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  • 3 months ago
The Prime Minister ordered a probe into the passing of a young boy at hospital

CEPEP called for a criminal investigation following its victory in Court, while the government called for answers from the former line Minister

And the Prisons Commissioner proceeded on leave
Transcript
00:00good evening and welcome to the past seven days on six i am ranessa cutting has what made the news
00:23this past week the prime minister ordered a probe into the passing of a young boy at hospital
00:29cpep called for a criminal investigation following its victory in court while the government called
00:35for answers from the former line minister and the prison's commissioner proceeded on leave as per
00:42usual if it was happening it was on six let's get right into it prime minister kamala pasad besessa
00:49called for a full and urgent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of a young
00:55boy last week at the san fernando teaching hospital this as his parents rejected the findings of the
01:02hospital's autopsy in the wake of what they called his sudden and unexpected death this adverse reaction
01:09started when they started administer this magnesium sulfate for my son i don't know medical professional
01:15but you wait i mean to go from responsive talking to me he wasn't in a critical want to know i see you
01:20or nothing i mean within 10 minutes you dead six-year-old jasha francois was taken to hospital
01:28by his parents out of nothing more than mere precaution he had a cough and they didn't want
01:34it to worsen into a chest infection treated and warded late on wednesday night he was administered
01:40medication on thursday morning while still on the pediatric ward of the san fernando teaching hospital
01:46as soon as you inject that thing um through the ivy about we're gonna go take a little a little
01:53couple seconds around now so i would imagine that so as soon as it probably sort of enter his
01:58um through the um through the ivy this time he wake up one time after the ball and he's bawling down the
02:04place i said jasha what happened to you thing and i daddy it burned and he communicated with me daddy
02:10something burned in my hand it burned in my hand it burned in my hand it burned in my hand it burned in my hand
02:13and he vomits he says he then questioned if the medication was safe to which the nurse suggested
02:19the iv might be positioned badly the dad says she then left and returned shortly after indicating the
02:26doctor said children are normally a little irritable when the medication is given through the iv
02:31and resumed treatment as she started back that magnesium sulfate thing i i see when she started
02:38back and you see the little drops coming he said he said he said he said he said he said pain again
02:42and he said to cry i said jasha relax relax yourself thing i i think everything's normal
02:47and then he said dada i want to go home dada i want to go home i said son you'll get better
02:53jasha never regained consciousness the couple says while it is not their goal to bash the public
03:17healthcare system as they've always had good experiences it was during their most traumatic
03:23one that medical staff were unempathetic on friday an autopsy done at the san fernando general
03:29hospital concluded jasha died of aspiration pneumonitis or viral pneumonia they were told it
03:37was linked to the reason he was admitted but it's a result they say they completely reject
03:43and await the results of a private autopsy that they've arranged for saturday
03:47so a lot of medical professionals reach out to us um and they said this drug is not supposed to be
03:54administered without proper supervision especially for a six-year-old child and especially when a
03:59child is not asthmatic my son is not asthmatic and one of the things is that um the toxicity of it
04:05could take into cardiac arrest which is why i think because my son unable to eat or sleep since his
04:11death the francois say the pain has also been seeing jasha's brother just one year older process the
04:18news my son woke up this morning he said mommy this yesterday was the worst day of my life and today is the second
04:25worst day of my life that's like a lively six-year-old love to watch tv love to eat right even though as a
04:33younger sibling jasha does run things jasha controlling the tv remote jasha control the game
04:40you have any nintendo holy you love the wild place you have this good morning mommy morning daddy where's
04:47my breakfast yeah and to think that i will never hear that again because somebody stashed that away
04:53for me yeah yeah yeah only six years they received calls from the ministers of health dr lakram bodo
05:01and their mp education minister michael dowlat extending condolences and to say they were instructed by
05:08prime minister kamala pasad bisessa to launch a thorough investigation they say they will push
05:14until there is justice for jasha so that through his death many other children will live depending on
05:21the outcome of this we will be seeking justice for jasha to make our stance rather than we if you are in
05:28this profession you must apply a certain degree of you know empathy because it's people's lives there are
05:35people who love these children cindy raguba tika singh tv6 news we add to a quick break we'll have more
05:43news when we return
05:44welcome back the cpep company limited welcomed a high court ruling in its favor last week
05:57and called for a full-scale criminal investigation into what it described as a serious case of fraudulent
06:03misrepresentation which exposed the state to over a billion dollars in expenditure cpep is celebrating a
06:11legal victory but what follows may be far more consequential a media release states that the high
06:17court has ruled against a private contractor eastman enterprise limited who tried to halt proceedings
06:24after failing to comply with the contracts dispute resolution process but buried in the judgment was
06:30something far more serious according to the release and what the judge described as a fraudulent
06:36misrepresentation made to cpep's board about cabinet approval for a major contract extension
