Carib Scope

标签： Trinidad and Tobago

特立尼达和多巴哥

  • Ex-CEO Cox threatens legal action

    Ex-CEO Cox threatens legal action

    A high-stakes corporate dispute has emerged at state-owned telecommunications giant Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT), as former acting chief executive officer Keino Cox is moving forward with planned legal action against the company. Cox alleges the TSTT board retaliated against him after he flagged widespread potential corporate governance violations by top company officials.

    Cox’s legal team, led by prominent Senior Counsel Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj and operating out of the RLM & Co law firm, delivered a formal pre-action protocol letter to TSTT on Friday. The correspondence sets a strict seven-day deadline for the telecom provider to deliver a substantive response to the claims, failing which Cox will initiate formal litigation in the appropriate court.

    According to the legal documents, Cox held the post of acting CEO for 12 months starting July 21, 2025, via two consecutive six-month appointments. His legal team emphasizes that his tenure delivered exceptional financial results for the company: profit after tax surged 103% to $214 million, Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortisation (EBITDA) jumped by $135 million to reach $910 million, and the company restored $35 million in positive retained earnings. Beyond financial performance, the letter highlights the successful expansion of the company’s community outreach programs, including the popular Future Leaders Internship Programme that provides opportunities for young local workers.

    Shortly after Cox raised his concerns over internal governance, the board placed him on immediate administrative leave and declined to renew his acting CEO appointment. The legal team firmly rejects the unstated insinuation that Cox’s removal was connected to any improper conduct related to TSTT’s Humming Bird call-centre contract. The letter clarifies that the procurement process for that contract followed all required protocols: the opportunity was publicly advertised, evaluations were conducted by an independent third-party committee, and the final contract was formally approved by TSTT’s own Procurement and Disposal Advisory Committee.

    Instead, Cox’s attorneys directly tie his removal to the governance concerns he brought forward to the board, specifically focusing on a proposed $470 million bond refinancing plan and the conduct of three top TSTT leaders: chairman Kern Dass, corporate secretary Viveka Pargass, and acting chief financial officer Robert Panker.

    The legal correspondence outlines that TSTT’s independent financial advisor, Ernst & Young, explicitly recommended against pursuing the refinancing in July and August, projecting that delaying the transaction until October would cut between $7 million and $8 million in unnecessary redemption fees. Despite this formal professional advice, a board memorandum was circulated advancing the July refinancing timeline, and Cox raised formal objections to the flawed process during a full board meeting.

    Beyond the refinancing dispute, Cox also flagged a series of concerns regarding corporate secretary Pargass, including allegations that she failed to properly disclose outside secondary employment that creates a potential conflict of interest, caused costly delays in securing TSTT’s mandatory Money Lender’s Licence, and authorized new hires outside the company’s official hiring protocols.

    The letter accuses the TSTT board of choosing to retaliate against the whistleblower rather than launching a full independent investigation into the serious governance concerns he reported. It formally notifies Dass, all sitting directors, and Pargass that Cox intends to refer all evidence of potential misconduct in public office to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) or other relevant regulatory bodies if his claims are not resolved appropriately.

    Cox’s legal team also adds that unnamed TSTT officials have made damaging public statements that falsely tie Cox to misconduct in the Humming Bird contract matter, irreparably harming his professional reputation. In addition to a formal response to his claims, the legal team is demanding full disclosure of the exact reasons for the non-renewal of Cox’s appointment, complete details of any formal allegations against him, and all supporting documentation that TSTT relied on to make its decision to remove him.

    Notably, even amid the ongoing dispute, Cox has indicated he remains open to returning to his role as acting CEO, provided that appropriate safeguards are put in place to prevent further retaliation and the company compensates him for the financial losses and reputational damage he has sustained to date.

  • TTUTA: VICTORY FOR TEACHERS

    TTUTA: VICTORY FOR TEACHERS

    After months of persistent advocacy and collective pressure from educators across Trinidad and Tobago, the long-outstanding backpay owed to teachers for the 2020–2023 period has finally landed in members’ accounts, the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA) confirmed in an official statement released Saturday.

    Notably, TTUTA notes that it has not received formal notification of the disbursement from either the Ministry of Finance or the Ministry of Education. However, direct reports from hundreds of union members, alongside visible postings of the payments on the IHIRIS portal— the government-run online platform that allows public sector employees across multiple ministries to preview their payslips before deposit—have confirmed the arrears have been issued.

    In its statement, the union framed the disbursement as a hard-won victory for its membership, crediting months of coordinated solidarity, public advocacy and unified action for forcing the government’s hand. “This development is an important outcome/victory and is evident of the persistent advocacy undertaken by TTUTA on behalf of its membership,” the release read.

    The timeline of the payment itself marks a shift from the government’s earlier commitment: during the June 2026 Mid Year Budget Review, Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo publicly stated that the outstanding backpay would only be disbursed during the 2027 fiscal year. The early disbursement, TTUTA emphasized, is a direct result of unrelenting pressure from both the union leadership and rank-and-file teachers. “The fact that payments are now being made at the end of this fiscal year (2026) is a direct reflection of the continued advocacy and pressure brought to bear on both the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Education by TTUTA and, most importantly, by the membership,” the statement added. “This is your victory.”

