Carib Scope

标签： Trinidad and Tobago

特立尼达和多巴哥

  • Faris under fire

    Faris under fire

    A major parliamentary controversy unfolded during a recent sitting of the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago, where sitting government ministers launched sharp criticism against opposition Senator Faris Al-Rawi, SC, over his alleged role in a coordinated plan to compromise the integrity of the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC). The fallout has led the Senate President to order both Al-Rawi and fellow opposition Senator Janelle John-Bates, a sitting PAAC member, to face investigation by the parliamentary Privileges Committee over allegations of contempt of Parliament.

    The confrontation was opened by Labour Minister Leroy Baptiste, who tabled a motion to adopt the PAAC’s Special Report detailing John-Bates’s misconduct. Baptiste argued that Al-Rawi was fully aware of John-Bates’s status as a PAAC member, and documentary evidence attached to the special report directly and irreversibly implicates the opposition senator in the misconduct.

    The evidence in question centers on a witness statement submitted to the PAAC by former Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh. In-depth metadata and tracked change analysis of the document reveals that both John-Bates and Al-Rawi contributed extensively to drafting the statement, with Al-Rawi personally carrying out revisions, edits, and in multiple cases overwriting changes previously made by other contributors.
    Baptiste emphasized that Al-Rawi’s participation in the drafting process cannot be written off as an innocent oversight. Instead, he framed the actions as part of a prearranged sequence of coordinated activities that resulted in fabricated and improperly shaped evidence being presented to the parliamentary committee, directly undermining the body’s institutional integrity.

    During the subsequent parliamentary debate, Senate President Wade Mark approved two separate privilege motions put forward by Government Senator and sitting PAAC member David Nakhid. Nakhid’s first motion addressed John-Bates’s conduct, noting that the PAAC’s own special report had concluded she deliberately compromised the committee’s impartiality and took part in what amounts to a conspiracy to commit contempt of Parliament. Nakhid explained that John-Bates violated core parliamentary standards by failing to recuse herself from the committee’s review of Deyalsingh’s evidence, despite having secretly assisted in drafting and advising on the memorandum, and failing to disclose her involvement to the committee. He added that if the PAAC chair had not intervened to stop her, John-Bates would have continued to take part in the committee’s deliberations, raising severe red flags about commitment to impartiality and adherence to parliamentary ethics.

    Nakhid’s second privilege motion targeted Al-Rawi, a senior barrister with decades of legal experience. He pointed out that Al-Rawi’s edits appear repeatedly across the tracked version of Deyalsingh’s statement, and argued that as a Senior Counsel, Al-Rawi should have recognized immediately that John-Bates’s involvement in the drafting process was improper. Citing Erskine May’s seminal Treatise on the Law, Privileges, Proceedings and Usage of Parliament, Nakhid noted that any conspiracy to deceive either chamber of Parliament or its committees is legally defined as contempt of Parliament. He further argued that legal professional privilege cannot be invoked to shield deceptive conduct, alleging that Al-Rawi conspired with Deyalsingh and John-Bates to mislead the PAAC, thereby committing contempt and abusing the parliamentary privilege afforded to his position.

    Following the debate, Senate President Wade Mark formally ruled that both Al-Rawi and John-Bates must be referred to the Privileges Committee for full investigation into the allegations.

    Minister of Housing Anil Roberts joined the growing chorus of government criticism against Al-Rawi, noting that the opposition senator’s actions are particularly troubling given his prior service as Attorney General of the country. Roberts argued that the full weight of the PAAC special report and supporting evidence shows Al-Rawi witnessed a young parliamentary colleague making a serious, admitted error, and chose to do nothing to stop it. He dismissed the entire affair as an undisputed political horror story for the opposition People’s National Movement (PNM), noting that both Al-Rawi and John-Bates are trained attorneys, making their conduct all the more disappointing.

    Roberts further called out Al-Rawi, a third-generation parliamentarian, by referencing public criticism from former PNM General Secretary Ashton Ford, who previously labeled Al-Rawi a non-performer. He stressed that Al-Rawi, a 30-year veteran of legal practice who previously led a high-profile prosecution that secured a witness tampering charge, should have recognized immediately that John-Bates’s actions were improper. Roberts alleged that Al-Rawi not only failed to warn John-Bates that her conduct amounted to witness tampering and urge her to resign and apologize to the PAAC, but actually joined the scandalous conspiracy alongside John-Bates and Deyalsingh to corrupt and undermine the PAAC’s core work.

