Carib Scope

标签： Trinidad and Tobago

特立尼达和多巴哥

  • Young hits ‘loose’ security handling

    Young hits ‘loose’ security handling

    A heated political debate has erupted in Trinidad and Tobago over the handling of national security, after Attorney General John Jeremie made a startling revelation in parliament last week. Jeremie confirmed that a gang member triggered a major national security incident last Friday, which required heightened security protocols for all sitting parliamentarians and extra protection for senior government officials.

    Following this disclosure, local newspaper The Express reached out to multiple opposition Members of Parliament to gather their reactions to the unprecedented news. Among those contacted was Stuart Young, the opposition MP representing Port of Spain North/St Ann’s West, who launched a scathing attack on the current Kamla Persad-Bissessar-led administration.

    Young blasted the government for what he described as a careless approach to matters of critical national security. He told reporters that he and other opposition lawmakers had no prior knowledge of the alleged threat cited by the Attorney General, raising urgent questions about transparency and risk management. “The AG alone knows what he was speaking about. I certainly was not aware of any incident to which he referred,” Young said. “What is worrying is the Kamla Persad-Bissessar Government’s handling of national security and the loose manner in which they throw about alleged matters of national security.”

    Young further questioned whether gang activity has grown so emboldened under the current ruling United National Congress (UNC) administration that parliament itself faced an unreported threat. “He should be asked exactly whether it is that gangs in Trinidad and Tobago are now so brazen under the UNC that the Parliament was under a threat that we were not informed of,” he added.

    Young’s sentiment was echoed by Keith Scotland, opposition MP for Port of Spain South, who also confirmed he had no advance information about the incident referenced by Jeremie.

    The row comes just days after Defence Minister Wayne Sturge publicly acknowledged that constituencies controlled by the opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) are among the areas worst affected by ongoing gang violence. In response to the emerging controversy, Opposition Chief Whip Marvin Gonzales confirmed to The Express that he plans to deliver a full, comprehensive response to the situation during a planned news conference scheduled for this week.

  • BEATEN BY ‘DEVILS’

    BEATEN BY ‘DEVILS’

    A violent home invasion in Penal has left three family members physically injured and psychologically traumatized, after four armed criminals broke into their residence, held the group hostage for 90 minutes, and stole thousands of dollars in valuables before fleeing.

    In a first-hand interview with local media *Express* the day after the attack, one of the surviving victims described the perpetrators as pure evil, saying she fully expected to lose her life during the prolonged ordeal.

    The attack unfolded in the early hours of Monday. Before gaining entry to the property, the intruders first poisoned the family’s pet Husky, Max, who was left dead outside the home after the incident. The group then forced open a back door to get inside, where they encountered two adult sisters and their teenage nephew. The criminals immediately bound the three hostages and began a violent search for $450,000 in cash they claimed was stored on the property.

    Over the course of an hour and a half, the attackers, who were armed with a loaded gun and cutlasses, remained in constant cell phone contact with an off-site accomplice as they ransacked every room, tore through cupboards and drawers, and repeatedly beat and threatened the bound hostages. Recounting the terror, one sister said the criminals pressed a gun to her sibling’s head and gave her just five seconds to reveal the location of the rumored cash. They broke a heavy picture frame over the woman’s head, then dragged the teenage nephew into the room and beat him severely with both a cutlass and a broomstick. “I honestly thought that I was going to die,” the survivor told reporters. “When you see a gun in front of you and a man saying ‘Tonight you all will die,’ that terror doesn’t leave you. These men are devils walking on the earth. If you can beat women and a child that brutally, something is very wrong with you. You need God.

    Despite repeated beatings and threats, the family maintained they had no such large sum of cash on the property. Refusing to believe their claims, the intruders continued their assault and search until they were forced to accept the money was not there. Before fleeing, the group stole all of the family’s gold jewelry, an undisclosed amount of U.S. currency, and roughly $50,000 in local Trinidad and Tobago dollars. They also stole one sister’s Nissan B-15, valued at $25,000, which was parked on the property, and drove away in the stolen vehicle.

