AG APOLOGISES TO BRENT THOMAS

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Attorney General John Jeremie has issued a public apology to firearm dealer Brent Thomas, acknowledging the "gross abuse of power" he endured when he was unlawfully detained in Barbados and forcibly returned to this country.    The State has officially withdrawn its appeal of a High Court ruling that had found the actions against Thomas to be unconstitutional.

Transcript

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.

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