    TTUTA used the milestone to reinforce the power of collective action among educators, noting that when teaching professionals stand united in demanding what they are legally owed, their demands cannot be sidelined by government bodies. The union also extended gratitude to both members and non-member teachers for their patience, public engagement and ongoing support throughout the months-long campaign, noting that shared solidarity strengthened the union’s negotiating position and underscored the value of collective action in advancing fair treatment for education workers.

    Looking ahead, TTUTA made clear that its advocacy work is far from over. The union will continue pressing the government to address three key unmet priorities for educators: improving school infrastructure and campus safety, securing renewed contracts for Business Operations Assistants (BOAs), and reinstating the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support educator mental health and well-being. The union closed its statement by reaffirming its commitment to holding the government accountable for all outstanding commitments to education workers, saying it would remain vigilant to ensure all promised improvements and payments are honored.

    The news of the backpay disbursement has drawn praise from another key education stakeholder: Walter Stewart, president of the National Parent-Teacher Association (NPTA), welcomed the development, noting that teachers have waited years to receive funds they rightfully earned and were legally entitled to. Stewart added that the NPTA recognizes the significant financial relief this payment will bring to thousands of educator households across the country, and commended the government and Ministry of Education for finally moving to resolve the long-running outstanding issue.

    For their part, government officials have not yet issued a full public comment on the disbursement. Finance Minister Tancoo told reporters he would deliver a formal statement on the backpay and other related matters during a parliamentary session scheduled for Wednesday. As of Sunday, attempts by media to reach Education Minister Dr Michael Dowlath for comment were unsuccessful.

    The resolution of the backpay issue comes after months of rising tension between the union and the government. Back in June 2026, TTUTA held a public news conference demanding the government explain what had happened to the $900 million allocated for teacher backpay in the 2025 national budget. At that time, the union rejected Tancoo’s promise that funding for backpay and other outstanding obligations to public sector unions (including nurse associations) would be set aside in the 2027 national budget, accusing the Ministry of Finance of “moving the goalpost” on its long-held commitments to educators.

    The roots of the dispute stretch back to April 2025, when TTUTA accepted a 5% salary adjustment offer from Chief Personnel Officer Dr Daryl Dindial for the 2020–2023 period. The offer structured the increase as 1% in 2021, 1% in 2022, and 3% in 2023, closing the existing salary gap by 18.2% while also consolidating the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) and improving other working terms for teaching service members. Under the original agreement, teachers were promised their adjusted salaries and full backpay by the end of January 2026. When the deadline passed, only the base 5% salary increase appeared in teachers’ bank accounts in March 2026, leaving the full backpay arrears outstanding for an additional eight months.

  • Doctors’ social media advertising under review

    Doctors’ social media advertising under review

    Against a backdrop of rapidly expanding digital self-promotion by medical professionals, the Council of the Medical Board of Trinidad and Tobago (MBTT) has launched a comprehensive update of its regulatory guidelines governing how doctors can advertise their clinical services. This sweeping review addresses a range of emerging issues, from unregulated social media marketing and exaggerated treatment outcome claims to undisclosed financial incentives that could mislead patients.

    Dr. Ian Ramnarine, a cardiothoracic surgeon and MBTT Secretary, confirmed the review in an interview with the *Sunday Express*, noting that the exponential rise in doctors marketing their practices across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and other digital platforms has created an urgent need to modernize outdated rules. While medical advertising has long been a sensitive regulatory concern for the board, the mainstream adoption of social media has upended existing frameworks, pushing leadership to re-evaluate what constitutes acceptable professional practice.

    “The Medical Council takes this issue extremely seriously, and it is far more complex than many realize. Drawing a clear line between permissible communication and harmful misleading promotion is critical, because our core mandate is protecting public health. Every part of these guidelines needs to be crafted with extreme care,” Ramnarine explained.

    He added that foundational ethical standards for advertising already exist, developed in a collaborative partnership with the Trinidad and Tobago Medical Association (TTMA). Now, in response to the digital shift, those foundational standards have been updated for the modern era, and the full MBTT board is set to conduct the final review of the draft framework.

    When asked which specific practices have sparked the most regulatory concern, Ramnarine highlighted three key problem areas: false or unsubstantiated claims about treatment success, branded advertising centered on individual doctors, and the failure to disclose financial conflicts of interest that incentivize doctors to push specific products or procedures to patients. Currently, the regulatory body is still refining definitions of what exactly counts as inappropriate or unethical advertising, with multiple open points still under active discussion.

    The updated guidelines will cover all forms of doctor-led promotion, including organic social media posts, paid sponsored content, promotional videos and patient testimonials. Several high-stakes questions remain unresolved, however: the board is still debating whether individual doctors should be allowed to advertise specific procedures, particularly elective cosmetic treatments. Current rules prohibit individual clinicians from promoting specific services, a restriction that only applies to institutional medical providers – that ban is now up for re-evaluation.

