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标签： Trinidad and Tobago

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  • Govt scraps tax on pensions

    Govt scraps tax on pensions

    Thousands of pensioners and future retirees across Trinidad and Tobago received welcome news this week, after Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar officially confirmed the government will follow through on a long-awaited campaign and budget pledge: eliminating income tax on qualifying retirement pension payments. The policy, first flagged by Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo during his October 2025 national budget address, had seen no public progress on implementation until Wednesday’s statement delivered to Parliament.

    Persad-Bissessar confirmed during her parliamentary address that the tax exemption will be formally codified in the upcoming Finance Bill, with retroactivity applied all the way back to January 1, 2026. Under the finalized framework, income disbursed from government-approved pension funds and deferred annuity plans will be fully tax-free for beneficiaries, but only when accessed after reaching retirement age or when the plan reaches its maturity date. Early withdrawals from these accounts will remain fully taxable, a guardrail the government says is necessary to prevent system abuse and preserve the policy’s core purpose.

    In her remarks, the Prime Minister emphasized that the policy delivers on the administration’s core promise to prioritize public welfare. “This Government remains firmly committed to improving the lives of the people of Trinidad and Tobago and ensuring that the promises we make are promises we keep,” she stated.

    She framed the tax elimination as a long-overdue correction to unfair policy that penalized lifelong hard work and financial discipline. “For too long, many citizens who did the right thing, those who worked hard, saved consistently and contributed to pension plans or deferred annuities, have found that when the time comes to benefit from those savings, a portion is taken away through taxation,” Persad-Bissessar said. “A pension is not a windfall. It is not a bonus. It is the result of years, sometimes decades, of sacrifice, discipline and commitment. It represents foregone consumption today in order to secure tomorrow. This Government believes that such responsibility should be rewarded, not penalized.”

    To maintain the policy’s fairness and long-term sustainability, Persad-Bissessar noted that the tax on early withdrawals remains in place to block misuse of the exemption as a loophole for short-term tax avoidance. “The purpose of this measure is to ensure long-term financial security for our citizens. It is therefore not designed to be a short-term investment vehicle or instrument for tax avoidance,” she explained. Keeping early withdrawals taxable, she added, preserves the integrity of the national tax system and keeps the policy aligned with its core goal of supporting dignified retirement.

    Persad-Bissessar also revealed that policy drafters worked closely with the Board of Inland Revenue to refine the framework, drawing on the agency’s technical expertise to ensure the rules are clear, administratively feasible, and consistent with the country’s broader tax structure. “We have taken the time to get this right. Because good policy is not just about intention; it is about execution,” she said.

    According to government data from 2024 tax returns, the exemption will deliver direct financial relief to more than 39,000 Trinidad and Tobago residents who claimed annuity contribution deductions that year. While that figure is down from 50,715 claimants in 2023, Persad-Bissessar noted it still represents a substantial share of the nation’s working population. She added that the vast majority of beneficiaries are modest savers: just 71 people reported annual contributions exceeding $100,000 in 2024, down from 102 contributors in that bracket the year prior.

    The policy is expected to deliver particular benefits to private-sector workers enrolled in approved workplace pension plans, individuals who have built personal deferred annuities for retirement, middle-income earners who rely on these plans as a core source of post-retirement income, and current workers building savings for future retirement. “It means leaving more money in the hands of our citizens. It means empowering retirees to meet their needs, support their families, and participate in the economy,” Persad-Bissessosr said. “It means encouraging a culture of savings and long-term planning. The execution of this promise is an investment in financial stability, personal responsibility and in the future of our nation.”

    Despite the clear policy framework, key questions remain unanswered: the government has not yet released an official estimate of how much annual revenue the state will forego as a result of the exemption. Local news outlet The Trinidad Express reached out to Finance Minister Tancoo to request clarification on projected revenue losses and implementation timelines, but had not received a response as of Wednesday evening.

  • PM: Govt and THA in talks over jet ski regulations

    PM: Govt and THA in talks over jet ski regulations

    A devastating jet ski collision that claimed the life of 7-year-old Angelica Saydee Jogie during a family vacation in Tobago has pushed government and regional officials into active discussions on new oversight rules for personal watercraft across local waters.

    On April 8, Jogie, a primary school student from Barrackpore, was bathing with her father and uncle in the designated swimming zone at Pigeon Point Heritage Park when an out-of-control jet ski struck the group. The child suffered multiple fatal injuries from the crash, while her family members were also hurt. A 32-year-old man from Canaan has been taken into custody in connection with the incident. Jogie’s remains were transported back to Trinidad by her grieving family on Wednesday, and her funeral service is scheduled to be held on the current day in Monkey Town, Barrackpore.