    After the attackers left, the victims managed to untie themselves and raise the alarm with nearby relatives, who immediately contacted local law enforcement. Police confirmed that response teams from the Penal Police Station, the Criminal Investigations Department, the South-Western Division Task Force, and the South-Western Division High Performance Patrol Unit arrived at the scene just after 1:20 a.m. on Tuesday to launch the investigation.

    Officers located the stolen Nissan abandoned on Haggard Trace in Penal not long after the attack. The vehicle was towed to the Special Evidence Recovery Unit to undergo full forensic testing for DNA and fingerprint evidence. Investigations are currently ongoing led by Police Constable Ramdhanie, with no arrests reported as of the latest update.

  • PTSC bus catches fire

    PTSC bus catches fire

    A 57-year-old Public Transport Service Corporation (PTSC) bus driver escaped without injury after an out-of-service bus he was operating burst into flames along Trinidad’s Priority Bus Route near the Mt Lambert traffic lights on Wednesday afternoon, leaving only a gutted vehicle and disrupted local traffic in its wake.

    Speaking after the incident, driver Ricky Estrada, a six-year veteran of the PTSC based in Arima, expressed overwhelming gratitude for his safety. “GOD is good. I am happy to be alive,” he told reporters, noting that the empty bus was en route to the Chaguanas depot when the fire ignited at the rear of the vehicle around 1:15 p.m.

    Estrada immediately grabbed the bus’s on-board fire extinguisher in an attempt to put out the blaze before the equipment ran out of agent. With the fire spreading rapidly, he evacuated the vehicle safely, then stood by a nearby lamppost to await emergency responders. Local police were first on scene to redirect traffic and dispatch a call to the Trinidad and Tobago Fire Service, which arrived shortly after to bring the fire under control.

    When reporters from the Express arrived on scene at approximately 1:30 p.m., the bus was still actively burning. Photographs from the scene show extensive damage: the upper half and entire rear section of the bus were destroyed, leaving behind a pile of smoldering debris, charred metal and shattered glass. A nearby lamppost was blackened by fire damage, and overhead utility wires were singed, with several hanging loosely after the heat damaged their insulation.

    The unexpected blaze sparked confusion among local residents, many of whom rushed out of their homes in the nearby Mt Hope and Mt Lambert communities after seeing smoke. Some mistakenly believed the neighboring Bermudez biscuit factory was on fire, while others assumed the smoke came from neighbors burning yard waste. Passing motorists also slowed to investigate the incident, adding to localized traffic disruption.

    To ease congestion while emergency crews worked, traffic along the Priority Bus Route was rerouted through the Carib Brewery vicinity in Champs Fleurs onto the Eastern Main Road before rejoining the PBR further along the route. Maxi-taxi drivers and waiting passengers gathered nearby, speculating on whether anyone had been trapped on the burning bus.

    A three-person fire crew led by Fire Sub Officer Crayson Balkaran, with officers Nesbitt and Forde, responded to the call from the Fire Service’s Port of Spain headquarters on Wrightson Road, receiving the alert around 1:41 p.m. The team confirmed no passengers were on board, a outcome that responding personnel called a major relief.

    Following the incident, Estrada went to Mt Hope Hospital for a routine check-up after experiencing mild trauma from the event. He credits mandatory occupational health and safety training for helping him stay calm during the emergency. “We are given health and safety training. So I had the presence of mind to reach for the extinguisher. I am glad it was diesel fuel because it could have gotten far worse,” he explained. “Sometimes when we move buses to the depot, we have a mechanic or another employee on board. I’m so thankful no one else was here that day. It could have been detrimental.”

    Estrada’s family shared his relief after learning he had escaped unhurt. “My wife said, ‘Thank God, nothing serious happened to you.’ My two children are happy nothing bad happened to their daddy,” he said. A man of faith, he noted that his religious community had supported him through the scare: “I am a member of Arima ‘Oracle of Praise’ or Arima Open Bible Church. I am covered under the blood. Jesus Christ is my protector.”