    Another open question centers on whether advertising price points, discounts, limited-time special offers and promotional service packages will be permitted. Ramnarine noted that a full ban on this type of promotion remains the most likely outcome, though the discussion is still ongoing.

    Ramnarine also emphasized a core ethical principle that will anchor the new guidelines: medicine is an individualized practice that requires a full patient assessment, formal diagnosis and personalized treatment plan. Any promotion of a procedure that is not clinically appropriate for a patient, but that generates personal financial profit for the clinician, will be explicitly classified as both inappropriate and unethical.

    The review also covers how to regulate common marketing tools such as before-and-after treatment photos, patient success testimonials and claims of high treatment success rates. The board is also expanding existing conflict of interest disclosure rules: currently, disclosure of financial ties is already required for doctors presenting at scientific conferences and continuing medical education events, where presenters must clearly state any benefits they receive that relate to their presented work. The new guidelines will extend this requirement to doctors promoting commercial health products, including supplements, skincare items and other patient-facing wellness goods.

    Additional unresolved topics include whether doctors will be banned from criticizing competing medical practices or comparing their services directly to other clinicians in advertising, as well as what specific sanctions will be imposed on clinicians found to violate the new rules. Both issues remain under active review, Ramnarine confirmed.

    For context, the MBTT already maintains an established formal complaints process for concerns about unethical doctor behavior, governed by the national Medical Board Act that regulates medical practitioner registration and oversight. Instructions for members of the public to submit reports of unethical advertising are already posted publicly on the MBTT official website.

    When asked how the board will balance clinicians’ right to grow their practice with the critical need to protect patients from misleading medical claims, Ramnarine said clear, proactive regulation is non-negotiable. He noted that the draft guidelines have been developed through extensive multi-stakeholder consultations to ensure all perspectives are considered. Once the draft is submitted to the full board, all public and stakeholder comments will be compiled, reviewed by the MBTT ethics committee, revised, and recirculated for further input before finalization.

    While Ramnarine confirmed that a near-final draft could be circulated to board members within the next two weeks, he cautioned that this timeline does not guarantee a finalized set of rules will be released to all practicing doctors before the end of September. Once the guidelines are formally approved, Ramnarine added it is standard practice for the board to offer clarification for doctors looking to bring existing advertisements and social media profiles into compliance with the new rules. In line with the board’s core mandate, Ramnarine reaffirmed that unregulated medical advertising is not an option: “Advertising cannot be unregulated. Clear guidelines must exist to protect patients.”

    The MBTT’s existing code of ethics for medical advertising, which the updated rules will replace, currently includes the following key provisions: practice location signage may only include the doctor’s name, professional qualifications, area of specialization, office hours and appointment requirements, and may only be sized for basic identification; all claims about clinician competence, experience, service quality and treatment outcomes must be factually accurate and supported by formal certification or evidence of appropriate training; promotional materials may not include financial incentives to attract patients, nor may they include third-party endorsements or testimonials about the clinician or their services; doctors may not advertise under a pseudonym, and all advertising must use their full legal name as registered with the MBTT; doctors may not attach their name to the promotion of commercial organizations, and any public comment on issues related to a linked medical, pharmaceutical or biomedical organization requires full disclosure of the professional relationship and a clarification of whether views represent the doctor or the organization.

  • Win over Opposition, Independents

    Win over Opposition, Independents

    As the controversial Zones of Special Operations (ZOSO) crime legislation prepares to return to the parliamentary agenda for a new vote, a leading political scientist has warned that the ruling government will only secure passage if it is willing to compromise with opposition and independent lawmakers.

    Political science professor Hamid Ghany shared his analysis in an interview with the *Sunday Express*, breaking down the legal and procedural hurdles that derailed the bill during its last attempt at passage in January. Under the country’s constitution, any legislation that limits individual human rights — a mandatory declaration required for ZOSO — must secure a three-fifths supermajority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate to become law. Even after passage, citizens retain the right to challenge the law in court, arguing that its restrictions on rights are not justifiable in a democratic society that upholds individual freedoms.

    Ghany noted that the ruling administration already holds an outright three-fifths majority in the lower House of Representatives, meaning passage there is all but guaranteed. The major barrier lies in the Senate, where the government does not hold enough seats to reach the required supermajority on its own. During the January vote, the government refused to consider any amendments proposed by opposition and independent senators, sticking firmly to its original draft language. In the end, all opposition senators voted against the bill, joined by eight of nine independent senators (with one abstaining), resulting in defeat.

    Six months have passed since the end of the last parliamentary session, meeting the mandatory waiting period required to reintroduce the failed bill. However, it remains unclear whether the government has used this interval to revise the draft to address concerns raised by skeptical lawmakers.

    Ghany pointed out that much of the opposition from independent senators centered on protections for individual human rights, a framing that inherently includes safeguards for accused criminals alongside ordinary citizens. To move the bill forward, he argued, the government will need to make targeted concessions on the scope of rights restrictions, balancing the need to crack down on organized crime with commitments to protect civil liberties.