06:44the board relying on what it believed was confirmation from then line minister faris al-raoui
06:50via then chairman joel edwards approved a three-year extension for over 300 contractors
06:56just days before the last general election that decision cpep says exposed the state to 1.4 billion
07:04dollars in expenditure and they now believe it was made under false pretenses the judge has referred
07:10the matter to the director of public prosecutions for investigation cpep says it will fully cooperate with
07:17the dpp the anti-corruption bureau and the fraud squad in his affidavit to the court cpep ceo keith eddie
07:25stated that joel edwards told the board that cabinet had approved the extensions however cpep notes that
07:31mr edwards later claimed that there was simply an error in the board note a claim they say was never
07:38shared with the board or management at the time there are also allegations that the false cabinet
07:44approval was conveyed via whatsapp to cpep's leadership team cpep says it has records of every
07:51board member voting in support of the extension and no one raised concerns about the legitimacy of
07:57the approval meanwhile at a recent pnm media conference former line minister faris al-raoui
08:03denied any wrongdoing in the matter but cpep claims he has yet to submit any sworn affidavit
08:10in court on the matter cpep says it will now seek legal advice insisting that it is determined to uncover
08:18the truth and ensure that there are legal consequences for any deception that may have
08:23occurred aksha galston tv6 news while following the ruling public utilities minister barry padaroff said
08:31government feels vindicated in its decisions regarding cpep he described the situation as scandalous
08:38and called on the previous line minister to explain win one for the public utilities minister as it
08:45relates to the incoming unc government's decision to not honor cpep contracts extended hours before
08:52the april general election to say that the government is vindicated in its position as it relates to the
08:59administration issues that we have identified surrounding cpep the opposition along with affected
09:05contractors and their workers admonished government for its decision the unc government maintains such a
09:11decision ought to have had cabinet approval and there exists no documentation to support such this
09:18matter after the deliberation and the judgment of madam justice margaret muhammad is scandalous it is
09:27deeply troubling and it is damning in itself padaroff laments then line minister for cpep faris al-raoui
09:34did not file any evidence on the alleged fraud perpetuated on the company therefore i join my
09:41voice with cpep this afternoon as the airline minister in calling upon the former line minister for cpep now
09:49senator faris al-raoui to clear the air in the public interest regarding this matter minister padaroff
09:57credited their legal counsel for advancing the interest of the company and protecting the interest of
10:03taxpayers what is deeply disturbing alarming and some would say even shocking would have been the
10:11utterances of madam justice margaret muhammad forwarding these matters to the director of public
10:18prosecutions so for all those who have been asking when would matters be forwarded when would matters be
10:24raised with the police and so on i can say unequivocally that today is the day for that
10:32and cpep is intent on cooperating with the anti-corruption bureau the fraud squad and the
10:39authorities in this matter he says there are a lot of questions to be answered by the former minister
10:46and the former cabinet or vishita wari ripnera in tv6 news while former minister of rural development
10:53and local government faris al-raoui responded to the high court ruling stating that the judge may not
10:58have been in possession of critical documentation including a 2017 cabinet note from the finance
11:05ministry authorizing cpep to terminate suspend and hire contractors in addition to that he outlined a
11:132025 cabinet decision for the mid-year supplementation of the budget saying quote it is starkly relevant to
11:20note that these cabinet decisions and other critical material have not been disclosed in the eastman
11:27proceedings and were therefore not before the honorable madam justice muhammad in her deliberations
11:34leading to the ruling any proper investigation into this matter and any questions arising is welcomed end quote
11:43while switching gears cabinet ratified its decision to reject the ric's recommendations for increased electricity
11:51rates one of the campaign promises that we made to the electorate and we were very clear throughout the
11:59election cycle that at this time an incoming unc government will not pursue accepting the
12:08recommendations of the ric as it relates to increased water and electricity tariffs i can tell you today
12:16the cabinet has confirmed i have the confirmation a minute in my hand which shows the cabinet of the
12:21republic of trinidad and tobago has rejected the ric's recommendations as it relates to the
12:29electricity tariffs
12:34minister padarath said not accepting the tariffs will not have an impact on service adding that
12:40government is aware of the seven billion dollars in debt racked up by the previous administration
12:47over the last nine and a half years that situation has left to languish in terms of the debt was not
12:53addressed it was just allowed to accumulate year after year and that is why i say that the former minister
12:58is really shameless in terms of raising this issue because they did nothing they they left this for
13:03us to clean up and we are not complaining about it what we are putting a spotlight on is how did we
13:09arrive at that situation the second ambit is that we intend on addressing that matter just earlier today
13:15minister of planning minister finance and myself we met and there is a payment plan that we will put in
13:20place but we will want to have active consultation with the stakeholders within the industry
13:28this is the past seven days on six we'll be right back
13:38thanks for staying with us 19 preventative detention orders issued by the minister of homeland security were