    Estrada did note one point of concern, saying that the Fire Service “took a little long to respond” and could have arrived sooner to limit damage to the bus.

    In an official statement released Wednesday, PTSC confirmed the details of the incident, noting that the bus was out of service at the time with no passengers on board. PTSC General Manager Patrick Gomez told reporters Wednesday that the corporation was “happy no one was on the bus. No one was injured. The driver was not injured.” The gutted bus has been moved to the PTSC’s Port of Spain depot, and the company’s engineering team is leading an investigation into the cause of the fire, working alongside relevant local authorities to identify what sparked the blaze.

    “PTSC remains committed to the safety of its employees, passengers and the general public,” the corporation’s release added.

  • Homicide probing case of missing Tobago toddler

    Homicide probing case of missing Tobago toddler

    A high-stakes search for a missing two-year-old child from Tobago has expanded to include multiple specialized law enforcement and emergency agencies, with the national government’s top security official confirming the involvement of the homicide investigation team in the case.

    During a Wednesday parliamentary sitting, Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander provided an official update on the disappearance of Angelo Tobias Plaza, a toddler from Goodwood, Tobago, in response to questions from Opposition Member of Parliament Marvin Gonzales. The young boy was first reported missing to authorities on May 11, triggering an immediate, large-scale search effort that has brought together a cross-agency coalition of first responders and investigators.

    Beyond the lead Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS), Alexander outlined that participating organizations include the TTPS Homicide Unit, the local Tobago investigative division, the national Fire Service, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management, the Coast Guard, and the national Child Protection Unit. Search teams have been combing the region for days, combining aerial, coastal, and ground searches with investigative work to locate the child. As of the minister’s parliamentary update, the toddler has not yet been located.

    Gonzales repeatedly pressed Alexander to clarify whether TTPS investigators were officially treating the case as a missing person investigation or a confirmed criminal homicide. After Alexander noted that the inclusion of both the Child Protection Unit and Homicide Unit in the probe already answered that question, House Speaker Jagdeo Singh intervened to end the line of questioning, ruling that the query had already received a formal response from the minister.

    Alexander added that the government will continue to release timely updates to the public as the investigation and search operations move forward, maintaining transparency around the high-profile case that has drawn attention across the twin-island nation.

  • ‘Something not adding up’

    ‘Something not adding up’

    A cloud of uncertainty has settled over the small, sleepy coastal community of Goodwood, Tobago, as rescue teams and local residents press on with a frantic search for 2-year-old Angelo Tobias Plaza, who vanished from his family home three days ago. The toddler’s unexplained disappearance has left locals unsettled, with many growing increasingly suspicious that the details surrounding the case do not align.

    According to official police accounts, Angelo’s mother, 22-year-old Kalifah Tobias, and her common-law husband Shannon Miller first realized the boy was missing at approximately 7:30 p.m. Monday. The pair immediately combed the surrounding neighborhood and questioned nearby residents, but their initial efforts to locate the child turned up empty. The toddler, who is described as mixed-race with a light brown complexion and round face, was only wearing a diaper at the time he disappeared.

    The Tobago Divisional Task Force was officially alerted to the missing toddler case early Wednesday morning. During preliminary ground searches, responding officers spotted what they believed to be the young child’s body floating in the waters of Goodwood Bay, but the corpse slipped back beneath the rough ocean surface before it could be recovered. Divers were called to the scene shortly before midday to begin recovery operations, but hazardous sea conditions on the exposed Atlantic coast of Tobago have repeatedly derailed all attempts to retrieve the remains.

    Angelo’s grandmother Neisha Tobias spoke publicly from the search area Wednesday, visibly overcome with grief. “I am heartbroken. He is a loving child; he would not go into the water just like that. I don’t know what happened, I am still trying to figure that out. Till they find him I don’t know what to say. The police said they hold up the search because the water really bad,” she told reporters.

    Alvin Douglas, a marine safety and security expert who led a team of three volunteer divers through the bay Wednesday morning, confirmed that severe sea conditions made the search extremely dangerous. “I got a call from the Police Service asking for assistance on a search and recovery. At that time I did not get the details, so we mobilised a team of rescue divers. We are surrounded by water and most of the villages are along the coastline, so it is inevitable that these things will happen. On the Atlantic side of the island is where the island is exposed, so it is very difficult,” Douglas explained in an interview with the *Express*.

