UNC again accuses government of manipulation in Brent Thomas matter

DESPITE Government’s clear denial of any political interference in the arrest of firearm dealer Brent Thomas in Barbados, the UNC has once again publicly accused the government of playing a role in the matter.

In a release on Saturday morning, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar accused some members of the TTPS executive and members of the TTPS Social and Welfare Association (TTPSWA) of attempting to intimidate citizens by “parroting” comments made by the prime minister on the issue.

The matter came to the fore on April 25 when High Court judge Justice Devindra Rampersad raised the issue in his judgment to stay criminal charges against Thomas.

Thomas was arrested on September 29, 2022 but later released. He was re-arrested in Barbados, from where he intended to go to Miami to meet his cardiologist, and said he was forcibly returned to Trinidad on a TT Defence Force (TTDF) plane. He was later charged with possession of weapons, including grenades and rifles.

On May 4 Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley told the media, Cabinet had “absolutely nothing to do with this matter."

On May 27, National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds said he gave no approval to members of the defence force to participate in Thomas’ extraction from Barbados.

Before a Joint Select Committee (JSC) on National Security in May, Commissioner of Police (CoP) Erla Harewood-Christopher said she could not confirm whether or not the CoP's office had authorised police officers to travel to Barbados on an RSS aircraft to arrest Thomas.

TTPSWA head Gideon Dickson was reported as saying that the officers involved in the extradition were traumatised by the public criticism.

The Opposition believes there are attempts by the government to stifle the issue.

“Months after the public disclosure of the illegal abduction of Brent Thomas from Barbados, the TTPS has not provided a written preliminary report to the country. This failure strikes at the root of the integrity of the organisation and severely diminishes public confidence that the investigation is free from political interference.

“Fitzgerald Hinds and Keith Rowley have unbelievably publicly claimed that they had no idea about the illegal actions of these officers. There are now only two options which can explain how police officers ASP Birch, Snr Supt Suzette Martin and Cpl Joefield were all able to commandeer a Caricom aircraft to forcibly and illegally detain and abduct Brent Thomas from Barbados. This illegal abduction was done solely by the officers involved, without the knowledge of the then CoP McDonald Jacob or with the knowledge and permission of the then CoP McDonald Jacob. Therefore, if Rowley and Hinds are to be believed, the officers acted either without any approval or with the approval of then CoP McDonald Jacob.

“If they acted unilaterally, why are these officers not suspended pending the outcome of the investigations? In fact, these officers have remained in their high-ranking positions in the PSB which is the same unit tasked with investigating this illegal abduction and other police officers.

“Why has former CoP McDonald Jacob not been questioned as to whether he authorised this illegal abduction? It is disturbing that some members of the TTPS hierarchy and the TTPSWA are parroting Rowley’s talking points and thus attempting to intimidate citizens from commenting on the disturbing political interference, coercion and scheming occurring within parts of the TTPS,” the release said.