    During a parliamentary session responding to a question from Diego Martin North/East Member of Parliament Colm Imbert — who asked what urgent steps the national government would take to prevent similar tragedies — Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar first offered official condolences on behalf of the Trinidad and Tobago government to Jogie’s loved ones. The Prime Minister confirmed that intergovernmental talks between the national administration and the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) are already underway to craft new regulatory frameworks for jet skis and other small recreational watercraft. Persad-Bissessar also noted that a 2020 regulatory bill that would have addressed gaps in watercraft governance was never advanced by the opposition, which held up the legislation until last year without taking action. She added that further details on the current ongoing discussions will be released to the public at a later date.

    Separate comments from THA Finance Secretary Petal-Ann Roberts confirmed that a targeted regulatory bill focused on the Buccoo Reef Marine Park — a high-traffic area for recreational water activity — is a top priority to be tabled for parliamentary review in the near term. Roberts, who spoke to local media outlet the Express following a three-day THA leadership retreat, said top regional officials have reviewed the draft legislation ahead of its submission to the central government. Describing Jogie’s death as heartbreaking, Roberts, a mother of an 8-year-old child, noted the tragedy was devastating for the entire nation. “It’s unimaginable to see you come for a vacation and something like this happens,” she said, adding that clear regulation of marine recreational activity is a critical public safety priority.

    Following the incident, THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine has already indicated the regional body will pursue a strict new oversight regime for jet skis and other pleasure craft operating in Tobago waters. For their part, Jogie’s mother Salisha Jogie and many members of the public have gone a step further, calling for a full, permanent ban on recreational jet skis in popular swimming and coastal areas to eliminate future risk to beachgoers.

  • Stuart: We’ll go after ‘bid rigging’

    Stuart: We’ll go after ‘bid rigging’

    Trinidad and Tobago Opposition Member of Parliament Stuart Young has announced he will pursue legal recourse against alleged bid rigging and cartel-style collusion among state entities involved in government contract awarding, a move that comes days after the country’s Office of Procurement Regulation (OPR) ordered a freeze on $3.4 billion in housing contracts issued by the Housing Development Corporation (HDC).

    Speaking to reporters outside the Parliament building in Port of Spain on Friday, Young confirmed the OPR’s halt to the contract awards, which was first announced publicly the previous Thursday. The regulatory pause was implemented to allow for a full, independent review of the entire procurement process, after the OPR received a formal complaint filed by attorney Randall Mitchell on behalf of his client, local activist Wendell Eversley. In his complaint letter, Mitchell emphasized that the challenge was brought in Eversley’s capacity as a concerned citizen focused on upholding the legality, ethical standards and integrity of a public procurement exercise involving hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds.

    Young told reporters that prior to Friday’s parliamentary session, he had received an official acknowledgment of the complaint from OPR chair Beverly Khan. He added that he, Mitchell and the legal team representing Eversley are preparing to turn over additional evidence related to the HDC contract awards to support the OPR’s ongoing investigation. Young alleged that the awarding process showed clear red flags of collusive bidding practices, saying, “I’m very happy to see procurement legislation is working. It is clear that the OPR, as they are entitled to under law, use the provision that allows them to investigate once there is anything in the atmosphere that concerns them. Now we will also be assisting with providing specific information.”

    The MP pushed back against the current government’s framing of the contract selection as a standard “Design-Build-Finance” (DBF) arrangement, calling the explanation a deliberate misleading smokescreen. Even for DBF contracts, Young argued, all bidders must meet formal qualification requirements, and the HDC is legally required to guarantee the purchase of completed housing units—unlike private sector developments where developers sell units directly to buyers. He further noted that the HDC did not open the contract process to a public, open tender; instead, the process was limited to a select group of pre-chosen participants, a structure that he says justified his allegations of bid rigging.

    Young also revealed that this complaint is part of a broader push to crack down on widespread non-compliance among state-owned enterprises across Trinidad and Tobago. He and the legal team have already sent multiple formal communications to the OPR flagging other suspected breaches of procurement law, and Young said additional cases will be made public in the near future. As one example of systemic non-compliance, Young noted that most state entities fail to meet their legal obligation to publish planned tender and procurement opportunities, openly disregarding the country’s procurement regulations. “We will continue to go after them and myself, in particular, using the law,” he said.

