- 5 months ago
Former Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley claimed to be listed on an Interpol list
The Prisons Service and Prison Officers' Association contradicted a claim made by the Minister of Defence
and an explosion at Ramco left workers hospitalised
The Prisons Service and Prison Officers' Association contradicted a claim made by the Minister of Defence
and an explosion at Ramco left workers hospitalised
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Good evening and welcome to the past seven days on six.
00:20I am Renasa Cutting.
00:22Here's what made the news this past week.
00:24Former Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley claimed to be listed on an Interpol list.
00:30The Prison Service and the Prison Officers Association contradicted a claim made by the Minister of Defense
00:37and an explosion at Ramco left workers hospitalized.
00:41As per usual, if it was happening, it was on six.
00:44Let's get right into it.
00:46Former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Dr. Keith Rowley held a press conference at his home last week
00:53to let the nation know that he had been placed on an Interpol list.
00:57He claimed it was a politically motivated move and called for answers.
01:03Former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Dr. Keith Rowley, traveling on a diplomatic passport,
01:09transited through Antigua on his way to Montserrat.
01:12He tells media he was stopped in Antigua on both legs of the trip
01:17and made to wait while authorities did security checks.
01:21On his way in.
01:23I was told that the reason why I was delayed is because I was on a watch list.
01:30And on his return.
01:32The process went very smoothly until my passport was submitted to the machine data reading base.
01:39Same story.
01:41The officer stopped me, asked me to hold on, and the officer disappeared again.
01:48After a protracted period, the officer came back to me and said to me that I was on some list.
01:58Dr. Rowley asked to speak with the supervisor who told him it was a case of mistaken identity.
02:04And I asked, mistaken identity with whom?
02:09And she said, another person who may not have the same birth date as you.
02:16All right.
02:18I asked, and who is interested in that person?
02:21She said, Antigua police.
02:24Upon his return to TNT, the former Prime Minister made further inquiries with CARICOM.
02:30It was confirmed to me then that I was on Interpol list.
02:41And the issues that arose in Antigua are as a result of Antigua police responding to Interpol
02:53and Interpol's interest in me.
02:57Dr. Rowley says it is usually fugitives who are issued Interpol red notices,
03:03which are requests to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person.
03:11So, to the top cop.
03:12I would like him to tell this population what exactly is the crime that I have some connection with in this country
03:26to cause the police to be moved.
03:29As a former chair of the National Security Council himself, Dr. Rowley says putting a former PM on a watch list
03:37would require the involvement of the National Security Council.
03:41And it's on that basis that I'm putting this squarely in the lap of the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago
03:51and the Commissioner of Police of Trinidad and Tobago and the Attorney General.
03:58He says he served with pride for all of TNT for this to happen is...
04:03Nothing more than a dastardly defamation, fabricated, constructed and executed by the government agencies of Trinidad and Tobago
04:17led by a government which seems to be more interested in retribution, hate, spite, divisiveness.
04:27The entire incident evoked certain emotions.
04:32The people I hold responsible for this development could have gone to the Parliament
04:38and sponsor and vote and support a convicted felon who was a fugitive from justice to become Speaker of the Parliament
04:52and now seeking to defame me in this way, that generated a bit of anger in me
05:04because clearly it's not about law enforcement, it's about selective defamation.
05:11He also tells us this new regime, within 48 hours of being sworn in,
05:17attempted to strip his children of diplomatic passports.
05:20Attempts were made to find and remove the diplomatic passports from my children
05:28and certain persons felt that that was the priority for the government.
05:36When told that there were no passports of that nature, diplomatic passports, ever issued to my children,
05:43they refused to accept it as true and instructed that they go and find them.
05:51Dr. Rowley asks that his name be removed from the list
05:54and has these parting words for whoever is behind the deceptive act.
05:59Today for me, tomorrow for you.
06:04Ravishita Wari, Rupnarein, TV6 News.
06:07Well, the Antiguan officials would only state that Dr. Rowley had not mistaken the chain of events
06:13but refused to give further information.
06:16However, TNT's authorities suggested otherwise.
06:19Prime Minister Kamala-Pasad-Basasa shared correspondence from the TTPS's Interpol bureau,
06:24which read, quote,
06:26Checks were conducted within all Interpol databases and the same revealed negative results.