    Roberts closed by calling on the full Parliament to defend its institutional integrity by demanding both senators resign from office. He directed his call specifically at Al-Rawi, claiming the senior senator refuses to apologize or step down despite the weight of evidence against him. To prevent a repeat of the prior high-profile “Emailgate” parliamentary scandal, Roberts called for an immediate full investigation, including retaining United States legal counsel to compel Google via subpoena to preserve all email correspondence between Al-Rawi, John-Bates, and Deyalsingh stored on the company’s servers. He also urged the Parliament to seek formal legal opinion on whether the conduct amounts to criminal offenses including witness tampering, conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, misconduct in public office, corruption, and fraud.

  • Ramdeen: Money to fix roads, buy meds

    Ramdeen: Money to fix roads, buy meds

    Trinidad and Tobago’s state-owned National Gas Company (NGC) has announced a major strategic reallocation of its $700 million corporate social responsibility sponsorship budget, shifting funds away from cultural and community event sponsorships toward urgent public needs including road repairs, hospital medication stock, public servant salaries, and national social safety net support. The announcement was made by NGC Chairman Gerald Ramdeen during a recent gas supply contract signing ceremony with Houston-based energy firm EOG Resources at Port of Spain’s Hyatt Regency.

    Ramdeen used the public event to push back against widespread public criticism of the company’s earlier sponsorship cuts, which sparked outrage across Trinidad and Tobago’s cultural sector late last year. At that time, NGC withdrew funding from high-profile local organizations including the Bocas Lit Fest literary festival and multiple top steel orchestras across the country, drawing significant public pushback over the loss of support for community and cultural initiatives.

    In his address, Ramdeen outlined the dramatic operational cost cuts the new NGC board has implemented since taking over leadership, noting that annual operating costs fell from $1.8 billion to $1.1 billion under the current leadership. He also pushed back against common narratives that attribute the company’s doubled profit growth over the past 10 months to restructuring at Atlantic LNG, the country’s major liquefied natural gas export facility. Instead, he credited targeted operational decisions and intentional leadership appointments for the improved financial performance.

    A key example Ramdeen highlighted was the company’s decision to invest in a new truck compressor, a move that resolved long-standing pressure issues that had previously restricted gas flow into Atlantic LNG. Prior to this investment, he noted, infrastructure limitations sometimes prevented NGC from delivering any gas to the export facility. The new compressor has allowed NGC to take full control of gas flows to Atlantic LNG, and to offer compression services to downstream partners under existing transportation contracts. Today, Ramdeen noted, NGC is delivering nearly 200 million standard cubic feet of gas daily to Atlantic LNG, even ahead of the 90 million cubic feet per day of new production expected to come online from upcoming projects next year. This consistent, elevated output has already allowed the country to export an additional full cargo of LNG, generating more than US$50 million in extra revenue for the national treasury at current market prices, he added.

    Ramdeen defended the budget reallocation, noting that the company receives 10 new sponsorship requests daily, and that the $700 million previously allocated to event and group sponsorships will now deliver far greater public benefit by addressing core public needs. “That money will now be taken to fix your roads, to put medicine in your hospitals, to pay your public servants to look after the social net of this country, and that is where it rightfully should be,” he said. The reallocated funds will also be returned to national shareholders, aligning with the company’s new mandate to prioritize broad public good over discrete cultural sponsorships.

    The contract signing with EOG Resources marks a continued partnership between the state-owned NGC and the international independent energy firm, reinforcing ongoing collaboration to expand domestic gas production and export capacity in Trinidad and Tobago.

  • REFINERY SOON

    REFINERY SOON

    On this year’s May Day commemorative march, which started from the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) headquarters in San Fernando’s Circular Road and ended at Harris Promenade, Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM) president Ancel Roget delivered a series of key updates for Trinidad and Tobago’s labor movement, sharing promising news on the long-shuttered Pointe-a-Pierre refinery and ongoing wage negotiations.

    Roget, who also leads the OWTU, told assembled workers that the years-long campaign to restart the 2018-closed refinery is in its final stages, with a reopening now within close reach. Once operational again, he emphasized, the facility will bring critical employment opportunities to more than 4,000 skilled and semi-skilled workers, delivering broad economic benefits to working people across the entire nation.

    The labor leader credited progress on the refinery restart to the union movement’s strategic engagement with national governance, pointing to the collaborative work with La Brea MP Clyde Elder, Point Fortin MP Ernesto Kesar, and Labour Minister Leroy Baptiste. Roget stressed that he maintains full confidence in his allies within the current government and parliament, calling on all union members to stand firm in solidarity with representatives pushing for worker interests at the national level.

    His comments align with recent remarks from Energy Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal, who told attendees at the United National Congress’ national congress Saturday that multiple entities have formally expressed interest in the refinery restart program, with new inquiries emerging as recently as April 24.