    Opposition Chief Whip Marvin Gonzales, MP for Arouca/Lopinot, echoed Young’s comments outside Parliament Friday, saying he was not surprised by the OPR’s decision to halt the HDC contracts. Gonzales stressed that the main opposition People’s National Movement will pursue the case aggressively to protect the interests of Trinidad and Tobago’s citizens. “There are serious issues with this procurement. As more information and more evidence come to hand, the People’s National Movement will be prosecuting this matter to the very hilt, in defence of the people of Trinidad and Tobago,” Gonzales said.

    While Gonzales said the opposition is holding back on releasing some details out of prudence, he gave a firm assurance that the investigation would be pursued to its conclusion. “We will ensure that taxpayers are not robbed by this corrupt regime. There is a lot of information we have on this particular issue, and I can tell you that it is one of the biggest scandals facing this Government at this point in time. We are not surprised; it was just a matter of time for this to happen, but our eyes are on it,” he added.

  • OVER 33,000 REPORTS IN 14 YEARS

    OVER 33,000 REPORTS IN 14 YEARS

    Over the 14-year period spanning 2010 to 2024, Trinidad and Tobago’s police service recorded more than 33,400 formal reports of domestic violence, alongside 443 domestic-related murders and murder-suicides, according to newly released official statistics. The alarming figures were presented during a San Fernando press conference yesterday by Saira Lakhan, head of the Assembly of Southern Lawyers, an event organized by local attorney Prakash Ramadhar. Lakhan emphasized that the data, compiled from police records by the Central Statistical Office, confirms that intimate partner and family violence is not an isolated crisis, but a deeply ingrained, persistent pattern of harm across the island nation.

    Breaking down the reported cases, Lakhan noted that the vast majority — 17,189 incidents — involved physical assault by beating, making this the most common form of reported domestic violence by a significant margin. Over 2,400 reports were registered for breaches of court-issued protection orders, while additional data shared with local outlet *Trinidad Express* after the conference revealed threats of harm were the second most prevalent offense, with 8,935 recorded reports. A total of 877 sexual abuse cases were also reported over the period, with officials highlighting a particularly concerning upward trend in these incidents in recent years.

    Lakhan pointed to deep-rooted cultural normalization as a core driver of the crisis, arguing that abusive behavior within romantic relationships is often downplayed and accepted long before it escalates to criminal harm. “In Trinidad and Tobago, too much bad conduct in relationships is normalized long before it becomes criminal. It is laughed off. It is minimised. It is wrapped in jokes, lyrics, bravado, and the dangerous idea that infidelity, domination, verbal abuse, jealousy, and control are just part of how relationships work,” she said.

    Calling for a two-pronged approach of stronger enforcement and expanded early prevention, Lakhan backed existing government plans to integrate domestic violence education into school programming, but urged far more robust action. “Prevention has to start much earlier. The ministry itself has said it is strengthening partnerships with schools and advancing education and sensitisation programmes. I agree with that approach, but we need much more of it. Whether it sits under social studies, values education, family life education, or another curriculum area, children must be taught from young about respect, boundaries, honesty, accountability, and healthy relationships,” she stated.

    The press conference was organized by Ramadhar, who is currently representing a woman who was taken into police custody following the fatal shooting of local businessman Steve Ghany at his Vistabella home earlier this month. The woman was released days before the conference after the Director of Public Prosecutions recommended continued investigation pending formal charges. According to initial police accounts, the shooting followed a confrontation in which Ghany allegedly drew a firearm and fired at the woman. Ramadhar declined to comment on the specific details of the case, noting that the client needs time to heal with the support of her family.

    Ramadhar used the platform to issue a nationwide call for public reckoning with domestic violence, pushing for greater empathy and support for survivors. He stressed that the crisis is widely misunderstood by the general public: harm extends far beyond physical violence, often encompassing coercive control that is emotional, financial and psychological in nature. He pushed back against the common question of why victims do not simply leave abusive relationships, explaining that survivors face a range of crippling barriers, from fear for their own safety and that of their children to economic dependence that leaves them unable to afford housing, food or legal representation.

    Domestic violence, Ramadhar added, does not only harm the immediate victim; its impacts ripple outward to affect children, extended families, workplaces and entire communities, leaving long-term intergenerational damage that makes public understanding and support critical. “When survivors come forward, they should be met with support rather than judgment. Simplifying their experiences into questions of ‘why they didn’t leave’ risks overlooking the real dangers and constraints that you may have faced,” he said. “At the same time, it is important to uphold respect for the rule of law. Each situation must be assessed on its own facts within the framework of the legal system which seeks to balance individual rights, accountability and justice.”