    Local doubts about the official account of the disappearance have been growing among Goodwood residents, who say key details provided by Angelo’s caregivers do not add up. Neighbor Wendy des Vignes, who spoke directly with Miller about the case, told reporters that Miller admitted both he and Tobias left Angelo alone at home on Monday while the pair traveled up the road to collect money from a relative. He told des Vignes the child went missing from the unoccupied house some time after the couple left. Multiple local residents gathered near the search site Wednesday, with several engaging in heated arguments over conflicting accounts of the day Angelo disappeared.

    Local authorities have already mobilized support services for the family: the Victim and Witness Support Unit has been assigned to assist Angelo’s relatives, while the island’s Child Protection Unit has been formally notified of the incident.

    Ackel Franklyn, Assistant Secretary for Community Development and Social Protection, joined local leaders at the search site Wednesday to express solidarity with the family and community. “Being a father of young children it is really a state of unrest for me as well, so I just came to stand in solidarity with the villagers and members of the family in such a time as this. I have spoken to a few members of the family, and they are all at this time quite emotional. I just offered my support more or less, allowing them to know that the Executive Council stands with them even through this time,” Franklyn said.

    David Thomas, Member of Parliament for Tobago East, also spoke publicly Wednesday, saying he was deeply distressed by the incident and echoed growing concerns that the toddler may have been left unsupervised for an extended period. “I want to sympathise with the persons who would have lost the child. I still find that in our society today we are paying little attention to children, and almost every day we are hearing about incidents where children are compromised, and it hurts me deeply and I hope that it’s not because of an act of carelessness…I just want to encourage the wider society of T&T to let’s take care of our children. They represent our future, they represent our development and they represent our prosperity,” Thomas said.

    Thomas added that he opted to send his field staff to gather updates on the search rather than attend the site in person, as he feared he would be too overcome with emotion to function, noting the case reminded him of his own children and grandchildren. “I think that we need to increase our value system in terms of preservation of lives and the protection of our children,” he emphasized.

  • Faris removed from Privileges Committee

    Faris removed from Privileges Committee

    A high-stakes parliamentary controversy in Trinidad and Tobago has resulted in the removal of Opposition Senator Faris Al-Rawi from the Senate Privileges Committee, as the panel prepares to launch a formal investigation into alleged improper interference by Al-Rawi and fellow Opposition Senator Janelle John-Bates. The controversy centers on the pair’s involvement in drafting and editing a witness statement for former health minister Terrence Deyalsingh, which was submitted to the Senate’s Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC).

    During yesterday’s plenary sitting of the Senate, Senate President Wade Mark confirmed a series of appointments to the Privileges Committee for the duration of the inquiry, which was formally referred to the panel on May 1, 2026. In the reshuffle, Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation will take the seat previously held by Government Senator Darrell Allahar, Opposition Senator Dr Amery Browne replaces Al-Rawi on the committee, and Independent Senator Sophia Chote steps in for Independent Senator Michael de la Bastide. Al-Rawi, who has publicly stated he is serving as Deyalsingh’s legal counsel, will not participate in the committee’s work while he is the subject of its investigation.

    The privilege dispute was first raised on May 1 by Government Senator David Nakhid, who filed a formal complaint against John-Bates and Al-Rawi over their documented contributions to the witness memorandum submitted to PAAC. Forensic traces in the document — including tracked edit history and embedded metadata — confirmed that both senators made direct edits and provided input to the witness statement. Nakhid argued that active involvement by sitting parliamentarians in preparing or revising witness submissions to a legislative committee undermines the institutional independence and integrity of the parliamentary process, and may constitute contempt of Parliament. He emphasized that all parliamentary committee proceedings must remain fully free of political interference and any attempt to coach witnesses ahead of testimony.

