A pre-action protocol letter has been sent on behalf of Acting Assistant Superintendent of Prisons Garth Guada to Homeland security Minister Roger Alexander to revoke the detention orders against him- claiming in the letter that Alexander's decision to incarcerate him was influenced by an improper motive and a clear conflict of interest.
00:00With the hearing by the Review Tribunal pushed back to next Monday, Acting Assistant Superintendent of Prisons, Garth Gorda, has written Vaya's attorneys to Minister of Homeland Security, Roger Alexander, asking him to immediately revocate the detention orders against him or face legal action.
00:16The letter was sent today to Minister Alexander Vaya's office and in it, Vaya's attorneys, Gorda said the decision to detain him was unlawful, unreasonable and constituted a breach of the principles of justice for the following reasons.
00:30Firstly, that Alexander, in his, open quote, personal capacity, visited the maximum security prison whilst he was on vacation leave and prior to being appointed a minister where he requested unsupervised visits which were denied by Gorda as it was his duty to do so, close quote.
00:46Secondly, open quote, Alexander requested and received visits with a member of the radical Islamic OCG.
00:52This meeting was supervised by Gorda in his then capacity as prison supervisor as he was instructed by the prison executive to do so, close quote.
01:01Thirdly, after being appointed a minister, Alexander again visited the maximum security prison and requested similar meetings.
01:07The letter continued, open quote, on each occasion, communication was sent by my client to the executive of the Trinidad and Tobago Prison Service and the DCP intelligence of the TTPS, Suzette Martin, as it was Gorda's responsibility to do so, close quote.
01:22The attorney further stated that, quote, as a result of Gorda's high-risk job, he has been a target over the years and very recently.
01:29Over the past couple of months, there were threats to my client's safety which were communicated to him by DCP's Suzette Martin.
01:36A report on Gorda was communicated to the former Commissioner of Prisons, Carlos Carraspe, who found it without merit.
01:42Mr. Carraspe was then sent on leave.
01:44To date, you have signed two preventative detention orders in respect of Mr. Gorda, accusing him of associations with gangs, allegations you know to be untrue, close quote.
01:53The pre-action protocol letter made strong allegations about Alexander, stating, open quote,
01:58Your decision was influenced by an improper motive and a clear conflict of interest due to a pre-existing relationship and a personal animosity between you and Mr. Gorda stemming from visits to the MSP and information that was communicated to the TTPS intelligence unit about your affairs, close quote.
02:16The letter further added that the decision to detain Gorda in light of this conflict of interest is an egregious breach of this fundamental principle and goes directly to the root of malicious prosecution, close quote.
02:28The pre-action protocol letter ended indicating that Gorda, through his attorneys, would be commencing legal proceedings against Alexander via a judicial review.
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