06:32The subject is not recorded within, end quote.
06:36As such, Pasad-Basasa said,
06:37her government maintains the position previously articulated by the police commissioner
06:43that Dr. Rowley was not placed on any Interpol watch list by this government, the TTPS, or its agencies.
06:51But according to a former police corporal,
06:53that does not mean that some form of communication was not channeled through Interpol to have Dr. Rowley flagged.
07:01Antigua and Barbuda's government has confirmed former Prime Minister Dr. Kate Rowley's account
07:06of him being flagged at that country's airport,
07:09which essentially led to him being delayed while in transit to Montserrat.
07:13In fact, Antigua's Attorney General, Stedroy Benjamin, has stated that Dr. Rowley did not misstate what transpired
07:20and that he was flagged twice as he traveled to and from Montserrat through Antigua.
07:26He said he was unsure of how Dr. Rowley's name landed on Interpol's list
07:30and who would have placed it there, questions which have been redirected to this country.
07:35But on the flip side, Police Commissioner Alistair Guevara has stated that
07:40a check of Interpol's systems revealed that Dr. Rowley's name is not on any Interpol list.
07:46However, co-founder of the Police Social and Welfare Association,
07:50retired Corporal Dr. Wayne Hayde, says
07:52understanding the difference between Interpol's notices and diffusions is important.
07:59Dr. Hayde, who is also an attorney at law, tells TV6 News
08:02Interpol's various notices, such as the Red Notice, issued on the basis of things like
08:08the issuance of warrants for arrest, are placed within Interpol's formal system
08:14and are widely disseminated.
08:16But diffusions are different.
08:18So they could use the formal method, the diffusion,
08:21which goes into the system as well.
08:25It's supposed to, but it often does not, because of two other aspects of informality
08:33and familiarity.
08:36There are people who work together with others.
08:38They train together.
08:41They interact with each other as police officers across different countries.
08:46And they can informally inform their friends
08:52and ask them to track a particular person when they reach in that country.
08:58And that happens a lot, much more than the notices are.
09:04And Dr. Hayde reiterates that these remain off record.
09:09Diffusions are used for different reasons,
09:11including when the issuing country wants to limit the dissemination of information
09:15or when there is insufficient evidence for a Red Notice to be issued.
09:20According to Dr. Hayde, a diffusion, while physically off Interpol's system,
09:26can cause a flag to be raised at a point of entry into another country.
09:31Let's say Trinidad and Tiga are telling the person,
09:34check this for me, see what this person is doing or going for me.
09:38And that person then could put it into their airport system.
09:43Not into Interpol, eh?
09:44Right.
09:45Introduction to the airport system that will create a flag whenever that passport arrives.
09:51Interpol's website states that a diffusion can be sent directly by member countries
09:56to each other or through Interpol.
09:59It can happen minister to minister, minister to police, police to police,
10:05civilian to police.
10:07It can happen if you're talking about the informality.
10:11We can't confuse the Interpol process with the informal process.
10:16TV6 News attempted to reach Commissioner Guevara on Tuesday night and throughout Wednesday
10:21concerning the statement made by the Antiguan government.
10:25We were also seeking to inquire about the less formal Interpol system
10:29and whether the commissioner was aware of any communication made through this channel,
10:33either by the TTVS or otherwise.
10:36All calls, WhatsApp and text messages went unanswered.
10:41Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
10:43We head to a quick break.
10:46We'll have more news when we return.
10:54Welcome back.
10:56A 65-inch television.
10:58This was one of the items said to have been recovered during a recent search of the maximum security prison,
11:04according to Defense Minister Wayne Sturge.
11:07Recently, a couple of guns were found in prison.
11:12That's a serious security risk.
11:15But to tell you how far we have descended
11:18and which is indicative of how fearful prison officers are of some of the elements,
11:25there's a certain prisoner, I won't call his name,
11:31a certain prisoner who had in his cell,
11:34in the infamous building 13, which is reserved for the worst of the worst,
11:39he had in his cell a very large flat-screen TV.
11:45Usually when you confront the prisons about how things go in,
11:49they don't seem to bring anything into the prison.
11:52It's always drones dropping us in.