    In a heartfelt plea directed at the nation’s young men, Ramadhar — a father of a daughter — acknowledged that while people of all genders can be victims of domestic violence, his experience as a man compels him to address the issue directly. He pushed back against outdated cultural ideals of toxic machismo that frame masculinity as brute force and emotional indifference, arguing that true manhood centers on care, protection and support for partners. “What is a real man? Some believe in the machismo of the old that a man is supposed to be this brutish, strong and ignorant…and not caring about emotions and feelings. Real men love, real men protect, real men care, real men produce, real men support. It’s not about how you look, it is about how you conduct yourselves,” he said.

    Drawing on his decades of experience working on murder trials, Ramadhar noted that many perpetrators of violent crime, including domestic violence, are themselves survivors of childhood violence and abandonment. “Many of the young fellas charged for murder grew up in an environment — I wouldn’t even call them ‘homes’ — of violence, of non-love, non-care. Most of them end up growing up with grandparents, parents nowhere to be found, no nurturing. If there is no love and embrace in what we classically known as a home, the homes are in the gangs. What we are dealing with here today transcends just domestic violence in that way because a person coming from an environment, a baby growing up in that, this is what they know,” he explained.

  • Replacing John-Bates on PAAC a ‘prudent’ decision

    Replacing John-Bates on PAAC a ‘prudent’ decision

    A political shakeup is unfolding in Trinidad and Tobago’s parliament following a breach of protocol in a high-stakes probe into pharmaceutical procurement, which has led to the removal of an opposition senator from a key oversight committee. Opposition Chief Whip Marvin Gonzales has publicly defended the decision to replace People’s National Movement (PNM) Senator Janelle John-Bates from the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC), calling the move a prudent choice to protect the body’s integrity.

    The controversy stems from John-Bates’ alleged role helping former Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh prepare his official response to PAAC’s ongoing investigation into pharmaceutical import, approval, and purchasing processes. The committee, which has drawn widespread public attention for its probe into special import permits, Nipdec payments, and claims of regulatory misconduct, recently discovered the unauthorized assistance, forcing an abrupt adjournment of its scheduled sitting earlier this week.

    PAAC Chairman and House Speaker Jagdeo Singh has repeatedly emphasized that all committee work requires strict confidentiality and adherence to due process. When contacted for comment this week, Singh declined to speak on the record, citing the confidentiality rules governing the inquiry. At the time of the adjournment, Singh offered a public apology to observers, noting the unusual step of addressing the adjournment directly given the high public interest in the probe. He described the break as regrettable but unavoidable, declining to share further details at that time.

    Thus far, the PNM leadership has not released an official public statement on the controversy, and Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles has not responded to media requests for comment. Speaking exclusively to the *Express* via WhatsApp, Gonzales clarified that the leadership’s decision was rooted in protecting both the integrity of PAAC proceedings and the PNM’s internal party traditions, based on the facts currently available. He added that the full circumstances of the incident are still under internal review, and any speculation about how the case will progress remains premature at this stage.

    A decision on who will fill John-Bates’ vacant seat on the committee will be made by PNM’s political leader, according to Gonzales. The party’s executive council was scheduled to hold a meeting yesterday to deliberate not only on John-Bates’ committee replacement but also on whether she will retain her position as an opposition senator in the parliament. Currently, the PNM holds five other senate seats: held by Faris Al-Rawi, Dr Amery Browne, Foster Cummings, Vishnu Dhanpaul, and Melanie Roberts-Radgman, and political insiders indicate one of these sitting senators is expected to take over John-Bates’ spot on the committee.

    Parliament officials have already been notified of the impending change, and an official announcement is scheduled to be made during the next Senate sitting, set for next Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. As of now, there has been no confirmation whether John-Bates will be removed from her senate position entirely or only from the PAAC. The committee’s next scheduled meeting on the pharmaceutical procurement probe is set for April 27 at 1 p.m.

    Additional reporting has confirmed that former minister Deyalsingh, who is a key witness in the probe, allegedly received editing assistance on his committee statement from both John-Bates and fellow PNM Senator Faris Al-Rawi. During a previous hearing, the committee was told Deyalsingh authorized millions of dollars in pharmaceutical contracts to be awarded to specific private companies, adding further scrutiny to the ongoing investigation.

  • Guevarro: Fear more than crime damaging economy

    Guevarro: Fear more than crime damaging economy

    In an address to leaders of Trinidad and Tobago’s business community on Wednesday, Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro sounded a stark warning: the pervasive public fear of crime has become a more corrosive threat to the nation’s economy and public confidence than the actual crime problem. Speaking at the headquarters of the T&T Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Westmoorings, Guevarro pushed back against widespread negative narratives around crime, pointing to recently compiled police data that shows sharp, measurable declines in violent and major offenses across the country.