    Roget used the May Day platform to push back against former prime minister and former energy minister Stuart Young, accusing him of seeking to undermine the current government’s work. He issued a clear warning: if any actor attempts to derail the government’s work to advance national prosperity and progress, the country’s trade unions are prepared to launch public, on-the-ground campaign actions in response. “Leave the Government alone to conduct the business in the interest of the people of Trinidad and Tobago,” Roget said, pushing back against criticism of the administration’s efforts.

    Addressing speculation around the union movement’s strategic approach, Roget responded to critics who had questioned his public silence on key issues in recent months. He explained that the movement often pursues private, behind-the-scenes advocacy to deliver results, noting that a lack of public comment does not equal inaction. “Sometimes not because you’re not hearing us saying something publicly, it does not mean we are not representing privately. We are but we have to be strategic…we are very focused and our eyes remain on the prize,” he explained.

    On the topic of wage negotiations, Roget outlined significant progress for public sector workers, noting that a 10% wage adjustment has already been secured for members of the Public Services Association (PSA) and the National Union of Government and Federated Workers (NUGFW), delivered through the persistent advocacy of the union-aligned representatives. For outstanding negotiations with other unions, Roget confirmed that JTUM has scheduled a May 13 meeting with Labour Minister Baptiste, where union representatives will present their proposals and enter formal discussions. While he declined to share a fixed timeline for concluding all remaining talks, Roget gave a firm assurance to workers that every outstanding negotiation will be settled in favor of labor.

    This year’s May Day march carried the official theme of “advancing the workers’ agenda,” designed to center the needs of all working people across Trinidad and Tobago regardless of sector or affiliation. Roget emphasized that the most important element of the day is participation to protect worker rights and working conditions, rather than the size of the crowd. Still, turnout for the 2024 march was notably lower than 2023’s event, including a complete absence from the Trinidad and Tobago National Nursing Association (TTNNA). TTNNA’s absence came in protest of the fact that regional health authority workers, who remain on 2013 salary scales, did not receive the 10% wage increase granted to PSA workers, a point confirmed by Stuart.

    Roget closed his remarks with a political appeal to members, urging them to retain their religious values and to never support a return of the People’s National Movement (PNM) to government. Representatives from a range of major national employers including T&TEC, PowerGen, NP, The University of the West Indies, the University of Trinidad and Tobago, NTA, YTEPP, TTPWU, TIWU and MTS did participate in the event.

  • Dad gunned down in front son at QPS

    Dad gunned down in front son at QPS

    A senseless act of violence has shaken Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, after a 49-year-old father was fatally shot in full view of his young child at a popular public gathering space — just hours after he buried a victim of an earlier deadly mass shooting.

    Masud Prosper, a long-time employee of the Ministry of Health who resided on Belle Eau Road in Belmont, had just finished picking up his 9-year-old son from football practice on the afternoon of the incident. At approximately 5:30 p.m., he pulled his black Mitsubishi Lancer into a parking zone behind the food court at Queen’s Park Savannah, a central open space frequently used by local families for recreation and public events.

    As the pair sat together in the parked vehicle, an unidentified gunman walked up to the car and opened fire, striking Prosper multiple times. The attack was immediate, and Prosper died at the scene. Miraculously, his young son escaped the incident without physical injury.

    Shortly after first responders arrived at the scene, Adisha Pierre, Prosper’s common-law wife, arrived with her daughter. In an interview with reporters, she described Prosper as a quiet, hardworking man who focused entirely on providing for his family and stayed far removed from gang activity.

    “All I was thinking was he would have been having a time playing football with our son, but they killed him in front of his own child,” Pierre said. “He goes to work, he minds his business, he comes home, and he sees about his son. He’s a father trying his best out here and he didn’t deserve that at all. He never had any ties to violence or gang activity in all the time I’ve known him.”

    Pierre confirmed that Prosper had spent that same morning at the funeral for one of the four people killed in a mass shooting along Lady Young Road in Morvant on April 19, the latest in a string of gang-linked killings to hit the country.

    She questioned why her partner was targeted, saying the attack clearly appeared to be a pre-planned hit. “Why was my spouse targeted? This was a hit but why him? What did he do to deserve this?” she asked. Though Prosper was not involved in any gangs, Pierre said she believes his killing is a consequence of the rising gang violence that has plagued the area, adding that Prosper had repeatedly warned her to avoid traveling along Belle Eau Road due to safety risks linked to gang activity.

    The killing brings the country’s national murder toll to 118 for the year up to the date of the incident, compared to 130 recorded by the same point last year. While the overall murder count has seen a minor year-over-year decline, the brazen nature of the latest killing — which took place in a busy public area in the capital, with a young child as a witness — has renewed public outcry over the persistent gun violence that continues to tear apart communities across the nation.