11:54So I don't know how they dropped in a 65-inch TV.
11:58The Defense Minister also promised to put a dent in criminal activity behind prison walls.
12:05One of the persons extracted was still able to make communication outside
12:10and is threatening to bring harm to law enforcement and so on.
12:16Those are things, I assure you, we have the capacity to deal with and to deal with in short order.
12:22However, both the former prisons commissioner as well as the current one
12:27disputed the minister's account.
12:29They explained that televisions are situated in the corridors
12:33under the common areas of the facility.
12:36Meantime, Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander said,
12:40National security is between a rock and a hard place as it concerns giving prison officers fire arms,
12:46given the involvement of rogue officers with criminal elements.
12:50However, the prisons association hit back, saying the royal corruption is higher up in national security.
12:56We are caught up in a rock and a hard place where the prison officers are concerned.
13:03We want to, but the investigation into that process will have to be extreme
13:11because of what we are seeing now happening in society with the prison officers.
13:16I mean, it might be, we could openly say probably they are stabbing themselves with their own sword.
13:26So we are hoping that we see a change in that.
13:28Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander responding to a call for prison officers to be given firearms.
13:35The response is not sitting well with the Prison Officers Association,
13:40which believes prison officers are being unfairly victimized.
13:44They have issues with the corruption, yes, I agree.
13:48But other agencies and national security have to take the blame.
13:53When I pass outside Golden Grove Prison, my phone lost signal one time.
13:58Coming up the highway to pull in to the maximum security prison, my phone lost signal, my cell phone.
14:07How are these inmates able to communicate in MSP to anybody outside, but the officer cannot?
14:21Something is not adding up.
14:24It's not adding up.
14:26So it have other people involved in what is going on, and I agree.
14:30It have corrupt prison officers, but this corruption thing is big.
14:36National security, the corruption in national security is big.
14:40And that is not being dealt with.
14:43And we probably need to start to look at these contracts that are being awarded in national security
14:48and whether taxpayers are getting value for money.
14:51In the meantime, Logie laments junior prison officers continue to be targeted by criminal elements,
14:58especially after raids, which he says are often carried out by masked police and army personnel.
15:05We have other personnel from, I don't know if it's coming in with masks.
15:10We don't know if it's from the army or from police.
15:13And they are also, they were also working in building 13.
15:16And they're coming in with a mask, nobody is searching them.
15:19Some of them driving in with vehicles.
15:21In the night, they have, the prison officers don't, cannot access the inmate.
15:26The officers in the masses who let them in to make the wrongs to see the inmates.
15:31And they will say, well, but the surgery building, and we're seeing inmates on the cell phone still.
15:36What is going on?
15:38Who it is giving them back the phones?
15:40You walk through a gate without identifying yourself without.
15:44They could go and extract somebody and go with them, and we don't know.
15:46But prison's commissioner, Carlos Carraspe, says Logie's account is not factual.
15:53And he's giving an assurance that the prison service is in control of its premises.
15:58For operational purposes, the persons would have their concealed faces.
16:04But there is knowledge of who are the persons on the operation.
16:10And it is not correct to say what has been presented.
16:14We are knowledgeable of the law, and whatever is done is done lawfully.
16:20All right?
16:21But sometimes, for the purposes of security and to ensure that there is no spillage,
16:28certain information will not go out to everyone.
16:33This is The Past, seven days on 6.
16:36Thanks for staying with us.
16:46Relief and the joy came for the family of Janky Sadie Karim, who was rescued last week,
16:51nine days after she had been kidnapped near her Bassey Street home in Valsain South.
16:56One of the suspects was shot dead inside the house, while another suspect was detained.
17:01As nightfall approached yesterday, police officers from various elite units closed in on the kidnappers
17:08of Janky Sadie Karim, who was being held in a house in Rampanalgas along the Toko Main Road.
17:15It ended a nine-day ordeal for the victim, who was snatched near her Bassey Street home in Valsain two Sundays ago.
17:21Commissioner Alistair Guvaro making his way to the crime scene to not only offer support for his men,
17:27but also to give an account on how the operation unfolded in which one of the kidnappers,
17:32a 24-year-old man from Silots, was shot dead.