    The failure of the first bill was followed a month later by the declaration of a new state of emergency to address rising crime, leaving many to question whether the government has used that emergency period to refine its legislative approach. Ghany said it remains to be seen whether the revised bill will be acceptable enough to win over independent senators, or even gain some support from the opposition.

    Beyond the legislative fight over ZOSO, Ghany observed that the government is already pursuing a secondary crime reduction strategy centered on expanding community police posts across the country. Going further, he voiced support for expanding long-term community intervention programs focused on at-risk youth, arguing that these programs address the root causes of crime that conventional policing cannot reach.

    These programs, Ghany explained, offer young people positive alternatives to lives of crime, while also addressing growing social problems in schools including violence and bullying. The impact of failing to support vulnerable youth extends far beyond the K-12 education system: young people who engage in harmful behavior in school often carry those patterns into adulthood, perpetuating cycles of crime long after they leave school.

    After decades of discussion and debate about crime intervention with little tangible action, Ghany said he sees the current push for both legislative action and community programming as a sign that the prime minister’s administration is ready to prioritize concrete progress on the country’s persistent crime crisis.

  • Fishermen’s US strike death lawsuit stalls

    Fishermen’s US strike death lawsuit stalls

    Almost 12 months after Trinidadian fishermen Chad Joseph and Rishi Samaroo disappeared mid-voyage home from Venezuela, legal progress on a high-profile wrongful death lawsuit alleging the pair were killed in an unacknowledged United States military strike remains paused. The case is now held up waiting for Trinidad and Tobago’s domestic courts to issue a formal declaration of death, a procedural step required to move the federal lawsuit forward.

  • Chinese-linked crime networks funnelling millions out of T&T

    Chinese-linked crime networks funnelling millions out of T&T

    Over the course of the past 10 years, transnational criminal networks allegedly tied to Chinese organized crime have steadily embedded themselves deeper into the socio-economic fabric of Trinidad and Tobago, broadening their illegal footprint across a spectrum of illicit activities ranging from drug and human trafficking to large-scale money laundering. According to multiple anonymous intelligence and law enforcement sources who spoke with local outlet Sunday Express, these criminal operations generate hundreds of millions of dollars in illegal proceeds, a large share of which is siphoned out of the Caribbean nation and moved back to China through sophisticated, well-disguised channels.

    Media coverage spanning multiple years has consistently documented the rising influence of these networks across the Caribbean, where they operate smuggling rings, unregulated underground gambling venues, immigration fraud schemes, and sham corporate front organizations that conceal illicit cash flows and shadowy business dealings. A 2022 investigative report from ProPublica highlighted testimony from a U.S. military official to Congress, which identified Chinese money launderers as the “number one underwriter” of drug trafficking activities across the Western Hemisphere, bringing global attention to the growing control of Chinese organized crime over drug-related money laundering in the region.

    Interviews with current and former law enforcement officials and financial industry insiders, all granted anonymity to protect their safety and professional standing, confirm that this trend has continued to accelerate exponentially, with criminal operations growing both in geographic reach and operational complexity across Trinidad and Tobago and the broader Caribbean. Senior intelligence sources note that illegal criminal proceeds are increasingly laundered through seemingly legitimate local businesses, outpacing the capacity of domestic law enforcement to detect and disrupt these activities as they grow in scale and sophistication.

    In its 2023 annual public report, Trinidad and Tobago’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) flagged a growing volume of suspicious money laundering transactions and highlighted suspected tax evasion schemes carried out by foreign nationals operating in the country. A senior source with deep ties to the FIU confirmed to Sunday Express that the report’s findings disproportionately focus on financial activities linked to Chinese nationals, though the document does not explicitly single out Chinese citizens as a group. The source explained that the overrepresentation of Chinese-linked transactions reflects the actual prevalence of suspicious activity involving these networks, rather than targeted bias, and the findings are framed as part of broader trends in illicit financial activity.

    The FIU source detailed common methods used by these networks to move illicit funds out of the country. One widespread tactic involves employees of Chinese-owned businesses—including restaurants, casinos, and supermarkets—using their personal local bank accounts to deposit cash collected by their employers. Debit cards linked to these accounts are then sent to China, where the funds can be withdrawn directly, avoiding the formal cross-border wire transfer process that would trigger regulatory scrutiny.

    Trade-based money laundering (TBML) is another widely used technique, the source added. One common TBML scheme involves inflating invoice values for imported goods: for example, a trader importing goods with a true value of $100,000 from China may use a falsified invoice listing the value as $300,000, allowing the extra $200,000 in illicit funds to be wired to China under the guise of legitimate trade payment. A second TBML tactic involves misrepresenting the content of cargo shipments: bills of lading list legal goods that do not match the actual cargo, which may include contraband, illicit proceeds, or materials linked to other criminal activities. This method often requires collusion with corrupt local customs officials to pass through border checks undetected.

    Sources also warn of growing collusion between local Chinese business owners and transnational Chinese Triad criminal networks. Triads provide upfront capital for Chinese nationals to open businesses and purchase real estate in Trinidad and Tobago, eliminating the need for applicants to seek loans from local financial institutions that would trigger formal background and financial scrutiny. This allows criminal networks to expand their control over local assets without drawing early attention from regulators.