  • ‘Express’ wins appeal over police search

    ‘Express’ wins appeal over police search

    A landmark ruling from Trinidad and Tobago’s Court of Appeal has cemented critical protections for press freedom in the country, after the judiciary sided with Trinidad Express Newspapers Ltd in an appeal brought by state law enforcement and a senior police superintendent.

    The legal battle traces back to a 2020 investigative report published by the Express, written by veteran journalist Denyse Renne, which exposed questionable financial transactions linked to a high-ranking police official. In the wake of the publication, police launched a probe into alleged “tipping off” violations, led by Superintendent Wendell Lucas, and secured judicial search warrants to enter the newspaper’s Port of Spain headquarters. The stated goal of the operation was to unmask Renne’s confidential source.

    On March 11, 2020, law enforcement executed the second of the two approved warrants, entering the Express’ headquarters, Express House, and seizing four digital flash drives from the office of then-editor-in-chief Omatie Lyder. The media entities involved—parent company One Caribbean Media Ltd, the Express itself, and Lyder—immediately challenged the constitutionality of the warrants. They argued that the search violated fundamental rights enshrined in Trinidad and Tobago’s constitution, specifically the guarantee of press freedom outlined in Section 4(k).

    The case was first heard at the High Court, which ruled in favor of the media group and struck down both warrants as unconstitutional. Undeterred, the Office of the Attorney General and police appealed that ruling, asking the higher court to overturn the lower court’s decision.

    In the judgment delivered Wednesday, a majority of the three-justice panel upheld the core of the High Court’s ruling that the executed search violated constitutional press freedom protections. Justices of Appeal Nolan Bereaux and Peter Rajkumar formed the majority, while Justice James Aboud issued a separate dissenting opinion, marking a clear split among the judiciary on the balance between police investigative powers and press rights.

    Writing the lead majority judgment, Justice Bereaux reaffirmed that the second search warrant was unlawful on two key grounds: first, police failed to submit sufficient evidence to justify granting the warrant, and second, the Justice of the Peace who approved the warrant did not conduct the required balancing of competing public interests. “The justice of the peace could neither be satisfied that there was probable cause for the search nor that the search struck the right balance,” Bereaux explained.

    The justice emphasized that when law enforcement seeks to search a media organization—especially for the purpose of identifying a confidential journalistic source—extraordinary care must be taken to balance the public interest in solving crime against the foundational role of a free press in democratic governance. “The sanctity of the confidentiality of journalistic sources is an essential element of the right to freedom of the press,” he added.

    The court also highlighted two additional flaws in the warrant: its overly broad scope, which allowed police to search nearly all of the newspaper’s electronic data without any restrictions or safeguards to protect unrelated confidential material, and the absence of any evidence that police had exhausted alternative, less intrusive investigation methods before targeting the newsroom.

    While the majority departed from the High Court on one narrow point—finding the first, never-executed warrant did not itself violate constitutional rights—it upheld the ruling that the second executed warrant and the seizure of the flash drives were unconstitutional. In a departure from the lower court’s order that damages be assessed at a later hearing, the appellate panel awarded the media respondents a fixed compensation sum of TT$25,000, framing the award as a deliberate step to vindicate the fundamental right to press freedom.

    In his concurring opinion, Justice Rajkumar echoed the majority’s concerns, agreeing that the warrants were impermissibly broad and failed to properly account for their harmful impact on journalistic work, including the risk of creating a chilling effect that would discourage sources from coming forward with information of public interest.

    In his dissenting opinion, Justice Aboud took an alternative position on the legal and constitutional questions raised by the case, underscoring the court’s internal division over how much latitude police should have to intrude on media operations in the course of criminal investigations.

    Legal teams for both sides were led by senior bar members: Sophia Chote SC, Peter Carter, and Samantha Ramsaran represented One Caribbean Media, the Express, and Lyder, while Senior Counsel Fyard Hosein, Rishi Dass, and Kadine Matthews argued the case for the state.

  • ‘They said they would kill me’

    ‘They said they would kill me’

    Early yesterday morning, a coordinated string of violent home invasions swept through the quiet residential community of Longdenville, Trinidad, leaving one local survivor traumatized and highlighting a growing regional crime crisis that has put ordinary residents on high alert.

    A 44-year-old female resident of Raghunanan Road, one of the attack targets, spoke publicly to local media outlet Express on condition of anonymity, citing ongoing fears for her personal safety. She shared a harrowing minute-by-minute account of the 45-minute attack that unfolded just after 2:30 a.m., when she was the only person home.

