Another case of police bungling in court — 5 more cops walk

IN YET another case of the police bungling the prosecution of some of their own, five police officers accused of accepting a $30,000 bribe as well as five pounds of marijuana, were discharged by a Master of the High Court on November 20, due to insufficient evidence.

Master Sarah de Silva's order to set aside the charges against Keenen Williams, Evans Mitchell, Latifah Lezama, Kevin Gomez and Jabari Mc Intyre came two days after seven other police officers, charged with extortion, were set free after police failed to comply with the court's instruction for a timely preparation and prosecution of the case.

At a sufficiency hearing on Wednesday, it was found that the case against the five was marred by prosecutorial missteps and repeated non-compliance with court orders, despite earlier leniency shown by de Silva, who allowed the State time to correct its procedural errors.

Defence attorney Renuka Rambhajan had previously called for the matter to be dismissed due to the State’s failures to adhere to judicial directives.

De Silva, in her ruling, also upheld Rambhajan’s argument that she could only commit the officers on the indictment presented. She also refused the State’s application to pursue conspiracy charges against the five, and rejected its request for additional time to file notices of discontinuance for four of the accused officers.

De Silva has reserved her decision on two other officers also implicated in the matter.

The five freed officers were part of a group of seven who went to the Five Rivers, Arouca home of a couple to execute a search warrant for firearms, ammunition and narcotics.

A statement from the TTPS said the seven officers found a quantity of marijuana, camouflage clothing and ammunition, leading to the home-owners being arrested and taken to the Arouca Police Station.

It was alleged that the male home-owner was approached by one of the officers who demanded $30,000 and five pounds of marijuana to forego charges against him and his wife.

The man was allowed to leave the station and instructions were given as to where the marijuana should be taken.

When the man returned to the station, he handed over the cash, and he and his wife were allowed to leave without any charges being laid against them.

A report was made to the Professional Standards Bureau (PSB) and a team led by then bureau head, now Deputy Commissioner Suzette Martin and including Supt Montrichard, Insps Narine and Guy, Sgts Pierre and Hosein and Cpl Joefield began investigations.

On November 7, 2023, the officers were arrested and charged by Cpl Joefield. The seven appeared before a justice of the peace a week later and were granted $150,000 bail.

Newsday contacted DCP Martin on Wednesday for a comment but she asked that she be contacted by WhatsApp message. However, she did not respond to Newsday's request for a comment sent via WhatsApp.

This was not the only case of police prosecutorial failure to emerge on November 20.

Port of Spain magistrate Kerri Honore-Narine dismissed robbery with violence, assault and gun-related charges against a 21-year-old Belmont man after the prosecution could provide no witnesses. The accused was charged with robbing a St James furniture store and its employees in May 2023.

The matter was expected to go to trial on November 20. However, police prosecutors sought an adjournment to secure the attendance of one of the victims, and two other main witnesses.

Twice before, Honore-Narine gave the police time to get their house in order. However, the prosecution on Wednesday was once again unprepared and had no witnesses to put forward to give evidence against the accused.

Defence attorney Vashisht Seepersad said this was a flagrant breach of the court's directions and asked for his client's discharge.

Honore-Narine agreed and upheld the objection.

On November 18, seven police officers accused of extorting a group of Sangre Grande businessmen were discharged by de Silva because police failed to comply with court directives, including the timely preparation and prosecution of the case.

De Silva had issued instructions to the police in preparation for the case. These were disregarded and no explanation was given for the non-compliance. DCP Martin, according to a newspaper report, has ordered a report on the collapse of the case against the seven officers.

The PSB had also charged the seven officers in April 2023 with misbehaviour in public office by corruptly appropriating money – over $100,000 seized as an exhibit during a police exercise. A statement from the police, when the seven were charged, said they were accused of multiple offences.

The charges were laid after PSB investigated a social media video which allegedly showed police officers seizing cash at a Sangre Grande business place, in the Eastern Division, a release from the TTPS said.

They faced an assortment of charges of corruptly appropriating several sums which were seized as an exhibit during a police exercise and conspiring to pervert the course of justice by knowingly making false statements to implicate a victim in a criminal investigation involving operating an illegal gaming house. The Police Complaints Authority (PCA) had also begun a parallel probe.

The collapse of the case on Monday prompted calls for urgent reform with Chaguanas West Member of Parliament Dinesh Rambally and Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal expressing deep concern over the systemic failures that allowed such cases to falter due to prosecutorial missteps and delays.

In a statement on November 19, Rambally criticised the lack of progress in corruption and misconduct cases as a symptom of broader judicial inefficiencies. He noted that this trend reflected TT’s steady decline in the World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index, eroding public trust in law enforcement and the justice system.

“When cases like this collapse because of inaction and procedural delays, it sends the wrong message to the public—that justice is unattainable and impunity prevails,” Rambally said. He urged the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), the Attorney General, and the Minister of National Security to address these failures with urgency.

Moonilal echoed similar sentiments, describing the dismissal of extortion charges as a “gross travesty of justice.” He called for Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher to investigate the matter and initiate disciplinary action against the officers involved, warning that the incident threatens to undermine residual public trust in the police service.

“This disgraceful affair has taken place at a time when there is a high incidence of extortion in society,” Moonilal said. He also called for an independent inquiry into the case’s collapse and a review of how many cases have failed due to non-attendance by prosecuting police.

The fallout comes as Parliament recently appointed a new Police Service Commission, which Moonilal urged to demand accountability from the Commissioner of Police.

Both MPs emphasised the urgency of rebuilding institutional integrity to restore public confidence and ensure accountability for misconduct.