    Despite the sophisticated concealment tactics, these activities have not evaded detection entirely. The Financial Investigation Branch (FIB) of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) is currently conducting multiple ongoing investigations into Chinese-linked money laundering networks and the local money mules they use to route illicit funds, launched following referrals from the FIU. However, investigators face significant structural barriers, most notably a persistent language barrier. Currently, investigators must rely on translation services provided by the Chinese Embassy for case-related materials, and there are ongoing concerns that the translations provided may not be fully accurate, hampering investigative progress.

    Another common channel for moving illicit funds out of the country uses bulk shipments of scrap iron as cover for large volumes of U.S. currency bound for China, according to a senior police source from a specialized anti-crime unit familiar with the operations. Compressed bundles of U.S. cash are disguised as blocks of wood and mixed into scrap iron shipments, with individual shipments often containing 8 to 9 such bundles totaling millions of dollars in illegal proceeds. While the source could not provide an exact cumulative total for the amount of funds moved through this method over the past decade, they confirmed that estimates run into hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars.

    These networks build up large supplies of U.S. cash through their network of legitimate-seeming local businesses, including grocery stores, restaurants, and casinos, before channelling the currency overseas through these smuggling routes. In a high-profile raid last year, Trinidad and Tobago Special Branch officers shut down an alleged criminal hub at a San Fernando mall linked to Chinese organized crime. During the operation, police seized more than $2 million in cash, 36 undocumented immigrants from China and Venezuela, multiple illegal firearms, and a large stockpile of ammunition. The mall’s proprietor, who held a valid local firearms license, was charged with ammunition possession violations and granted bail ahead of trial. Intelligence sources confirm the mall had long been used as a meeting location for Triad members, Chinese business owners, and corrupt local immigration officials to negotiate criminal deals.

    Multiple sources explained that the networks use a “colour coding” system to label their business operations, allowing involved Chinese business owners to quickly identify which criminal boss controls the laundering operations tied to each specific business. This internal organizational system helps avoid territorial disputes and keeps operations compartmentalized to reduce the risk of detection.

    Senior intelligence also notes that many Chinese business owners connected to the networks rent large warehouse spaces across Trinidad and Tobago to store counterfeit consumer goods including knockoff footwear, apparel, cigarettes, and unregulated pharmaceutical drugs. These goods are sold exclusively for cash, and the illicit proceeds are then converted to U.S. currency and smuggled out of the country with the assistance of corrupt local Trinidadians and bribed law enforcement officers. The source added that the networks rely on violent enforcement to eliminate internal rivals and external obstacles, smuggling in hitmen from outside the country to resolve disputes and remove threats to their operations.

    While many of these businesses appear to be routine, legitimate commercial operations to outside observers, senior financial analysts warn that they cause severe, ongoing harm to Trinidad and Tobago’s economy and institutional integrity. Beyond draining hundreds of millions of dollars in capital out of the country each year, the networks undercut local legitimate businesses through unfair competition, embed criminal influence into everyday commercial transactions, and erode regulatory oversight.

    Senior financial sources explain that while the operations may create a superficial illusion of economic growth, they are riddle with abusive and illicit practices including systematic tax evasion, exploitative low wages, and illegal currency market manipulation. A particularly damaging impact has been the networks’ large-scale purchases of U.S. dollars on the black market, which has significantly worsened the country’s ongoing foreign exchange shortage, a crisis that already harms legitimate local businesses that struggle to access sufficient U.S. dollar reserves for legitimate trade.

  • Govt to bring back ZOSO Bill

    Govt to bring back ZOSO Bill

    Trinidad and Tobago’s government is preparing to bring the controversial Zones of Special Operations (ZOSO) legislation back before parliament, following a formal announcement that it will not extend the national state of emergency (SoE) set to expire on September 17, 2026. The confirmation was delivered by Minister of Homeland Security Roger Alexander during an address to the House of Representatives Wednesday night, coming one day after Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar convened a meeting of the National Security Council—including Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro—at the St Ann’s Diplomatic Centre.

    Alexander framed the impending expiration of the state of emergency as a natural transition point to advance the ZOSO framework, which he positioned as a core component of the administration’s broader multi-pronged anti-crime strategy. Unlike the temporary SoE, the ZOSO legislation creates a permanent statutory mechanism to designate geographically bounded areas as special security zones, where the state can deploy enhanced law enforcement measures paired with targeted community development interventions. “Its importance lies in its combined approach,” Alexander told lawmakers. “ZOSO is not simply about entering a community with law enforcement—it is about security and community development operating hand in hand. It allows the State to concentrate resources in an area affected by serious crime, while also addressing the underlying conditions that criminal organisations exploit.”

    Under the proposed legislation, any area designated as a ZOSO would remain active for a maximum period of 180 days. Within these zones, the framework calls for coordinated, robust action against gang activity, illegal firearms, and violent crime, paired with improved delivery of public services, expanded community outreach, and targeted social programs to address root causes of criminality.