    The incident began when unusual outdoor noises pulled her out of sleep. Checking her home security camera system, she immediately noticed something was wrong: all of her cameras had been shifted out of their normal positions. Spotting a stranger moving along the side of her home, she fumbled to call the national 999 emergency line, and had only just managed to blurt out her address when the three attackers forced their way into the property, cornering her in the bathroom where she had hidden.

    According to the victim, the assailants—who appeared to be in their early 20s, wore concealing ski masks, work boots, long-sleeve tees and dressed to look like local construction workers—were all armed with what she believes were pistols. They quickly seized her phone, throwing it into a toilet to cut off any potential communication with police, before demanding cash, gold jewelry and access to a safe, none of which the victim kept stored at her home.

    After stealing a small amount of cash from her wallet, the trio began ransacking every room of the property, turning over closets, opening cabinets and even searching inside kitchen appliances. One attacker ordered the others to bind the victim, cutting a cord from her own standing fan to tie her hands behind her back and force her to lie face down on the floor. Working up the courage to free herself while the men were distracted by looting, the victim managed to wiggle out of the loose bonds and made a desperate dash for the front door, only to be caught quickly by the assailants, who re-bound her more tightly—this time securing both her hands and feet before returning to their search.

    The attack took a more chilling turn when the criminals, frustrated by the small amount of valuables they had found, began pressing the victim for information about her neighbors. They demanded to know how many people lived in adjacent homes, where those neighbors worked, and if any of them kept large amounts of cash or valuables on the property. The victim told reporters she believes the gang was already scoping out their next target after coming up empty at her home. Throughout the ordeal, the men repeatedly threatened to kill her if she lied or did not cooperate, warning they would return later to harm her if she gave them false information.

    The invasion ended abruptly when the gang spotted the lights from a private security patrol the victim had hired to monitor her neighborhood. Panicked by the approaching patrol, the attackers fled out of the back of the property, running through the yard before escaping over a fence. After waiting several minutes to confirm the men were gone, the victim once again managed to wiggle free of her bonds and flag down the security team, who contacted local law enforcement.

    Police investigators later confirmed to the victim that her attack was one of three separate home invasions carried out in the Longdenville area overnight, all linked to the same criminal network. One of the other attacks, police said, targeted a home in a gated community, where six masked armed assailants carried out the robbery. A forensic check of the victim’s property revealed how the gang gained entry: they climbed over the back boundary wall of her home, broke through the steel burglar proofing on a side window, and squeezed one man through the opening to unlock the back door for the other two accomplices.

    In the wake of the traumatic attack, the victim slammed the ongoing state of violent crime across Trinidad, calling it “ridiculous” and noting she had taken every possible precaution to protect her home, including sturdy locked doors, burglar proofing, a professional alarm system and regular private security patrols. “I never thought something like this would happen to me,” she said. “I don’t know what else to do. My privacy was invaded.”

    She is now calling for policymakers to implement harsher criminal penalties for home invasion offenders, and demanding increased, more consistent patrols and vigilance from local police. Traumatized by the attack, she said she is even reconsidering her long-held opposition to personal gun ownership for self-defense, despite her discomfort with the idea. “I can’t see myself killing somebody, but at one point, I thought they were going to kill me because they were upset that I had nothing valuable,” she explained.

    The victim also acknowledged that the recent passage of new, stricter home invasion legislation by the national government was a direct response to this growing wave of violence. “It is innocent people being attacked. This is a pure home invasion looking to rob people and terrorise them,” she said. For her part, the attack has left her so shaken that she is now considering leaving the country entirely. “Sometimes, I consider migrating because I used to think I’m safe, but I don’t think I could ever feel safe again,” she added.

    This string of attacks is just the latest in a growing surge of home invasions across Central Trinidad over the past month. Reports of similar violent robberies have already been recorded in nearby communities including Chaguanas, Cunupia, and Freeport, leaving residential communities across the region on edge.

  • WORLD BANK COMES TO T&T

    WORLD BANK COMES TO T&T

    In a landmark move set to reshape development cooperation and investment prospects for the twin-island nation, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago has formalized an agreement with the World Bank Group to open a permanent, fully operational office in the capital city of Port of Spain. The deal, inked at St Ann’s Diplomatic Centre by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar alongside senior World Bank Group leadership, brings all four core arms of the global institution—the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), International Development Association (IDA), International Finance Corporation (IFC), and Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)—under one local roof.