17:36As the officers would have approached the house, the male suspect would have held Ms. Karim hostage,
17:44was armed with a firearm, and sadly, the police officers had to use the use of force policy.
17:49And he was wounded and taken to hospital, where he succumbed subsequently.
17:57The victim, Ms. Karim, was also taken to hospital, where she was medically examined,
18:03and she is now reunited with her family.
18:06A female suspect is also in custody at this point in time.
18:10The commissioner urged the public to continue to partner with the police
18:13and share vital information to assist them in their crime fight.
18:17He gave an affirmation to dismantle criminal networks and warned criminals bent and opposing police.
18:24These are the criminal gangs that have amalgamated themselves into this syndicate
18:27and were using crimes such as robberies, extortion, and in this case, kidnapping,
18:34for the purposes of getting money so that they could fuel their rampant,
18:39what should I call it, attack on the good citizens of this country.
18:45This is a scenario that should have played out totally different had they or had he decided to give himself up.
18:52As I begged the members of the criminal networks, when confronted by my officers,
18:58please surrender and do not engage my officers.
19:03The commissioner also heaped praise on ACP Richard Smith,
19:06senior superintendent Winston Mirage and superintendent Parryman,
19:10who spearheaded the intelligence-driven operation, which didn't end there.
19:14About four hours after that operation, police obtained information about another suspect
19:19connected to Karim's kidnapping, which led them to this house at Old Piaco Road in Dabody,
19:24where the commissioner said they were confronted by an armed suspect.
19:28He was fatally shot.
19:30The dead man was later identified as Zachariah Williams of Red Hill, Dabody.
19:34Upon arrival at the home of one of the suspects,
19:38they announced their presence and was immediately confronted by the suspect,
19:43who was armed with a firearm.
19:45In keeping with the TTPS use-of-force policy,
19:49the officers discharged their service-issued firearms in response to the imminent threat.
19:55The suspect sustained injuries and was conveyed to the Arima Hospital,
20:00where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
20:04One Glock 19 pistol with ammunition was recovered and seized at the scene.
20:11They also recovered a car in the Ruka area earlier yesterday afternoon,
20:15which they believe was connected to Karim's kidnapping.
20:18The commissioner said several intelligence-driven operations will continue during this state of emergency
20:23to root out all criminal networks.
20:26Mark Bessant, TV6 News.
20:30And in more good news, swift work by the police led to the freeing of two men
20:34who had been kidnapped in Valencia.
20:37This is the forested area inside of San Pueblo Road in Valencia,
20:41where kidnapped victims Ryan Singh and Kiran Latchman were being held captive over the last two days.
20:47Both Singh and Latchman had left their Dabadi home around 2 p.m. on Monday
20:52to deliver scaffolding and an air fryer in Arima.
20:56It was while in transit to this location that the men were kidnapped
21:00and a ransom demand made it yesterday for both.
21:03This after Latchman's vehicle was found abandoned in the Aruka area.
21:07However, police acting on information were able to apprehend two suspects
21:11and would later got back to the other suspects who were guarding the kidnapped victims
21:16in this forested area and they fled the scene.
21:19The two kidnapped victims police say later left the forested area
21:23and were able to make their way to the Valencia police station
21:25where they were interviewed.
21:27A relative of both men visited the station, leaving with one of the victims.
21:32Yesterday, Latchman's mother made an impassioned plea for the safe return of her son
21:36and sources say she was elated that her son had returned home safely.
21:40This was the second successful freeing of kidnapped victims over the last 48 hours
21:45with all victims recovered alive by the police.
21:49The other being the dramatic rescue of businesswoman Janki Sadie Karim
21:52in Rampan Algas along the Toko Main Road on Monday evening.
21:56Investigators said they will continue to search for the two other suspects
21:59involved in the kidnapping of the two men
22:01and believe that it is only a matter of time before they are caught.
22:06Mark Bessant, TV6 News.
22:08And an explosion at Ramco left a few of its workers hospitalized in serious condition.
22:16Here's more.
22:21The evening routine at Ramco's cross-crossing San Fernando plant
22:25was shattered with a loud and eerie explosion.
22:28It was about 6.55 and Painter employed with Ramco,
22:33Christian Charles, was at the lunchroom when he heard the explosion.