    After reviewing the complaint, Senate President Wade Mark ruled that the allegations were serious enough to warrant a full investigation by the Privileges Committee. John-Bates, a former member of PAAC, has already issued a formal apology to the full Senate and offered her resignation to Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles. As of yesterday, Beckles had not announced a final decision on the resignations of either John-Bates or Al-Rawi. John-Bates was absent from yesterday’s sitting due to illness, so People’s National Movement (PNM) Deputy Political Leader Sanjiv Boodoo was sworn in to serve as acting Opposition senator for the session.

    Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar waded into the dispute yesterday, publicly asserting that Beckles lacks the institutional authority to remove Al-Rawi and John-Bates from their senate positions. She went on to launch a scathing attack on the PNM and its leadership, claiming that Beckles is waiting for direction from what she called the party’s “fake elite financiers.” Persad-Bissessar argued that the PNM operates as little more than a political front for these wealthy, unaccountable backers, accusing Beckles of continuing the policies of previous PNM leaders Keith Rowley and Stuart Young — policies she claims prioritize low-wage menial work for ordinary supporters while protecting billions in benefits for connected elite interests.

    The Prime Minister also criticized Beckles and the PNM’s policy agenda as regressive, contrasting the government’s current priorities of advancing artificial intelligence data center development, national economic revitalization, new international trade agreements, education modernization, and expansion of both energy and non-energy economic sectors with what she described as the PNM’s 2030 vision: reviving the outdated CEPEP and unemployment relief program (URP) workfare schemes.

  • OPR launches probe into tendering

    OPR launches probe into tendering

    Trinidad and Tobago’s Office of Procurement Regulation (OPR) has opened a formal investigation into state-owned enterprise LandmarkTT Properties Limited over potential violations of public procurement law tied to a $100 million residential development project in Corinth, San Fernando. The probe was triggered by formal complaints alleging the company bypassed mandatory open competitive bidding for the Allamby Residential Development, instead awarding contracts through an unapproved selective tendering process.

    In an official correspondence dated April 20 addressed to LandmarkTT, the OPR outlined core concerns over both procedural compliance and public accountability for taxpayer funds. Regulators confirmed they have been unable to locate any legally required public disclosures detailing the contract award, including the identity of the winning bidder and the final contracted value. Under Section 36(1) of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property Act, all public bodies are mandated to publish this information promptly to uphold transparency and accountability for public spending.

    The OPR also reminded LandmarkTT that any procurement conducted outside the legal framework can be ruled void and illegal under Section 6(1) of the act. While selective tendering is permitted for narrow, specific circumstances, OPR chair Beverley Khan emphasized that LandmarkTT must provide clear, documented justification for why open bidding was deemed inappropriate for this multimillion-dollar project.

    The regulator ordered LandmarkTT CEO Nischall Shane Poona to submit all relevant procurement records within seven working days, setting a compliance deadline of April 29. OPR officials confirmed late yesterday that LandmarkTT met the deadline, and all submitted documents are now under active review. At this stage of the investigation, the agency declined to issue any further comment to preserve the probe’s integrity. The OPR additionally requested a full roster of all contracts and framework agreements LandmarkTT has entered into since its establishment earlier this year, along with a formal explanation for the failure to publish required contract award notices. The agency also issued a statutory warning that non-compliance with its information requests, without reasonable cause, constitutes a criminal offense under the act that carries a maximum fine of TT$100,000 on summary conviction.

    LandmarkTT was launched earlier in 2026 as a special-purpose vehicle under the Ministry of Land and Legal Affairs, created to pilot a new public-private partnership model for delivering high-quality, unsubsidized housing across the country. A February 2026 ceremony saw Minister of Land and Legal Affairs Saddam Hosein preside over the swearing-in of the company’s inaugural board of directors. Multiple attempts by the *Express* to secure comment from Minister Hosein on Wednesday evening went unanswered.

    This investigation marks the second high-profile procurement probe into Trinidad and Tobago’s housing sector in as many weeks. In mid-April, the OPR ordered the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) to suspend the award of TT$3.4 billion in housing contracts pending a full compliance review of their procurement processes. That enquiry was launched after concerns were raised by People’s National Movement (PNM) MP Camille Robinson-Regis, followed by a formal call for investigation from MP and former prime minister Stuart Young.