    This reintroduction marks the government’s second attempt to pass the bill in 2026. The Law Reform (Zones of Special Operations) (Special Security and Community Development Measures) Bill was first introduced to the Lower House by Attorney General John Jeremie, SC, on January 16, and passed the following day by a 27-11 vote. However, the legislation required a three-fifths special majority to advance, and it was ultimately defeated in the Senate on January 27 after four days of debate. The governing party holds only 15 of the Senate seats, meaning it needed at least four additional votes from opposition or independent lawmakers to reach the required threshold of 19 votes. When the final vote was called, all 15 government senators supported the bill, while all 14 non-government senators—six from the official opposition and eight independents—voted against it. One independent senator abstained, leaving the bill far short of the required support.

    The first attempt at the legislation drew widespread criticism over concerns that it would grant overly broad powers to the state to declare special security zones and deploy expanded security resources in local communities. Ahead of the new vote, Alexander pushed back against these concerns, emphasizing that the framework’s dual focus on security and development sets it apart from traditional heavy-handed policing approaches. He also issued a appeal to cross-party lawmakers, urging them to set partisan interests aside when considering the bill. “When that bill returns to this House, every member will have a responsibility to judge it on whether it gives vulnerable communities stronger protection and better State support,” Alexander said. “Public safety should not become a partisan casualty.”

    In addition to announcing the ZOSO reintroduction, Alexander outlined the broader range of investments the administration is making to bolster national security as the country transitions away from the state of emergency. He stressed that the SoE was never positioned as a standalone solution to rising crime, but rather one temporary tool within a long-term national security strategy that includes expanding law enforcement manpower, improving police mobility and public presence, updating outdated security legislation and technology, strengthening border controls, cracking down on human and drug trafficking and cybercrime, and addressing the social and behavioral risk factors that push young people into criminal activity.

    To address longstanding staffing gaps in the country’s protective services, Alexander confirmed that 233 new police recruits are currently completing training and are on track to graduate and enter service soon. “That means more trained officers preparing to serve the people of Trinidad and Tobago,” he said, adding that recruitment efforts will continue long-term, as sustained policing depends on sustained investment in personnel. The Cabinet has also approved a plan to absorb 800 currently serving Special Reserve Police officers into the regular Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS). Alexander noted that these officers already bring years of frontline experience to the force, and their absorption will close critical manpower gaps, boost divisional operational capacity, and add more personnel for patrols, criminal investigations, community policing initiatives, and specialist operations.

    The expansion of protective services extends beyond law enforcement, Alexander added. Prison Service recruitment and training is also being accelerated: 250 new prison recruits entered training by July this year, as part of a planned target to recruit 800 new full-time prison officers by 2027. “We are rebuilding the front line across the protective services,” he said.

    To improve public access to visible security, Alexander also announced that six joint mobile units staffed by police and Defence Force personnel have already been positioned across the country and will begin operational duties in the near future. Another 24 units will be deployed to strategic locations across Trinidad and Tobago based on ongoing operational assessments and input from local communities on their security needs. “Visible security must not remain concentrated in offices and compounds. It must be present where people live, work, travel, study, and conduct business,” Alexander said. “We are taking security closer to the people.”

  • Ensure nation’s schools are safe

    Ensure nation’s schools are safe

    A brazen daylight robbery at a public secondary school in Trinidad has ignited a mass teacher walkout and thrown longstanding, unaddressed school safety failures into the national spotlight, after an intruder easily breached a broken perimeter fence to rob a classroom teacher last week.

    The incident unfolded around 2 p.m. Thursday at San Juan North Secondary School, when a bare-chested intruder wearing a jersey to conceal his face climbed through gaps in the school’s crumbling perimeter fence. He slipped into an empty classroom — students were between classes at the time, avoiding what experts warn could have been a far deadlier outcome — and confronted the female teacher inside. Ordering her to lie on the classroom floor, the intruder stole her personal valuables and vehicle key, keeping one hand hidden throughout the encounter that left the teacher uncertain whether he was carrying a weapon. After the intruder fled the compound, the teacher locked the classroom door and alerted other staff, who contacted local police, who have since launched an official investigation into the robbery.

    By 1:30 p.m. the following day, fed-up teachers and students had launched a full walkout of the campus to protest the dangerous conditions that allowed the attack to occur. Hours later, a representative from the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA) submitted formal documentation of the school’s long-running safety hazards to the national Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA), triggering an official workplace safety review that will determine whether staff can be compelled to return to campus.

    Speaking at an on-site press conference following the walkout, TTUTA president Crystal Ashe emphasized that the robbery was not an unpredictable random event — it was a preventable crisis that followed years of ignored warnings from school leadership and teacher representatives. “This teacher could have been injured. This teacher’s life could have been lost,” Ashe told reporters, noting that the intruder’s concealed hand left the victim in crippling fear for her life during the attack.