22:36Charles ventured outside to see a tanker truck together with several cylinders on fire.
22:42Amid the melee as employees scampered out of the facility,
22:46it was later discovered four of his colleagues,
22:49Nairon Dewsbury of New Grand,
22:51Videsh Haripassad of Williamsville,
22:54Chris Jagai of Penal,
22:56and Ashok Sahadew of Langwa were all injured.
22:59The four were all rushed to the San Fernando General Hospital
23:02and listed in critical condition.
23:05The Express reported as of Thursday night,
23:07Sahadew and Jagai were being treated
23:09at the high dependency unit and the intensive care unit respectively,
23:14while Dewsbury and Haripassad were undergoing surgery.
23:18When the Express contacted relatives of the four injured men on Friday,
23:23the relatives remained tight-lipped about the incident
23:26and the status of their injured relatives.
23:30One resident, Tecla Wellington-Lange,
23:32who lives alongside the plant,
23:34recounts the traumatic experience
23:36which left scores of residents scurrying up the hill for safety.
23:41I was under my big door, Tecla,
23:42she said, Mommy, Mommy,
23:43Ramko burning down,
23:45so we got a leave.
23:46So we left everything,
23:48house open,
23:49didn't bother to take up a phone,
23:50a wallet, nothing,
23:52and our neighbors, everybody,
23:53we just ran up the hill for cover
23:55and there was like explosion after explosion.
23:58It was terrible.
23:59I've never experienced something like this
24:02and I wouldn't like it to happen again.
24:04But the trauma, she explains,
24:06will remain with them for a while
24:08as the fear of this happening again
24:10lives with their every thought
24:12since last night's explosion.
24:14My concern is that we live so close to this
24:18the Ramko.
24:22I hope that it don't happen again,
24:25you know,
24:26so we are hoping and praying that
24:27in God's grace that everything would be okay.
24:30Where were you all during the 45 minutes?
24:33We were up the hill.
24:36We all ran and everybody,
24:38neighbors, everybody,
24:39were up on the hill there,
24:41which was the safest thing for us
24:42at that time.
24:44How many people there would say
24:46were a garden resident?
24:47A lot of people.
24:48How many people?
24:50Over 20-something people.
24:51And what was the mood like?
24:53Everybody was scared.
24:55Everybody was frightened.
24:56Everybody was just thinking,
24:58you know,
24:58if this thing would spread,
24:59what is going to happen?
25:00Our homes,
25:01that, you know,
25:03you worked so hard for all these years
25:04and wondering what is going to happen.
25:06The residents are calling for a meeting
25:08with Ramko's management
25:10to address their safety concerns.
25:12The fire was eventually contained
25:14by officers of the Monrepo fire station.
25:17Police visited the scene
25:18and made inquiries.
25:20Ramko issued a statement
25:21late on Thursday evening,
25:23saying the fire was swiftly contained.
25:26Ramko says all unaffected employees
25:28were promptly and safely evacuated
25:30and they shared thoughts and prayers
25:33with the affected employees
25:34and their families,
25:36expressing a commitment to support them.
25:38Ramko said it is cooperating fully
25:40with the relevant authorities
25:42as investigations continue.
25:44And it says the safety and well-being
25:46of employees,
25:47the community and stakeholders
25:49remains its highest priority.
25:52On site was Minister of Energy,
25:53Dr. Rudal Munilal,
25:55in whose constituency the plant is situated.
25:58He received a preliminary briefing
26:00from authorities on site.
26:02The fire service acted.
26:04We are informed quite professionally
26:07and had adequate resources
26:09to extinguish the blaze
26:13and get the blaze under control
26:15with both water and foam.
26:18And it has been under control there.
26:21While there are safety issues
26:23to be addressed,
26:24Dr. Munilal says of primary concern
26:26is the health and safety
26:28of the injured men.
26:29Tomorrow we will receive a report
26:32from the primary report
26:33from the fire services
26:34and the OSH agency
26:36will also be activated
26:38to conduct
26:39their statutory duties
26:41and circumstances
26:42like these.
26:44As the population
26:46may know
26:47that Ramko Industries
26:48is a significant supplier
26:50of LPG
26:50in the market
26:51in Trinidad and Tobago.