    Guevarro framed fear not as a passing subjective emotion, but as a tangible, behavior-shaping force that warps decision-making and undermines progress long before any criminal act occurs. “Economic stability and public confidence are more interconnected than ever. This morning, I want to speak to you not just about crime itself, but about something that is far more corrosive, persistent and economically damaging, which is fear,” he told attendees.

    Official statistics compiled by the T&T Police Service tell a story that diverges sharply from dominant public perception, Guevarro explained. For 2025, the nation recorded 370 homicides, marking the second-lowest annual homicide total recorded across the last 18 years of available data, stretching from 2008 to the current year. That figure represents a 42% annual drop in homicides, a decline Guevarro noted ranks as the second-largest annual percentage reduction in the world, only trailing the progress seen in El Salvador. Broader crime trends follow the same downward trajectory: reported serious offenses dropped 30% nationwide, falling from 3,413 incidents to 2,397 in comparative reporting periods. Every police division across the country recorded improvements, with drops ranging from a 55% reduction in the North Eastern Division to a 32% reduction in the Southern Division. “These are not opinions or political talking points. These statistics tell a different story,” he emphasized.

    Yet despite these measurable gains, Guevarro said public discourse remains dominated by widespread anxiety, a phenomenon he argued is intentionally amplified by actors with self-serving interests. “Fear has become a kind of currency amplified and galvanised by those who profit from insecurity and those who build their platforms on negativity,” he said. Guevarro openly questioned whether distorted narratives around crime stem from deliberate strategic choices: “Is it because their business model depends on crime? Is it because a safer country threatens your influence, your narrative or your revenue streams?”

    The economic harm of this inflated fear is already tangible for local businesses, Guevarro warned. Fear pushes businesses to overinvest in unnecessary security measures — from extra alarms and high-resolution cameras to reinforced gates and other specialized gadgets — that drive up operating costs without meaningfully improving safety. Beyond direct costs, widespread anxiety keeps customers at home, erodes workforce confidence, and discourages outside investment, as potential investors focus only on outdated negative narratives rather than the nation’s improving trajectory.

    Guevarro also used the address to defend the current state of emergency (SOE) implemented to curb violent crime, pushing back against claims that the extraordinary measure harms legitimate business activity. “The SoE does not negatively affect law-abiding citizens, and there is no interference with business operations. The only people affected are those who terrorise communities, extort businessmen and traffic firearms,” he said. He outlined early results from the SOE, noting that over 42 days of enforcement, police carried out more than 3,500 targeted operations, arrested over 1,500 individuals, and secured charges for 340 people. “These are not the results of failure. They are the results of disruption and relentless enforcement,” he said.

    Looking ahead, Guevarro outlined the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service’s ongoing strategy to sustain declining crime rates: the service is prioritizing intelligence-driven operations, expanding modern public safety surveillance infrastructure, and strengthening coordination across multiple government agencies to disrupt criminal networks. “We are not guessing. We are not hoping. We are executing a clear strategy,” he stressed.

    In closing, Guevarro appealed to the business community to partner with law enforcement to rebuild public trust, not by ignoring the reality that crime remains an ongoing challenge, but by acknowledging the progress that has already been made. “We are not asking you to ignore the reality. We are asking you to recognise progress, support the systems that are working, and partner with us to accelerate healing,” he said. Reaffirming that the nation’s overall trajectory is positive, Guevarro warned that if unfounded fear continues to dominate national conversation, it will erode all the progress that law enforcement and the nation have worked to achieve. “The truth is, crime is real, but the fear of crime is not always rooted in fact. If fear continues to dominate the national conversation, it will undermine every single piece of progress that we have made,” he said.

  • $3.4b contracts put on hold

    $3.4b contracts put on hold

    Trinidad and Tobago’s Office of Procurement Regulation (OPR) has issued a formal order suspending the awarding of TT$3.4 billion in public housing construction contracts by the state-owned Housing Development Corporation (HDC), launching a full review of the entire procurement process amid widespread allegations of irregularities. The directive, dated April 14, 2026 and signed by OPR chair and lead regulator Beverly Khan, came just days after opposition figures and a public activist raised formal concerns about the legality and transparency of the multi-billion-dollar award process.

    The suspension follows a cascade of calls for investigation led by Stuart Young, opposition Member of Parliament and former prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, who first sounded the alarm about the contract awards earlier this week. Young went public with a full list of award recipients, leveling serious accusations that most of the firms selected for the large public housing projects lack the relevant experience and financial capacity to deliver the work, suggesting that cartel-like conduct and bid rigging may have tainted the process. Alongside Young, fellow opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) MP Camille Robinson-Regis also publicly pushed for a full review of the transaction.