    In an official statement released following that order, the OPR confirmed the halt to the HDC contracts, noting that the review was launched to verify full compliance with the 2015 Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property Act (as amended) and its associated regulations, handbooks, and guidelines. The action was taken under the OPR’s statutory powers laid out in Sections 14(1)(a), (c) and (d) of the act. Like the current LandmarkTT probe, the OPR declined further comment at that stage to protect the integrity of the ongoing enquiry, with the statement officially signed by Chair Beverley Khan.

  • Elias: NH ‘secretly disbarred’

    Elias: NH ‘secretly disbarred’

    A major construction industry leader in Trinidad and Tobago has leveled serious allegations of improper procurement practices against the state-run Housing Development Corporation (HDC), claiming his firm was secretly blocked from competing for 11 contracts under a suspended $3.4 billion national housing development initiative.

    Emile Elias, executive chairman of NH International (Caribbean) Ltd (NH), the country’s largest local housing contractor, told local media outlet the Express that his firm was unfairly excluded from the bidding process entirely, rather than being rejected after a standard competitive tender review. In response to the exclusion, NH filed a formal challenge with the Office of Procurement Regulation (OPR) on April 21 this year, seeking an independent review of the HDC’s April 8 award notice for the 11 project contracts.

    Three business days after NH submitted its application, the OPR’s three-person review panel—led by chair Rev Joy Abdul-Mohan with members Susan Torry and Joy Joseph-Lara—dismissed the challenge without holding an oral hearing. The panel cited NH’s failure to meet procedural requirements outlined in Section 50(20)(a) of the 2015 Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property Act (as amended) and Regulation 4(b) of the 2021 Challenge Proceedings Regulations. The core reasoning for the dismissal was that the application was submitted after the statutory deadline for challenges to pre-qualification or preselection decisions by state procuring entities.

    Elias pushed back against this ruling, noting that the OPR’s decision relies on a fundamental misreading of his firm’s challenge. Six days after the dismissal, NH sent a follow-up letter to the OPR asking for procedural clarification and highlighting what the firm calls the regulator’s error in the dismissal.

    In its correspondence with the OPR, NH outlined that the only pre-qualification notice published connected to the program was released by an HDC subsidiary in the Sunday Express on July 20, 2025. That notice was explicitly marked for internal use only, and was not tied to any specific housing project under the $3.4 billion program. Per Trinidad and Tobago’s public procurement law, this notice did not qualify as an official pre-qualification invitation for the current contracts, so NH never launched a challenge to it—a fact the firm clearly stated in all 11 of its review applications, noting that the pre-qualification challenge section of the application forms was not applicable to its case.

    Elias explained, “When we challenged, we did not challenge on the basis that we had a pre-qualification for the project and our pre-qualification was not accepted. We did not challenge that because there was no pre-qualification for any project as defined under the act.”

    Instead of challenging a pre-qualification outcome, NH’s core complaint centers on the HDC’s refusal to run an open, competitive bidding process for the contracts, and alleged breaches of statutory requirements for transparency, non-discrimination, equity and fairness in public procurement. Elias emphasized that NH and the general public had no advance knowledge that procurement for these projects was underway until the HDC published its formal award notice on April 8, 2026. “There was simply no invitation for pre-qualification issued by the HDC in relation to the projects, and NH, like the wider public, only became aware that procurement proceedings were afoot in relation to these projects when it had sight of the notice,” the firm’s letter to the OPR reads. “NH could not, therefore, challenge something that it knew nothing about.”

    As the head of the country’s largest housing contractor, Elias called the exclusion baffling. “How could you invite tenders and somehow contrive not to even invite NH? Remember, we did not tender and say, ‘Look, our price was higher and we did not get the job.’ Nothing like that. We were not allowed to tender. We were secretly disbarred, and all of this, I am sure, will come out in the OPR investigation.”

