00:00The decision to withdraw the appeal was formalized in a letter dated September 16th,
00:06where the Attorney General's office signaled its intent to enter into good faith negotiations
00:13with Thomas and his company's specialist Shooters Training Center Limited
00:19to determine a settlement for constitutional damages and legal costs.
00:25The Attorney General's letter stated, quote,
00:28On behalf of the state, I apologize for the ordeal that Mr. Thomas has endured
00:34and any reputational damage caused by these proceedings, end quote.
00:40This move comes as a 2023 ruling by High Court Justice Devindra Rampasad,
00:46who had not only found Thomas' detention and removal to be an abuse of power,
00:53but also declared that all search warrants executed against him and his company were unconstitutional.
01:02Justice Rampasad's judgment had also permanently stayed all criminal proceedings against Thomas,
01:09including charges for possession of prohibited weapons.
01:13Following Justice Rampasad's decision, the state, along with the Director of Public Prosecutions,
01:20had filed an appeal.
01:21The matter was heard by Justices of Appeal, Prakash Musay, Charmin Pemberton,
01:28and Myra Dean Amora on July 24, 2024.
01:32During that hearing, the state's attorney, Peter Knox, conceded that Thomas' arrest in Barbados was unlawful
01:40and should have followed proper extradition procedures.
01:44However, the state had argued that Justice Rampasad went too far by staying the criminal charges entirely.
01:53Thomas' legal team, led by Senior Counsel Fayed Hussain,
01:57countered that police had acted in bad faith from the start,
02:02emphasizing that the businessman had valid permits for the imported weapons and grenades,
02:09some of which were intended for use by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and the Defense Force.
02:16With the state's withdrawal of appeal, the Court of Appeal will now be notified that the matter has been discontinued.
02:24Thomas was arrested in Barbados in October 2022 and returned to this country
02:30based on warrants issued in Trinidad and Tobago related to firearm-related charges.
02:36Thomas was detained by heavily armed Barbadian police at the hotel in which he was staying
02:42while preparing to travel to the United States for a medical appointment.
02:48He was then handed over to TTPS officers at the Grantley-Adams International Airport
02:53and subsequently flown back to Trinidad and Tobago.
02:58Candy Hill, TV6 News.
Comments