13:44executed on persons deemed to have been acting in a manner prejudicial to public safety and security last
13:51week has more the people for whom preventative detention orders were issued under minister of
13:57homeland security roger alexander are in the custody of law enforcement so says the ttps's legal head
14:04acting sergeant zaheer ali well at this time i'm instructed that there are 19 preventive detention
14:11orders issued and executed by the crinidad and tobago police service for persons who the minister is
14:20satisfied need to be prevented from acting in a manner prejudicial to public safety and security 19
14:28persons are presently detained and are at specific detention centers on august 6th eight detention orders
14:38were issued by the minister and then on august 8th five more were issued is it 19 orders overall comprising
14:47the eight from before and the five yesterday yes within the five and and the order that you're referring
14:54to that will be within the 19 person i'm speaking at this time based on my instruction he indicates that
15:00all 19 were made aware of their rights under the emergency powers regulations including to access legal
15:06counsel and he points out that once a detention order is issued and executed should any detainee be
15:13aided and abetted in escaping or be harbored by another person after escaping that person commits a
15:20criminal offense the acting sergeant expounds on what is meant by acts that are prejudicial to public
15:26safety and the defense of the country which are the grounds under which people are being detained
15:30is activities or acts that affects more than a few so you know one person to recognize that when we are
15:39speaking about preventing someone um acting in a manner prejudicial to public safety and security
15:45it's more than a few and it's not an individual so you know that should answer the activities or the
15:52conduct that we are looking at and also key as well is that the being satisfied the threshold is credible
16:02intelligence if you have evidence okay fine but credible intelligence that the person um is acting
16:10or about to act in terms of the tribunal headed by the chief justice which was set up to allow detainees
16:16to appeal their detention orders ali reveals another aspect of power held by the homeland security
16:22minister in relation to the tribunal the tribunal will provide their findings to the minister um whether
16:29in fact they think that there is sufficient grounds for the detention of continue detention of the
16:34individual may i say that the minister um may or may not you know um comply with the direction of the
16:42tribunal um and the minister also can revoke that detention order that preventive detention order
16:47at any time he tells us under the soe powers the regular court system does not have the legal remit
16:54to grant bail to any detainee alicia boucher tv6 news wise enough this was the advice coming from homeland
17:05security minister roger alexander to the citizenry as it pertains to taking measures to protect oneself
17:11from crime however the minister acknowledged that what may be seen as random acts of crime are quite
17:17the opposite as according to him even workers at financial institutions are sharing information
17:25and every monday morning you leave with a bag of money to go to the bank every morning morning at nine
17:29so you're telling everybody i'm going to the bank i'm going to the bank all the people in the workplace
17:33i'm going to the bank for nine i'll be back and you're giving away all that information what you
17:38think is going to happen let us wise up minister of homeland security roger alexander is urging the
17:46public to be more mindful of their everyday movements so as not to become easy targets but the minister
17:53notes that this is only one side of the coin as he says the criminal entities are more organized than
17:59many think home invasion is not what you think it is it's an organized crime so somebody in this room
18:09part of the village give information to persons on the outside it's simply they have information
18:17they know all who has guns and all who have none it's organized crime it's it's not it's not what you
18:25think it is just passing and jumping out of a can running a man's house no they monitor and they are
18:32prepared and while there have been many questions about the possible involvement of workers at certain
18:38institutions the former police officer now homeland security minister appears to be giving the confirmation
18:47some of us our families on many occasions the ladies that is working in institutions financial institutions
18:59and they can tell give information to anybody that senator anna roberts have a hundred dollars in his account
19:07and when they when they give this information persons are ready because they show
19:21so they come the minister was speaking at a stand your ground consultation in urupooch and before urupooch east
19:28dr rudal monilal shared some startling data with his constituents remarkably in 2024
19:37the police is saying as an official document we have had 500 home invasions in 2024 whatever they define
19:48as that they say they have had that that's 500 home invasion reported 500 home invasions that is more
19:59than one home invasion per day reported right that means every single day that we live a family in this
20:09country has suffered the seniors crime stand your ground legislation is being considered alongside
20:16proposed revisions to firearm license laws you ever here in texas a man rob a bar you ever here in in
20:25dallas and houston and these places robbery last night two men who held up a bar if they held up a bar
20:33the body is painted on the wall still you don't do that because they have balanced their laws so the
20:41citizens can take action that is what we are trying to do prisons commissioner carlos corraspi
20:47proceeded on leave last week amid speculation about his departure his successor hayden ford has already
20:54been appointed to act in the position however sources said he too will proceed on pre-retirement
21:00leave in january 2026 which means the prison service will have to appoint a new
21:13acting commissioner in about six months outgoing acting commissioner carlos corraspi held the position
