00:00Former Acting Commissioner of Police McDonnell Jacob said that contrary to statements being made, he was authorized to sign off
00:07on TTPS officers leaving the jurisdiction to travel to Barbados to secure Brent Thomas and bring him back to Trinidad
00:14in 2022.
00:15Jacob, since retired, told TV6 News that he followed procedure in signing off on allowing his officers to leave the
00:22country and disputed the claims made by Senator Roberts that he didn't possess such authority.
00:27Jacob said that prior to him signing off on allowing officers of the TTPS to go to Barbados to retrieve
00:33Thomas, there were other documents prepared by the Ministry of National Security and the Transatlantic Organized Crime Unit, TOKU.
00:41He said once those documents were in order, it then comes down to his desk for his perusal.
00:46Jacob explained that once he had signed off on all relevant documents within their remit, which would also have been
00:52brought to his attention, he's then authorized to sign off on allowing his officers to leave this jurisdiction to go
00:59to Barbados, as they had all paperwork needed and also had six arrest warrants for Thomas.
01:04In this instance, he signed off on allowing Senior Superintendent Suzette Martin, Acting Senior Superintendent of TOKU, George Laldew, ASP
01:12Birch, and Acting Corporal Joe Field to go across to Barbados to bring back Thomas, who he had indicated in
01:18his statement had volunteered to return, according to Laldew.
01:22Jacob said he never spoke to the then Minister of National Security Fitzgerald Hines about this matter, before, during, or
01:29after Thomas was brought to Trinidad and said he simply followed all procedures in this matter.
01:35In fact, Jacob even said to TV6, let them lock me up, I gave permission, alluding to the fact that
01:41he did nothing wrong and followed every procedure.
01:44Jacob said that after four years, they were trying to cast all the blame on the Trinidad and Tobago Police
01:48Service and the method in which Thomas was taken from Barbados.
01:52Sources told TV6 News that the way Thomas had been taken out of Barbados had been done already in the
01:58past without extradition warrants,
01:59and there were certainly questions that needed to be answered on how this kind of method could have been allowed
02:05for so long going unchecked without proper extradition arrangements being put in place so as to avoid another Brent Thomas
02:12situation.
02:13While this matter is far from over with citizen officers of the TTPS now under intense scrutiny in this Brent
02:19Thomas case,
02:20as that investigation continues, it also brings into the spotlight the actions of the Barbados Police and its government.
02:28Mark Basant, TV6 News.
02:31Mark Basant, TV6 News.
02:31Mark Basant, TV6 News.
02:33Mark Basant, TV6 News.
02:33Mark Basant, TV6 News.
02:33Mark Basant, TV6 News.
02:33Mark Basant, TV6 News.
Comments