    In a surprising move, Elias confirmed that NH has no plans to pursue immediate judicial action over the dismissal, instead placing full confidence in the OPR to conduct a transparent and thorough investigation into the allegations. “We will permit the OPR to complete its investigations without additional court proceedings acting as a kind of distraction. The big point is this country is relying on the OPR to prevent the abuses of the past, and these abuses took place in all governments. OPR is our best chance of stopping all of this from happening, hence my unwavering support, as well as that of the Joint Consultative Council (JCC),” he said.

    Elias also raised additional red flags about the qualifications of some of the firms that were awarded contracts under the program. He noted that multiple awardees are trucking companies and small hardware retailers with no prior experience constructing residential housing, despite the large size and technical demands of the $3.4 billion program. A search of the national companies registry revealed that some firms awarded multi-million-dollar contracts hold only $2 in total share equity, split between two $1 shares, a fact Elias says warrants further scrutiny from regulators.

    The $3.4 billion housing program was suspended by the HDC earlier this year at the OPR’s instruction, following a whistleblower submission that raised concerns about irregularities in the public-private partnership procurement process. Last weekend, the Sunday Express published additional allegations of potential collusion between two winning contractors and a senior HDC official connected to two of the 11 awarded contracts.

    When contacted for comment on the latest allegations, HDC chairman Feeroz Khan declined to speak on the record. “Given that the matters relating to the procurement process in question are currently engaging the attention of the Office of the Procurement Regulation, senior counsel has advised that the matter is sub judice, and hence it would be improper to comment on same,” he said.

  • Another Facebook Marketplace robbery: Victim loses thousands in cash, items

    Another Facebook Marketplace robbery: Victim loses thousands in cash, items

    Authorities in Trinidad and Tobago have launched a search for three male suspects connected to a violent armed robbery that grew out of a Facebook Marketplace transaction, marking the latest in a string of similar crimes linked to the popular online classified platform. The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) has publicly renewed its urgent safety warnings for local residents using peer-to-peer online marketplaces, following the May 11 attack that left a 25-year-old victim thousands of dollars in losses.

    According to official police reports, the victim, a resident of Mayaro, had arranged a meeting with a person claiming to be a buyer for personal items he listed for sale on Facebook Marketplace. The pair agreed to meet at Plaisance Terrace in Laventille at roughly 11:45 a.m. on the day of the incident. While the victim waited for the supposed buyer to arrive, three unidentified men approached him and announced a hold-up at the location.

    The attackers robbed the victim of a wide range of valuables before fleeing the scene in an unknown direction. Stolen items include TT$7,000 in physical cash, two gold chains valued at TT$12,000 and TT$300 respectively, eight HY brand movie projectors worth a combined TT$1,864, and an Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max valued at approximately US$500, alongside additional unlisted personal belongings.

    In an official media statement addressing the incident, TTPS emphasized that this robbery is not an isolated event. It is one of multiple violent crimes reported to local law enforcement in recent weeks that trace back to transactions arranged through Facebook Marketplace. To reduce the risk of similar attacks on residents, the police service is reiterating its longstanding recommendation that all online peer-to-peer transactions take place at designated “Safe Exchange Zones.”

    These pre-vetted safe locations include local police stations, well-lit public areas, and sites equipped with active closed-circuit television surveillance, all of which create a far more secure environment for in-person exchanges and dramatically lower the risk of pre-planned robberies. Police also warned residents to exercise extra caution when interacting with potential buyers or sellers who refuse to agree to meet at an approved safe exchange zone.

    Alongside the warning, TTPS released a comprehensive set of safety guidelines for residents conducting transactions through any online marketplace platform. First, users should always verify the authenticity of a buyer’s or seller’s profile before agreeing to a meeting, and review past ratings or feedback to flag any patterns of suspicious behavior. Second, users are advised to view unusually low listing prices as a potential red flag for scams or criminal activity. Third, all in-person meetings should be scheduled during daylight hours in busy public spaces with high foot traffic, and isolated, low-traffic areas should be avoided entirely.

