate childhood memories of growing up surrounded by the sounds of her father’s craft, recalling the constant hum of music taking shape in their home — a backdrop that sometimes felt like an annoyance to young children, but ultimately revealed the extraordinary work of one of the world’s greatest musical innovators. She praised the tight-knit community of artists that collaborated with her father, noting that his perfectionist approach to his craft was supported by an “amazing” music family that helped fuel his decades of success, and expressed deep gratitude for their role in his legacy.

    Beyond the spotlight and the crown, Gina emphasized, her father was a husband, grandfather, great-grandfather, relative, and friend who had a unique ability to make every person he met feel seen and special. “I don’t know how that man could love everybody and make them feel like they’re so special. I thought I was special and then I saw how he treated others. I’m like, they’re special too?” she joked, adding that watching his radical openness with everyone taught her to share his love and appreciate the joy he brought to every interaction. “He was just welcoming to everyone. He loved family, that’s one thing he loved.”

    Gina also recalled a tender, formative moment when she told her father of her decision to get baptized decades ago. Though he initially expressed quiet displeasure with her choice, never forcing his opinion but making his feelings clear, she was shocked and overjoyed years later when he made the decision to be baptized himself. Fighting back tears, she described watching her ailing father, who could no longer walk on his own, carried into the baptismal pool without a single complaint. That quiet, uncomplaining grace marked his later years, she said, as the man who had once traveled the entire world found his world growing smaller with age, yet never expressed frustration or bitterness. “He taught me how to be just at peace with whatever God gives you, and he was praying regularly,” she said.

    Dignitaries in attendance also shared tributes honoring the far-reaching cultural impact of Sparrow’s life and work. U.S. Congresswoman Yvette Clarke noted that Sparrow’s talent could never be confined by national borders: born in Grenada, the self-described “spice island”, and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, his music spread across the Caribbean, through the global African diaspora, and to every corner of the world. “His music travelled across the Caribbean throughout the African diaspora around the world giving voice to our people, telling our stories, challenging conventions and bringing joy to generations,” Clarke said. She called Sparrow far more than an entertainer, framing him as a cultural institution, trailblazer, and innovator who lifted Caribbean culture and calypso music to the global stage. For New York’s large Caribbean diaspora community in Brooklyn and beyond, she added, his legacy is woven into the very identity of the community, connecting generations and affirming the power of their shared history and culture.

    Neil Parsan, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Trinidad and Tobago to the United Nations in New York, also spoke to Sparrow’s transformative impact. What began as a career performing in small calypso tents across Trinidad and Tobago grew to sell out global stages, Parsan noted, and Sparrow carried the distinctive wit, creativity, and spirit of Caribbean people everywhere he went. “That was one of his great gifts to make a nation feel seen. He could take the things that people were talking about in the streets and give them rhythm and a life of their own,” Parsan said. Beyond his own fame, Parsan added, Sparrow’s greatest achievement was opening doors for future generations of calypso artists, earning global respect for the art form and proving that Caribbean stories deserve a place on the world’s biggest stages. He truly earned his title as the “Calypso King of the World”, Parsan affirmed.

  • Govt using ‘creative’ approach

    Govt using ‘creative’ approach

    Ahead of Trinidad and Tobago’s October 12 national budget presentation, political analyst Professor Hamid Ghany has offered a nuanced breakdown of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s recent government restructuring, framing it as a novel approach to executive management that diverges sharply from conventional Cabinet reshuffles.

    In an interview with local outlet the Express, Ghany explained that unlike standard reshuffles that move sitting ministers between entire ministry portfolios, Persad-Bissessar’s strategy instead redistributes specific duties, agencies, and operational responsibilities within existing ministerial posts, leaving all incumbents in their substantive leadership roles. This model of internal responsibility shifting rather than personnel replacement is not unprecedented for the current Prime Minister, Ghany noted: she deployed the same tactical approach to government restructuring one year prior.

    The retention of all sitting ministers in their core posts carries a clear symbolic message, Ghany argued: it signals that Persad-Bissessar retains full confidence in her entire Cabinet team, as no minister has been removed or demoted from their primary position. Only the scope of work assigned to each portfolio has been adjusted.

    The timing of this realignment is far from coincidental, according to Ghany, with the budget debate just weeks away. The newly reallocated responsibilities will immediately shape parliamentary proceedings when the Standing Finance Committee opens review of the government’s proposed expenditure. During the five-day committee hearings, each minister will appear alongside senior technical advisors to respond to Opposition questions about budget allocations tied to their updated portfolio of duties. This process requires ministers to publicly account for their new responsibilities before formally taking on the work, establishing transparency ahead of implementation.

    Following the conclusion of the hearings, ministers will officially take on their adjusted duties, and many are now awaiting the budget announcement to learn what level of funding will accompany their expanded or refocused roles.

    Beyond budget processes, Ghany added that the realignment will also reshape day-to-day parliamentary operations, particularly the protocol for filing and responding to parliamentary questions. All elected and nominated parliamentarians will need to update their understanding of responsibility mapping, ensuring that queries about government functions are directed to the correct minister now holding the relevant portfolio.

    Across all these impacts, Ghany emphasized that the restructuring should be clearly categorized separately from the conventional Cabinet reshuffle models that most political discourse references.