    The agreement establishes a clear legal and operational framework for the World Bank Group’s in-country presence, outlining a full suite of internationally recognized privileges and immunities that align with standard diplomatic practice for multilateral institutions. These protections include the inviolability of the organization’s office premises and archival records, limited immunity from legal proceedings for official acts, safeguards for the institution’s assets against seizure, search, or expropriation, and full autonomy over internal administrative and employment policies, which will remain governed by the World Bank Group’s own internal regulations. Additional terms grant the World Bank Group exemptions from all applicable taxes, customs duties, and levies on its operations, assets, and official transactions, while guaranteeing unrestricted access to global financial markets—the ability to hold and transfer funds in any currency without limitation—and the free import and export of equipment required for office operations, alongside access to secure, modern communication systems.

    For Trinidad and Tobago’s government, the new permanent office represents far more than a diplomatic milestone: it is a strategic shift from intermittent, remote engagement with the World Bank to continuous, on-the-ground collaboration that will accelerate project delivery and strengthen national development efforts. Persad-Bissessar emphasized that the local presence will place the World Bank’s deep technical expertise and extensive financing capacity directly within Trinidad and Tobago’s borders, directly supporting the government’s core policy goals of economic diversification, private sector growth, and expanded job creation. A central pillar of this new partnership is a growing focus on public-private partnerships (PPPs), which the government has identified as a key driver of progress across critical infrastructure and social sectors.

    Under the partnership framework, PPP initiatives will advance priority national projects in transportation infrastructure, integrated water management, public education, and healthcare delivery. These collaborations are designed to boost operational efficiency, speed up project implementation timelines, and expand access to much-needed capital for large-scale developments. Beyond public infrastructure, the partnership will also open new doors for local small and medium enterprises and entrepreneurs, improving their access to affordable capital, specialized business advisory services, and global export markets. Critically, government officials note that the formalized partnership sends a clear, strong signal to international investors that Trinidad and Tobago offers a stable, transparent, and investor-friendly business environment.

    A central component of the new agreement is the expanded role of the IFC, the World Bank Group’s private sector-focused arm, which will lead efforts to mobilize global investment and support project development across the country. To date, the IFC has already invested more than US$670 million in Trinidad and Tobago across key sectors including financial services, manufacturing, and business development, dating back to the country’s accession to the World Bank Group in the 1960s. The expanded local presence will now unlock even greater opportunities for local firms to access capital and participate in large-scale infrastructure and public service projects.

    Planning Minister Dr Kennedy Swaratsingh first signaled the government’s intent to facilitate the new office in October of the previous year, framing the move as a critical step to unlock untapped financing opportunities for the Trinidad and Tobago private sector. In line with that vision, the government is currently working with the World Bank Group to develop a robust project investment pipeline, with projected financing for local business-focused projects ranging between US$1 billion and US$3 billion. Broader development financing initiatives across all sectors are projected to reach as much as US$5 billion over the next three to five years.

    Beyond domestic benefits, the new permanent office also positions Trinidad and Tobago to serve as a regional hub for World Bank Group operations across the Caribbean, creating opportunities for the country to expand its regional influence and coordinate cross-border development initiatives. For both parties, the agreement marks a new era of continuous, close collaboration that is expected to deliver long-term economic and social benefits for the people of Trinidad and Tobago.

  • Family welcomes conviction

    Family welcomes conviction

    Sixteen months after a brutal double homicide claimed the life of an abused woman and her 14-month-old daughter, the perpetrator has been convicted and sentenced to death, bringing a measure of closure to the victim’s family — while also shining a harsh light on systemic failures that allowed the fatal violence to occur.

    On Monday, Justice Nalini Singh delivered a guilty verdict on two counts of murder against 31-year-old Rishi Motilal, who killed his estranged partner Tara “Geeta” Ramsaroop and their young child Shermaya Motilal. Motilal was sentenced to death following the conviction.

    The tragedy unfolded on October 8, 2024, inside Motilal’s Barrackpore residence on Rig Road, during a confrontation that escalated from a verbal dispute to fatal violence. Prosecutors laid out the gruesome sequence of the attack: Motilal first struck Ramsaroop with an iron pipe, then grabbed a cutlass, repeatedly chopping the 31-year-old woman before slitting her throat. He turned the same weapon on their toddler daughter to complete the killing. After the attack, he fled the scene in a blue station wagon owned by a relative of Ramsaroop’s new partner.

    In interviews with local media outlet *Express* following the verdict, Ramsaroop’s sister Jassodra Rajaram broke down in tears as she described the family’s overwhelming mix of relief, grief, and gratitude for the judicial outcome.

    “I am very grateful and thankful to the judge. If I could just meet her, I would hug her and say, ‘thanks very much for justice for my sister’,” Rajaram said. “This is a moment of long-awaited justice for my sister and niece. For 16 months, we have waited for this outcome, and many families go years or even decades without ever seeing justice for their loved ones. Our whole family is content that we got this result.”