21:21for just over one year after being appointed in july of 2024 prompting the prisons officers association
21:29to once again call for reform it happened we had people sometimes people get acting for two months
21:38three months before they go home it's just that this has not been um public knowledge but
21:45this is what has been our experience for the longest while i have been asking for that we have the
21:53prison service um has its own commission like the police service under the office of commissioner of
22:02prisons um become an accounting um position and also maybe we may have to look at the point of having
22:11those positions advertised um externally um and to attract possibly people who could be could hold the
22:20position for set periods of time the association is also responding to rumors surrounding a claim
22:26that corraspe and another senior officer were allegedly sent on administrative leave we don't
22:33have any information to that we can't speak to um feelings or hearsay or or rumor based on the information we have
22:41that is what we placed in the public domain um he like any officer he was sent on vacation leave in fact i am
22:51on vacation leave right now because i do i is in excess of the 90 days so what are the other officer then the
22:58other senior officer who said to have also been i have no information about that and you see once again
23:04so i have no information as to who is the senior officer and uh and and what it may be meantime the
23:13association is welcoming the new acting commissioner despite only finding out about his appointment
23:19online did the association just find out about this change in leadership or we all aware we're like
23:26everybody else like everybody else we found out like everybody else sport is up next keep it here
23:34in sport cricket west indies are holding high profile emergency strategic meetings
23:44to address the recent poor performances of the west indies cricket team some of the attendees include
23:51legends sir clive lloyd sir vivian richards dr desmond haynes and shivnerine chandipole alongside
23:58current senior players head coach darren sammy and key administrators a release indicated that outcomes
24:05of the summit will be implemented immediately the first day of talks was expected to focus on high
24:11performance strategy and structural reform meantime they too will shift to player centered high
24:17performance solutions with direct input from current senior players and coaching staff about
24:23performance gaps and team ambitions well captain she hope had this to say following the loss to pakistan
24:31in the first one day international tough conditions here to you know to bat first under the under the hot
24:39sun with the pitches spinning a bit more and their their their threat would be the spin and it's always
24:44tough as a bowling group to bowl in those types of conditions when the ball is very wet tough for the
24:49spinners to get a good grip on the ball and really make that make that ball turn and get some purchase
24:53in the middle over so it was always challenging for our bowlers in the back end but as a batting group
24:59we probably should have gotten a little bit more runs to give our our bowlers some more cushion there
25:03with the wet ball cataract surgery was the top surgery request received by the u.s naval ship comfort team
25:12who arrived in trinidad last week to provide free medical services to members of the public
25:18hundreds turned out to napa on day one of the mission roughly 100 trinidad and tobago nationals
25:25who had been on various elective surgery lists in the public health care system are expected to have
25:30their surgeries done on board the usns comfort after being referred by the various rhas this is going to
25:37impact in terms of cutting our waiting lists for surgeries and of course cutting our waiting lists
25:43for consultations what is important to note here this morning is that out of these consultations in
25:49the clinics referrals can be added to our public health system so it means that the patients were
25:56seen this morning will be followed up in the public health system as you know the ship leaves on sunday
26:01there three days and we're really hoping that you know we'll you know our patients our citizens of trinidad
26:07who will be greatly assisted the health minister says cataract surgeries were the highest in demand
26:14cataract and eye procedures would be top of the list um general surgery will perhaps be second
26:20and some pediatric procedures would be taken on the list so as you can see this this fits right in
26:26into what we need in terms of cutting waiting lists when i came in as minister i would have asked for
26:32um the waiting list for the past three years so interestingly we would have with about patients
26:37waiting as long as three years um you know for surgeries the usns comfort will be in trinidad until
26:45august 9th offering free walk-in medical services to members of the public at the national academy for the
26:52performing arts napa in port of spain we have four specialties so we have adult care pediatrics we have
27:00dentistry and optometry and we're going to spend the next couple days until sunday delivering medical
27:06care here and then we're conducting surgical operations on board usns comfort so we expect to
27:11see somewhere between uh 1600 and 2000 people while we're here in trinidad and we are conducting uh you
27:18know somewhere between 12 and 15 surgeries per day uh while we're here so that we don't have uh numbers
27:24yet because we just started but i can tell you that uh this is our sixth stop and our final stop
27:30before we head back to norfolk virginia and uh we are going to do everything we can to leave a lasting
27:37and great impression uh for the people here in trinidad and tobago renessa cutting tv6 news
27:44and that's a wrap on the past seven days on six i am renessa cutting if you didn't catch this segment
27:50in its entirety you can find it on our website www.tv6tnt.com
27:57and you can find all these stories and more on the tv6 mobile app thanks for choosing tv6 and do have a
28:04have a great day
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