    In addition to opposition pressure, the OPR also received a formal written complaint submitted via attorney Randall Mitchell on behalf of public activist Wendell Eversley. Unlike traditional bid protests from disqualified participants, Eversley’s complaint was filed in his capacity as a concerned citizen, focusing on the legality, ethical propriety and overall integrity of a procurement process that involved hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars. Mitchell confirmed in the complaint that his client was not a bidding participant in the process, and was only acting to uphold accountability for public spending.

    In its official statement announcing the suspension, the OPR confirmed the review is being conducted under its statutory authority granted by the amended Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property Act 2015. The regulator noted it will not issue further public comment while the enquiry is ongoing to protect the integrity of the review process. The OPR’s mandate for the review includes verifying full compliance with the act, its associated regulations, official handbooks and procedural guidelines.

    Young responded to the OPR’s intervention this week saying he was encouraged that the regulator had acted on the opposition’s concerns. He emphasized that any form of bid rigging or collusive behavior would not be acceptable when public funds are at stake, noting that the halt was a necessary first step to root out any misconduct. Robinson-Regis echoed that support, framing the OPR’s directive as proof that the nation’s procurement legislation — originally enacted under the previous PNM administration — is working as intended to enforce transparency. She argued that the need for regulatory intervention points to reckless management by the current United National Congress (UNC) government, which campaigned on promises of improved governance but is now facing a major probe into billions in public housing spending. “You can’t promote transparency and then operate in secrecy,” Robinson-Regis noted in a statement.

    Phillip Alexander, a minister within the Ministry of Housing, defended the procurement process earlier this week and pushed back on the opposition’s criticism. Reached for comment after the OPR’s announcement, Alexander maintained that the current government has operated in full accordance with procurement law, and argued the ongoing review is itself proof of the government’s commitment to transparency. “Everything has to be transparent and above board,” he said, contrasting the current process with what he claimed was secretive contracting under the previous PNM administration. Alexander expressed confidence that the review will ultimately confirm all awards were conducted properly, noting that any official response to the OPR falls to the HDC leadership, which he expects to issue a public statement in the coming days.

    As of Thursday, HDC chair Feeroz Khan had not responded to multiple requests for comment on the suspension and ongoing review.

  • 7 YEARS OF STRUGGLE

    7 YEARS OF STRUGGLE

    The shocking rescue of 42-year-old Sabita Basdeo, who authorities allege was held captive and systematically tortured for seven years at a private residence in San Francique, Trinidad, has pulled back the curtain on a devastating saga of survival that has unfolded across one working-poor family for nearly a decade.

    When Basdeo vanished from her home in Barrackpore, her two sons were just four and nine years old. For seven years, her husband 55-year-old Krishendeo Basdeo has carried the full weight of raising their boys alone, fighting poverty and relentless uncertainty to keep his family intact. In an interview with local outlet the Express at his cramped one-room shack — tucked at the end of an overgrown dirt track far from paved main roads — Krishendeo recalled the quiet, joyful life his family once shared, described his years of struggle to make ends meet, and opened up about his desperate hope to bring his damaged wife home.

    It all began when Sabita left the family home in search of work to supplement their meager income. A tip led her to a domestic cleaning job with a local family, a opportunity the cash-strapped mother could not turn down. “She did not know this would happen and she wouldn’t see her children again,” Krishendeo said, his pain masked by a faint, weary smile as he spoke.

    Almost immediately after Sabita failed to return, Krishendeo said he turned to police for help, filing a missing person report and pleading for investigators to intervene. He even traveled to the San Francique property himself, begging the residents there to release his wife. Instead of cooperation, he was met with public humiliation and verbal abuse, he said.

    Undeterred, Krishendeo built a daily routine centered on keeping his sons fed and educated. He woke long before sunrise to work small plots of farmland, then returned home in time to walk the boys to the local primary school. During school hours, he took odd jobs to earn enough cash to put food on the table, and he always wrapped up his work by 3 p.m. to pick his children up from class. For most nights, their dinner was simple: bread paired with cheese or spiced chickpeas, the cheapest filling meal the family could afford. When the stress of poverty and loss grew too heavy to bear, Krishendeo said he turned to his Hindu faith, praying before his household murtis for strength. Holidays like Christmas passed with no fanfare: no presents, no festive decorations, no special holiday meal. They were just another day of survival for the small family.