    Yet for all the family’s satisfaction with the verdict, Rajaram stressed that the trauma of the brutal murders will never fade. “This will never heal; it has been 16 months and I feel it has been only yesterday. When we were getting the verdict, I feel my heart was pounding out of my chest. Everything came back fresh. The sentencing cannot bring them back and we have to learn to adjust to live. We cannot heal from this,” she said.

    Most critically, Rajaram drew attention to the repeated failures by local police to intervene, even as Ramsaroop endured ongoing abuse at Motilal’s hands. She said multiple reports of domestic violence that she and her sister filed with law enforcement were ignored, with officers dismissing the conflict as a routine marital disagreement that the couple would resolve on their own.

    “To the police, think of the women in these reports as if they were your family members — your sister, mother or someone close to you. Say, ‘let me get myself involved and help in this situation’,” Rajaram urged. “Not everyone wants to make up and reconcile. Some women want to leave and never go back.”

    Rajaram recalled that after Ramsaroop eventually left Motilal to build a new life for herself and her child, he stalked her and escalated his threats before carrying out the fatal attack at his home. “She went through torture with him,” Rajaram said. “My sister wanted to work, achieve, and accomplish. She endured enough. She came out of it and was happy to build her house, sit on her step, and be at peace—not knowing that was when her life was going to end.”

    Drawing on her family’s devastating loss, Rajaram used the moment of the verdict to issue a urgent message to other women trapped in abusive relationships: prioritize your own safety and escape whenever possible.

    “Get out of it. I know it is hard. I used to go through it with my sister. Some men feel they own women, and act as if they are property. These men have to realise that women have feelings and ambitions,” she said. “Acknowledging how hard it is to leave, I still stress that getting out can save your life.”

  • ‘Nurses alone on wards’

    ‘Nurses alone on wards’

    A escalating standoff between nursing leadership and regional health authorities in Trinidad and Tobago has plunged the country’s public healthcare system into crisis, with patient safety now hanging in the balance following the rollout of targeted industrial action by the nation’s nursing body. On April 28, the Trinidad and Tobago National Nursing Association (TTNNA) launched the second phase of its campaign to push for long-overdue wage adjustments, advising all 1,800+ of its nursing and midwifery members to adhere strictly to an evidence-based one-nurse-to-six-patient ratio — a standard aligned with global best practices for safe care. Nurses across the public sector have remained frozen on 2013 salary scales, making their pay among the lowest in all of Trinidad and Tobago’s public service, prompting the industrial action to force government negotiators back to the table.

    According to TTNNA president Idi Stuart, the North Central Regional Health Authority (NCRHA) — already the most understaffed regional health body in the country, operating with less than half of the required nursing and midwifery personnel — has responded to the action with aggressive retaliation. Stuart claims NCRHA management has systematically forced single nurses and midwives to cover entire hospital wards, creating potentially life-threatening conditions for patients. The authority has long relied on undercompensated “pool” nurses, who work extra shifts for a flat rate rather than overtime pay, to fill crippling staffing gaps. When nurses pushed back to uphold the new ratio mandate, management responded by cutting staffing rather than adjusting allocation.

    Stuart highlighted specific dangerous understaffing cases across NCRHA-managed facilities. At Caura Hospital, a facility dedicated primarily to treating communicable diseases, one single nurse was left responsible for two full wards. At Mt Hope Women’s Hospital, one of the nation’s largest dedicated maternity care centers, just three registered midwives were assigned to cover six separate wards spanning antenatal care, postnatal care, labor and delivery, and the emergency department. The overstretched team was forced to rely on unlicensed pupil midwife students to meet basic care needs, putting expectant mothers, unborn fetuses, and newborn infants at direct risk. On understaffed wards that should normally carry three registered nurses, Stuart said facilities are now operating with just one or none at all.

    The staffing crunch has already disrupted care across multiple regions. On the first day of phase two action, the Barataria Health Centre under the North West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA) was forced to turn away patients entirely after no nurses reported for scheduled duty, requiring emergency staff reallocation from other facilities to restore operations. When journalists from the Express visited the center days later, on-site staff confirmed Tuesday’s disruption but declined further comment, noting operations had returned to normal by Wednesday. Additional complaints of service disruptions have poured in from nurses across eastern and southwestern Trinidad, according to the TTNNA.

