标签： Trinidad and Tobago

In a poignant tribute to late legal luminary Osbourne Charles, attorney Hazel Thompson-Ahye recounts a transformative courtroom experience that shaped her professional journey. The reflection begins with a vivid courtroom scene where a witness resembling “Miss Mavis” – an East Indian woman with complex domestic arrangements – testified against her husband’s murder suspect, claiming to have seen the accused “every minute of the day.

Defense counsel Osbourne Charles dismantled her testimony through deceptively simple questioning about domestic chores, ultimately exposing the impossibility of her claim. The young law student initially reacted with moral outrage at what she perceived as witness intimidation, confronting Charles about his destructive cross-examination technique.

Through years of observing Charles and other legal masters like Desmond Allum and Vernon De Lima, Thompson-Ahye developed deeper understanding of defense counsel’s duty to test witness credibility. This education proved crucial when she later handled a murder case involving teenage defendant and victim. Applying Charles’ techniques, she extracted critical information about the victim’s violent propensity and established the incident occurred near her client’s home, suggesting self-defense given the defendant’s extensive injuries.

The validation came when Police Commissioner Trevor Paul predicted her success moments before the jury returned a not guilty verdict within 15 minutes of deliberation. Now mourning Charles’ passing, Thompson-Ahye expresses gratitude shared by countless lawyers who benefited from his expertise, concluding with a prayer for his peaceful journey to the “heavenly court.”

Port of Spain faces an environmental emergency as a persistent blaze at the Beetham Landfill has forced authorities to indefinitely suspend operations at the facility. The fire initially ignited on the eastern sector of the landfill around 9:55 PM on January 4th, subsequently spreading to southeastern areas before firefighters managed to contain the primary outbreak by 12:30 AM the following day.

Despite containment efforts, significant residual smoke continues to emanate from the site, creating visible pollution across Port of Spain and neighboring communities. The Port of Spain City Corporation has implemented contingency measures, redirecting all sanitation operations to the Forres Park Landfill in Claxton Bay—a substantial logistical shift requiring deployment of all available collection vehicles to manage the extended travel distance.

State-owned waste management company Swmcol has issued public health advisories warning residents, particularly those with respiratory conditions, to exercise extreme caution when traveling near Beetham Highway and adjacent areas. The corporation has coordinated additional resources with municipal authorities to fully extinguish the smoldering waste and bring the situation under complete control.

The incident highlights ongoing challenges in waste management infrastructure within urban Caribbean communities, with the indefinite closure posing questions about long-term solutions for the capital’s sanitation needs.

Dozens of motorists in Port of Spain expressed frustration this week as Trinidad and Tobago’s Licensing Department implemented substantial new late fees for driver’s license renewals without adequate prior notification. The situation came to a head on January 5th at the Wrightson Road licensing office, where numerous drivers discovered they would need to pay an additional $600 penalty atop the standard $500 renewal charge.

The controversy stems from a January 2nd memo from Transport Commissioner Clive Clarke that circulated online just days before implementation. The new fee structure establishes graduated penalties based on expiration duration: $600 late fee for permits expired six months or less, rising to $1,000 for those expired six months to three years, and reaching $3,500 for licenses expired three to five years. Those with permits expired beyond five years must completely retake their driving test.

Several drivers highlighted particular grievances regarding the timing of implementation. Multiple individuals noted their licenses expired on January 4th—which fell on a Sunday when offices were closed—effectively denying them any opportunity to renew punctually. One professional, who works in sensitive police evidence collection, stated he had no choice but to pay the penalty despite the financial burden, as his livelihood depends on valid driving credentials.

Beyond the fee structure, visitors criticized the office’s operational management. Complaints included chaotic customer handling procedures and apparent malfunctions in the computerized record system. Newsday briefly engaged Transport Minister Eli Zakour during lunchtime, who committed to a callback that had not occurred by publication time.

The implementation has raised questions about equitable public notification processes and government service delivery standards, particularly for essential documentation affecting citizens’ mobility and employment.

A significant legal milestone has been reached in the protracted litigation surrounding the catastrophic 2015 El Pecos Restaurant gas explosion in Maraval, with one of the numerous related lawsuits now progressing toward trial. At a January 5 case management hearing, Justice Nadia Kangaloo solidified procedural timelines and scheduled a crucial pre-trial review for April 17, when trial dates will be formally established and evidential objections addressed.

The judicial developments follow a pivotal December ruling by the Court of Appeal that upheld substantial negligence findings against North Plant LPG Co-Operative Society Ltd. In a unanimous decision, Justices Mark Mohammed and Peter Rajkumar affirmed Justice James Aboud’s judgment dismissing North Plant’s appeal against a $160,000 general damages award to Gregory Maicoo, an employee who sustained severe burns during the liquefied petroleum gas delivery incident.

Justice Aboud’s comprehensive analysis validated trial judge Justice Ricky Rahim’s 2022 determination that North Plant breached its duty of care, emphasizing that Rahim’s conclusions were grounded in “a judicious evaluation of the evidence” without “material error that undermines his factual conclusions.” The appellate court notably rejected North Plant’s safety protocol defenses, finding the company’s arguments without merit.

The legal proceedings encompass multiple dimensions of the tragedy, including compensation claims from seriously injured victims and insurance subrogation claims from neighboring businesses affected by the blast. Among the pending cases is a separate action filed by the brother of restaurant accountant John Soo Ping Chow, who succumbed to burn injuries four months after the explosion at a Miami hospital.

Justice Kangaloo has advised legal representatives to monitor the upcoming February hearing in the Chow case for potential implications on their respective matters. The complex litigation landscape involves numerous represented parties, including Restaurant Holdings Ltd, National Petroleum Company Ltd, and El Pecos itself, all navigating a web of interconnected negligence and liability claims.

Justice Aboud highlighted the inefficiency of addressing these claims individually, noting the missed opportunity for using a “test case or representative action” to establish negligence parameters, which risks “wasting valuable court time relitigating issues of fact that have already been determined.”