    Slowly, even that fragile routine collapsed. Rising school fees pushed the boys out of education, forcing them to take up low-paying odd jobs just like their father to help the family get by. Through it all, Krishendeo never stopped thinking of his wife. “I missed her. I would stay up at night thinking of her and how my sons were suffering without a mother,” he said. He described the Sabita he knew as a warm, loving woman who adored her boys — and the woman he saw after her rescue was almost unrecognizable. “Her face is really bad and her body has burns all over. It wasn’t a nice thing to see. I hope she recovers, but I don’t know. It is bad. I want her to come back home and be with us. But she is not the same,” he said.

    After her rescue, Sabita received urgent medical care at a local hospital and is currently staying with relatives as she recovers from her ordeal. Relatives who knew Sabita from her childhood in Penal said she grew up in deep poverty, born in a remote home accessible only through an abandoned sugar cane field, but was always a joyful young woman who found happiness in her small family after marrying Krishendeo in a traditional Hindu ceremony. “She was happy. She loved her children. I hope she recovers from this,” one relative said.

    Local neighbors who have watched the Basdeo family struggle for years have now called on Trinidad’s Ministry of the People, Social Development and Family Services to step in to support the family. They note that Krishendeo has been a dedicated, loving father to his sons, but systemic poverty has left him unable to improve their living conditions or access the support the family needs to heal.

    In the wake of Sabita’s rescue, law enforcement has already made progress in the case. A 38-year-old woman and her teenage son were arrested last Saturday in connection with Basdeo’s disappearance, and investigators confirmed the pair could face a raft of serious criminal charges, including felony false imprisonment. Just days after the arrests, on Wednesday morning, the $2 million San Francique property linked to the alleged captivity was destroyed by fire in what authorities are treating as a suspected case of arson.

  • Police awaiting forensic reports

    Police awaiting forensic reports

    Weeks after a controversial police-involved shooting left one man dead and another woman permanently injured in Trinidad and Tobago, top law enforcement officials say the investigation is held up by pending forensic testing, prompting a public call for patience from the country’s top police leader. Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro made the disclosure during a public appearance at the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Commerce’s Westmoorings headquarters on Tuesday, breaking down the current status of the probe into the January 20 incident that killed 32-year-old Joshua Samaroo and left Kaia Sealy paralyzed.

    The shooting, which unfolded after a vehicle chase that ended with suspects’ car crashing into a St. Augustine drain, was captured on widespread mobile footage that sparked significant public outcry and renewed national debate over excessive use of force by Trinidad and Tobago law enforcement. Two independent oversight bodies, the Professional Standards Bureau and the Police Complaints Authority, have already launched parallel probes into the incident alongside the internal police investigation.

    Guevarro told attendees that the police-led investigative work on the case is fully complete, and the file has been passed to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for formal review. The only outstanding materials required to move the process forward are official lab reports from the national Forensic Science Centre, which have not yet been finalized. “The investigation, as far as the police aspect is concerned, has reached a point where we approached the Director of Public Prosecutions. What is outstanding are forensic reports. We don’t control that,” Guevarro explained.

    Pushing back against public expectations of rapid forensic results fueled by popular crime television, Guevarro noted that real-world forensic analysis follows strict, time-consuming protocols that cannot be rushed to satisfy public pressure. He pointed out that even major international law enforcement agencies like the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation routinely deal with delays of months or even years in forensic processing, dismissing the fast turnaround seen in scripted media as nothing more than “Hollywood magic.”

    Acknowledging the deep frustration and grief of the victims’ families waiting for answers, Guevarro expressed empathy for their position while emphasizing that accuracy in evidence gathering must take priority over speed. “So, I feel for the family and those who are waiting because I know it takes time…we want to make sure we get it right,” he said. He reaffirmed that the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) remains fully committed to conducting a thorough, transparent investigation that produces an outcome fully supported by solid evidence.

    Guevarro also addressed public controversy over his decision to release raw video footage of the shooting to the public early in the probe, a move that his own in-house legal team advised against. He told the audience that TTPS’s top legal official warned that releasing sensitive footage during an active investigation could jeopardize future legal proceedings and open the service up to additional public criticism. But Guevarro said he stood by his choice to give the public unfiltered access to the evidence he had seen, accepting full responsibility for the call. “I wanted to show the public what I am seeing,” he said. “At the end of the day, I am the leader of this organisation and I take the blows for it. I can stand before anybody and say I made a decision to do what I did.”