    Despite the disruption to everyday care, the nursing body has reported overwhelming public support for its campaign. A recent poll conducted by local broadcaster CCN TV6 found that more than 75% of respondents back the nurses’ demands for wage adjustment and safe staffing ratios. Interviews with patients and visitors at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex reflected this solidarity: most respondents agreed that nurses deserve a long-overdue pay raise, and many noted that safer staffing would ultimately improve care outcomes for all patients. One patient from Arima, Sandra James, who has three nurses in her immediate family, noted that even new graduate nurses face years of unemployment before securing public sector posts, arguing that sustained pressure will force authorities to hire more staff. Another respondent, Thomas, pointed out the injustice of politicians approving their own salary increases while denying nurses a long-promised raise.

    Stuart confirmed that the phase two action will remain in place indefinitely, framing the one-nurse-to-six-patient ratio not as a temporary protest tactic but as a permanent best practice that the TTNNA will continue to uphold until government officials address the wage dispute and formalize the standard across all regional health authorities. As of press time, repeated attempts to contact chief executives and board chairs for both the NCRHA and NWRHA for comment on the allegations have gone unanswered.

  • Marabella tenants win appeal in $3m flooding damage case

    Marabella tenants win appeal in $3m flooding damage case

    In a landmark split decision that reshapes landlord-tenant liability rules across Trinidad, the Court of Appeal has handed down a pivotal ruling that reverses a prior High Court judgment, opening the door for two affected commercial tenants to secure millions in compensation for property damage caused by an unforeseen plumbing failure.

    The legal dispute traces back to a 2018 flooding event at Marabella’s Allum’s Shopping Centre. A PVC angle valve connected to an upper-level unit’s kitchen sink, leased by local firm O.T.I. Trinidad Ltd, unexpectedly failed. The resulting leak seeped downward into five ground-floor commercial suites, two of which are operated by Western Industrial Solutions Ltd and entrepreneur Debera Rampersad, who runs the retail outlet Debera Fashion Step Up and Save. The damaged inventory and forced business interruptions pushed the two affected tenants to claim more than TT$3 million in total losses.

    When the case first went to trial, High Court Justice Avason Quinlan-Williams dismissed the claims against the property owner, J.T. Allum and Company Ltd. The trial judge ruled that commercial landlords cannot be held responsible for sudden plumbing failures that occur within spaces exclusively controlled and occupied by their tenants, clearing the company of any legal obligation to compensate the businesses for their losses.

    But the appellate court, a three-judge panel led by Chief Justice Ronnie Boodoosingh alongside Justices of Appeal Nolan Bereaux and James Aboud, rejected this lower-court interpretation of property law. In a 2-1 majority decision delivered Wednesday, the panel found that even though the landlord was not found to be negligent in causing the pipe failure, it still bears legal responsibility for the resulting damage under the law of private nuisance.

    Writing the lead judgment for the majority, Justice Bereaux — whose reasoning was backed by Chief Justice Boodoosingh — explained that the critical factor establishing liability is the landlord’s reserved right under all commercial leases for the property to enter tenant-occupied spaces to conduct inspections and complete necessary repairs. This retained right, the justice argued, is sufficient to uphold a nuisance claim against the property owner. He further noted that the landlord had previously argued in separate legal proceedings against the upper-floor tenant that the site’s plumbing was already in a state of disrepair, meaning the company cannot now claim the hidden defect was unidentifiable through reasonable inspection.

    Justice Bereaux also clarified a longstanding point of nuisance law: when a landlord explicitly retains the right to conduct repairs on a property, they can be held liable for damage caused to third parties even if they had no direct, actual knowledge of the hazardous defect before the incident occurred.

    Justice Aboud issued a dissent, arguing the appeal should have been thrown out. He characterized the pipe failure as an isolated, entirely unforeseeable event: the 10-year-old pipe joint had failed suddenly with no warning signs, and this does not meet the legal standard for a private nuisance. He also cautioned that the majority’s legal reasoning could impose an unfair and unreasonable burden on commercial landlords across the country, forcing them to conduct exhaustive searches for hidden defects in spaces fully occupied and controlled by their tenants.

    On the separate claim of negligence brought by the tenants, the appellate court was unanimous. The full panel agreed to dismiss the negligence claim, as no evidence presented during the trial linked the landlord’s actions or inactions to the pipe failure itself. The court also upheld the trial judge’s ruling to exclude proposed testimony from former landlord employee Vedesh Gopaul, finding his statements about the original plumbing installation were not relevant to the core legal questions in the case.

    The matter will now return to the High Court, where a Master will assess and determine the final amount of damages to be awarded to the two successful appellants. The appellate court also left in place an earlier unrelated order requiring Rampersad to settle all outstanding back rent owed to the property owner, which has no connection to the 2018 flooding incident. Attorneys Chanka Persadsingh and Anand Rampersad represented the two affected tenants, while Shankar Bidaisee, instructed by Rachael Jaggernauth, appeared on behalf of the landlord.