    Additional guidelines include thoroughly inspecting any items being purchased before completing payment, using secure, traceable payment options whenever possible, bringing a friend or family member to the meeting for added protection, holding off on handing over purchased items until payment has been fully processed and confirmed, and avoiding carrying large sums of cash when meeting for online transactions.

    For residents seeking more information on staying safe while engaging with online social platforms and marketplaces, TTPS encouraged the public to access its *Socially Safe* podcast, which is available to stream for free on YouTube and airs on Trinidad and Tobago Television.

  • No hantavirus in T&T

    No hantavirus in T&T

    Public anxiety over a purported hantavirus outbreak in Trinidad and Tobago was rapidly quelled on Wednesday by top national and regional health authorities, who confirmed that no confirmed or suspected cases of the virus have been detected in the country, and labeled widespread social media claims of school closures and national lockdowns as entirely fabricated misinformation.

    Minister of Health Dr. Lackram Bodoe was the first to issue a public reassurance, addressing the spread of false documents circulating online that claimed to be official Ministry of Health releases. The first fake statement claimed all schools across the country would close for two weeks in response to unreported community hantavirus detections, while a second forged document even alleged an imminent national shutdown and closure of all international airports. Speaking in an interview with local outlet TV6, Bodoe firmly condemned the spread of the false content, emphasizing that none of the measures outlined in the posts reflect official government policy. “There are zero confirmed or suspected cases of hantavirus in Trinidad and Tobago right now,” Bodoe clarified, pushing back against the panic stoked by the fake posts. He also noted that while the World Health Organization has reported a small cluster of cases linked to an international cruise ship traveling toward the Canary Islands, that event does not pose an immediate threat to the country, and there is no justification for widespread public alarm.

    Regional health leaders echoed the national government’s reassurance during a dedicated virtual press conference hosted by the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA). CARPHA Executive Director Dr. Lisa Indar confirmed that there is no evidence to suggest hantavirus is currently circulating in either Trinidad and Tobago or any other Caribbean nation, in the wake of the May 3 outbreak reported on the cruise vessel MV Hondius. She was joined at the briefing by other senior CARPHA officials, including the director of the Surveillance, Disease Prevention and Control Division Dr. Horace Cox, director of Corporate Services Dr. Mark Sami, and head of CARPHA’s Medical Microbiology Laboratory Dr. Gabriel Escobar.

    Indar explained that the underlying geography of the Caribbean makes sustained local transmission of hantavirus extremely unlikely: the specific rodent species that acts as the natural reservoir for the virus is not native to any Caribbean island, meaning there has never been a documented case of local hantavirus transmission anywhere in the region. While she stressed that the chance of any cases emerging in Trinidad and Tobago remains very low, Indar confirmed that CARPHA is prepared to investigate any suspected reports thoroughly alongside the Ministry of Health, and will not take potential threats lightly. She also addressed the wave of misinformation that has spread alongside the cruise ship outbreak news, noting that CARPHA is working closely with national health officials to correct false claims and provide the public with accurate, evidence-based information.

    In a clinical breakdown of the virus, Indar noted that the human-to-human transmission event linked to the cruise ship is extremely rare, and requires either intimate or extended close contact with an infected person to occur. The incubation period for hantavirus ranges from one to six weeks after exposure, and while there is currently no specific antiviral treatment approved for the infection, supportive care including oxygen therapy and close clinical monitoring can improve patient outcomes.

    As of press time, the World Health Organization has reported a total of eight confirmed and suspected hantavirus cases linked to the MV Hondius outbreak, including three fatalities. Indar noted that it remains unclear whether two recently reported cases in passengers from the United States and France are included in this global count. CARPHA is currently working alongside global health bodies, including the WHO, to maintain ongoing monitoring of the outbreak and track any potential spread to the Caribbean region.

    Even as officials emphasized that there is no current risk to local communities, Indar encouraged all Caribbean residents to maintain basic preventive hygiene habits that reduce the risk of a wide range of infectious diseases, not just hantavirus. These include regular and thorough handwashing, avoiding close contact with individuals showing signs of illness, and taking appropriate precautions when entering environments where rodents could potentially be present.