    Ashe detailed that TTUTA and the school’s principal have been raising alarms about critical infrastructure and security deficits at the 900-student campus for years. A technical inspection team from the National Maintenance Training and Security Company Ltd (MTS) visited the campus in December 2024, conducted a full walkthrough, and formally flagged multiple high-risk areas requiring urgent repairs — including the broken perimeter fence and overgrown vegetation that provided intruders with perfect cover to sneak onto campus. Between that inspection and the day of the robbery, Ashe said, no remedial work was completed at all.

    “She put it on the SINS platform, she wrote to the ministry, she implored them, she highlighted the urgency of it, and you know what took place so far? Nothing,” Ashe said, referring to the principal’s repeated requests for action through the Ministry of Education’s official Schools Infrastructure Management System (SINS) portal. Beyond the perimeter fence and overgrown grounds, other unaddressed hazards included broken sewer lines and unsafe electrical wiring in the school’s now-decommissioned technical-vocational training block.

    Security staffing is also dangerously insufficient at the campus, Ashe argued. Currently, the school is assigned five MTS security officers and two unarmed police officers to cover the large campus and nearly 1,000 total students and staff. Ashe said the current staffing ratio is completely unfit for the size of the compound, leaving huge gaps in patrol coverage that allow intruders to enter undetected. Ashe also noted that even basic grounds maintenance has fallen apart: the San Juan-Laventille Regional Corporation, which is not legally responsible for school grounds maintenance, stepped in to cut overgrown grass because the contracted private vendor had not been paid by the ministry and refused to complete the work.

    Teachers have now formally invoked occupational safety and health regulations to walk off the job, and will not return to campus until OSHA completes a full safety assessment and confirms the environment is safe for work. Ashe warned that the outcome could have been catastrophic if the intruder had entered the classroom while students were present, and called for four immediate actions to resolve the crisis: full repair or replacement of the broken perimeter fence, an increase in MTS security staffing from five to at least eight officers, clearing of all overgrown vegetation on campus, and access to free professional counselling for the traumatized teacher who was robbed. Ashe added that teaching staff have already offered to contribute financially to counselling support for their colleague if the ministry fails to cover the cost.

    Ashe also criticized the absence of any Ministry of Education officials at the school in the immediate aftermath of the attack, urging political leaders to step up and fulfill their legal responsibility to keep students and staff safe. “Do not abdicate your responsibility. Please do what you need to do to ensure that our nation’s schools are safe places of learning,” he said.

    In a statement provided to local outlet *Express* following the incident, Education Minister Dr Michael Dowlath acknowledged the robbery and confirmed that the ministry is aware of the security vulnerabilities at the school. Dowlath stated that the school already has a full complement of assigned MTS security staff, with supervisory oversight from a corporal, and that the robbery has been reported to the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) for ongoing investigation. He added that the ministry’s Health, Safety and Security Services Unit has already completed a preliminary review of the incident and identified the vulnerable section of the rear perimeter fence that the intruder used to access the campus. “This is being addressed as part of the Ministry’s ongoing approach to strengthening security arrangements at the school,” Dowlath said, noting that the ministry has formal protocols for coordinating with school administrators, security staff, and law enforcement to respond to security incidents and adjust safety measures where needed. “The Ministry will continue to work with the relevant stakeholders to strengthen security arrangements where required,” he added.

  • Barry, Camille spar in House

    Barry, Camille spar in House

    A tense, personal verbal altercation unfolded in Trinidad and Tobago’s Parliament on Thursday, pitting Government Business Leader Barry Padarath against acting Opposition Chief Whip Camille Robinson-Regis over the administration’s bid to delay responses to pending parliamentary questions for an additional 14 days. What began as a procedural disagreement quickly devolved into personal jabs, drawing a formal complaint from the Opposition side and a regulatory intervention from the chamber’s presiding officer before the debate could move forward.

    The confrontation kicked off when Padarath addressed the House of Representatives to formally table the Government’s request for a two-week deferral on three pending oral questions, noting that ministers were ready to respond to six other questions listed on the Order Paper. Following Padarath’s announcement, Robinson-Regis pushed for clarity on the timeline for a backlog of unaddressed written questions, only to learn the Government was seeking a matching two-week delay for those outstanding queries as well.

    Robinson-Regis immediately raised strenuous objections to the request, highlighting that some of the delayed questions had originally been scheduled for official responses as far back as July 24. With the calendar already marking mid-September, she pressed Padarath repeatedly to commit to a firm final timeline for when representatives could expect the missing answers.

    In a dismissive response, Padarath retorted to the chamber’s Deputy Speaker, “It seems the member for Trincity/Maloney is experiencing withdrawal. She knows very well the process for this.” He reaffirmed that the Government would deliver an update on the status of all outstanding questions once the two-week deferral period ended. Unfazed by the dismissal, Robinson-Regis shot back with a cutting personal quip, asking if Padarath was experiencing menopause.

    The Government leader immediately fired back with another personal remark, countering, “Unlike the member for Trincity/Maloney, I don’t need domestic assistance. But what I will tell you… is that the member is fully aware of the process and procedure and therefore please allow that to happen.” He once again restated his commitment that the Government would share a full update within the 14-day window.