26:53And we,
26:54from the standpoint
26:55of the Ministry of Energy
26:56and Energy Industries,
26:57we also have a concern
26:59with that matter.
27:00But our overriding concern
27:02now is with the human beings,
27:03with employees,
27:05to ensure that they get
27:05the best care
27:06in the circumstances.
27:08Meanwhile,
27:08the Occupational Safety
27:09and Health Agency
27:11issued a statement
27:12this afternoon
27:12saying it is actively
27:14investigating the incident.
27:16OSHA says inspectors
27:17have been deployed
27:18to the site
27:19and have already begun
27:20conducting interviews,
27:21reviewing site documentation
27:23and inspecting
27:24physical conditions
27:25to determine
27:26contributing factors
27:27and identify
27:29any breaches
27:30of the Occupational Safety
27:31and Health Act.
27:33The agency acknowledged
27:34all persons
27:35that have been
27:36negatively affected
27:37and emphasized
27:38to stakeholders
27:39and the general public
27:41the critical issues
27:42of all employers,
27:43occupiers
27:44and employees
27:45as contained
27:46in the OSHA Act
27:48geared towards
27:49creating and maintaining
27:50safety at work.
27:53Sport is up next.
27:55Keep it here.
27:59In sport,
28:03Shea Hope and Brandon King
28:05delivered with a bat,
28:06but the Wendy's
28:07still went on to lose
28:08the third
28:09one-day international
28:10to Australia
28:11by six wickets.
28:13Another day,
28:14another defeat.
28:15But it didn't look that way
28:16at the start of this match
28:18when Brandon King
28:18and Shea Hope
28:19were going berserk
28:20at the top of the order.
28:22King was hitting the ball
28:23cleanly
28:23and Hope was equal
28:25to the task.
28:28King brought up
28:29his half century
28:30and the West Indies
28:31looked like they had
28:32the capability
28:33of scoring 300
28:34on a small round.
28:36King's innings
28:37ended when he was on 62.
28:39It came off of 36 balls.
28:42Hope was showing
28:43his class as well,
28:44showing no signs
28:45of slowing down.
28:48Shimran Hetmeyer's
28:49contribution
28:50was also short-lived
28:51as he made just nine.
28:53That is innovation.
28:59We don't always see
29:00that route from Shea Hope,
29:01something he's been working on.
29:04Hope brought up his century
29:05as the West Indies
29:06approached 200.
29:10Soaring Hope records
29:11his first D20I century.
29:14However,
29:15was it a match-winning total?
29:17Ravman Powell made nine.
29:19Rutherford was run out for 12.
29:21Windies getting to 200.
29:2314 for four
29:24from 20 overs.
29:25In reply,
29:26the visitors led by
29:27Mitchell Marsh
29:28got off to a good start.
29:29However,
29:30the Windies kept themselves
29:31in the game
29:32until the ninth over.
29:33Glenn Maxwell
29:34got out with the score
29:35on 30.
29:36A wonderful throw
29:37to send him on his way.
29:39Josh Inglis
29:40was out-court.
29:41Marsh had the third wicket
29:45to fall for 61,
29:46but only 5.5 overs were gone.
29:50At 87 for four
29:51in the ninth over,
29:52the match could still go either way.
29:56Tim David and Mitchell Owen
29:58turned the game around.
30:00David hit the fastest
30:01T20 international century
30:02by an Australian.
30:03But will history remember
30:05this moment
30:06dropped on 90.
30:08West Indies developing
30:09a habit of shooting
30:10themselves in the foot
30:11and they were punished.
30:14Flat and hard
30:15and muscle.
30:17David not out on 102.
30:18Owen with him on 36,
30:21215 in 16.4 overs.
30:25A breeze.
30:26Australia takes a 3-0 series win
30:28with two more matches to go.
30:30Sergio Dufour, TV6 Sport.
30:33And that's a wrap
30:34on the past seven days on 6.
30:36I am Renessa Cutting.
30:37If you didn't catch this segment
30:39in its entirety,
30:40you can find it on our website,
30:42www.tv6tnt.com
30:45and you can find
30:47all these stories
30:47and more
30:48on the TV6 mobile app.
30:50Thanks for choosing TV6
30:52and do have a great evening.
Be the first to comment