  • ‘Disgraceful silence’ from foreign ministers

    ‘Disgraceful silence’ from foreign ministers

    A deepening transparency crisis has rocked the Caribbean Community (Caricom), as Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has leveled explosive allegations of corrupt backroom dealing against the regional bloc’s leadership, centered on the controversial reappointment of Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett.

    At the heart of the controversy is a bombshell revelation from Persad-Bissessar: the official April 11 statement defending Barnett’s reappointment, published publicly under the name of Caricom Chairman and St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew, was actually written by Barnett herself. Document metadata shared by the prime minister confirms Barnett as the statement’s original author, a revelation Persad-Bissessar argues exposes the fundamental conflict of interest plaguing the bloc’s decision-making process.

    The dispute stretches back to the February 2026 Caricom Heads of Government Conference held in St. Kitts and Nevis. Persad-Bissessar attended the opening sessions and departed on February 25, leaving Foreign Minister Sean Sobers to lead the Trinidad and Tobago delegation. On the morning of the scheduled closed-door Nevis retreat on February 26, a WhatsApp message sent by Barnett to the Caricom Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) chat group – which all regional foreign ministers, including Sobers, are members of – clearly stated that Chairman Drew had ordered the retreat to be restricted to heads of government only, barring all ministers from attending. This directly contradicts Drew’s later claim that Sobers was invited to the retreat and declined to attend due to seasickness, a claim Sobers formally refuted in an April 9 letter.

    Persad-Bissessar has lambasted the entire Caricom foreign minister corps for what she calls their “deliberate and disgraceful silence” in the wake of this exposed contradiction. All COFCOR members have access to the unaltered February 26 WhatsApp message confirming the disinvitation, yet none have stepped forward to confirm Sobers’ account. This collective silence, the prime minister says, amounts to active complicity in smearing the foreign minister’s reputation to cover up procedural misconduct.

    Trinidad and Tobago’s core objections stretch beyond the conflicting narratives about the disinvitation. The reappointment was never listed on the official public agenda for the conference, and no reference to the decision appeared in the March 1 joint communiqué or the March 2 official summary of Caricom decisions published after the meeting. It was not until March 25 that Drew formally announced Barnett’s second five-year term, set to begin when her current term expires in August 2026, following a vote by a majority of heads of government held during the closed-door retreat.

    Persad-Bissessar has drawn sweeping conclusions about the state of Caricom’s leadership, describing the bloc’s secretariat as “dysfunctional, dishonest and incompetent.” She argues that the opaque process is the inevitable outcome of a system where political allies, party loyalists, and relatives of regional politicians are appointed to top management roles to preserve a decades-old “old boys club” status quo that benefits regional business and political elites, rather than appointing independent, competent technocrats. What Caricom frames as core ideals of regional integration, integrity, and inclusion, she says, is just a “smoke screen” for behind-the-scenes deals that prioritize keeping aligned political parties in power across the region and exclude unaligned groups from the entrenched political establishment.

    In a statement to local media, Foreign Minister Sobers backed the prime minister’s campaign, calling the situation “intolerable” and a “profoundly sad moment for the Caribbean people.” He emphasized that no amount of public relations spin can distract from the core facts: Trinidad and Tobago was deliberately excluded from the retreat, the reappointment was never added to the official agenda, and the entire process violated the procedural requirements laid out in the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, Caricom’s founding legal document.

    Despite the scathing criticism, Persad-Bissessar has repeatedly emphasized that Trinidad and Tobago has no plans to leave the regional bloc, which it helped found 52 years ago and has heavily invested in over decades. “We helped build this organisation and will be a part of fixing it to benefit all the people of Caricom,” she said, adding that the country’s economic, security, and development future is deeply tied to the bloc’s success.

    The prime minister has vowed to continue escalating the matter publicly and aggressively until two demands are met: full accountability for all actors involved in the opaque reappointment process, and sweeping institutional reforms to guarantee future fairness, transparency, accountability, and non-interference in the domestic politics of member states. She has noted that even small local bodies like village councils and sports clubs keep formal, timestamped meeting minutes and performance records, and Caricom, as a 52-year-old regional institution, has no excuse for failing to produce the documentation she has requested about the reappointment process, which includes communications, meeting minutes, and performance appraisals for Barnett.

    A full timeline of the unfolding controversy tracks a steady escalation of tensions over two months: the initial exclusion at the February retreat, the first public announcement of the reappointment in late March, repeated formal requests for documentation from Trinidad and Tobago that went unanswered, an emergency Caricom virtual meeting that Trinidad and Tobago boycotted over the lack of transparency, and the most recent bombshell revelation that Barnett authored her own defense statement released under the chairman’s name.