    Robinson-Regis promptly filed a formal complaint about Padarath’s disrespectful remarks to Deputy Speaker Dr. Aiyna Ali, asking, “Madam Deputy Speaker, is the member going to be allowed to be disrespectful to us on this side?”

    Ali stepped in to de-escalate the clash, ruling that all relevant questions on the matter had already been put forward and addressed. She urged Robinson-Regis to return to her seat to allow parliamentary proceedings to continue as scheduled. Though Robinson-Regis complied with the ruling, she made her lingering dissatisfaction clear, stating “I am not in agreement with what you just said” before taking her seat.

  • Swaratsingh: CMOH permit removal could unlock millions

    Swaratsingh: CMOH permit removal could unlock millions

    In a landmark move to streamline business operations and stimulate economic growth, Trinidad and Tobago’s House of Representatives has passed the Public Health (Amendment) (No 2) Bill, 2026, which eliminates the routine separate approval requirement from County Medical Officers of Health (CMOH) in the national construction permitting process. The legislation, which received unanimous cross-party support including backing from the opposition, targets long-standing delays that have hampered the country’s construction sector for years.

    Minister of Planning, Economic Affairs and Development Kennedy Swaratsingh, who presented the bill to parliament, laid out extensive data demonstrating how the CMOH approval step had become a major bottleneck in the development approval pipeline. Between 2020 and the time of the debate, more than 7,200 development applications were routed to the CMOH for mandatory review. Official performance data shows that the average processing time for CMOH referrals hit 67 days, far exceeding the official 21-day service target. Only 15% of all applications were completed within the mandated timeline, while 22% took more than three months to resolve. One in every four submissions was sent back to applicants for additional clarification, further extending wait times.

    The backlog hits non-residential construction projects particularly hard, with this category facing an average wait of 93 days just to get CMOH sign-off. Swaratsingh emphasized that this redundant step has become one of the single biggest contributors to costly delays across the entire construction permitting system. Based on conservative estimates, roughly $5.4 billion in annual construction activity passes through the CMOH approval process each year. The cumulative financial impact of these delays is staggering: tied-up capital, deferred investment returns, and cost escalations add up to an average of $100 million in lost value annually, totaling nearly $1 billion in present-day terms over a 10-year period, according to the minister’s calculations.

    Crucially, government officials stressed that the reform does not roll back public health protections. Instead, it eliminates duplicative oversight that already occurs through other established regulatory bodies. “This removes a duplicated approval, not a safeguard,” Swaratsingh clarified during parliamentary debate. Multiple agencies already oversee the various health and safety components of construction projects: the Town and Country Planning Division manages land use, density, and subdivision standards; municipal corporations handle core building permit reviews, inspections, and completion certifications; the Water and Sewerage Authority oversees plumbing, water access, and sewage systems; the Fire Service reviews fire safety and life protection protocols; and the Environmental Management Authority assesses potential environmental impacts. Additionally, licensed architects and engineers carry professional liability for the safety and compliance of the designs they certify. Even with all these existing layers of review, applicants were still required to obtain separate CMOH concurrence, creating unnecessary redundancy.

    The costs of these persistent delays extend far beyond administrative inconvenience, touching every stakeholder in the development process. For developers and lenders, ongoing delays mean accumulating interest on outstanding bridging and construction loans, with some loan commitments expiring before approval is granted. Development teams are forced to retain contractors and professional staff for extended periods, driving up overhead costs. Delays also push up material and tender prices, and can cause purchaser agreements and mortgage approvals to lapse before projects reach completion. For subdivision developments, lengthy hold-ups leave individual lots trapped in the development process, unable to be conveyed, sold, or mortgaged, locking up valuable real estate that could otherwise be put to productive use.

    By eliminating this redundant approval step, the government projects significant widespread economic benefits that will ripple through the national economy. The reform will move forward billions in construction activity that would otherwise be stuck in administrative backlogs. Using standard construction industry economic multipliers, the policy change is expected to bring roughly $1.1 billion in additional construction spending forward into the first year following implementation. This one-time boost will support an estimated $1.8 billion in total national output, equal to 0.5% of the country’s gross domestic product, and sustain 6,000 additional jobs in the near term. In the longer term, the reform is projected to add $40 million in annual GDP and support 300 permanent jobs annually by retaining construction sector investment that would otherwise have been withdrawn due to regulatory barriers.

    The change is part of a broader government initiative to modernize the entire national permitting system and improve the country’s ranking for ease of doing business. Swaratsingh noted that regulatory frameworks that served the country well in past decades no longer meet the needs of a growing modern economy, justifying targeted updates to cut unnecessary red tape.

    Importantly, the legislation preserves full CMOH oversight for developments that carry genuine public health risks. Projects involving food preparation, healthcare facilities, sanitation hazards, on-site water and wastewater disposal, communicable disease control concerns, and other health-sensitive uses will still required full CMOH review. The new framework simply removes overlapping approval for low-risk projects that have already been cleared by other competent agencies, balancing administrative efficiency with robust public health protection.

    After hours of debate, the bill was approved on Tuesday evening with full support from opposition lawmakers, marking a rare moment of cross-party consensus on economic regulatory reform.