Caterers, restaurant owners and event organisers are already feeling the squeeze of the recession and some have opted to attract customers by lowering their prices and slashing marketing and advertising costs.

Newly-established companies such as Sriracha Caterers, based in Couva, say they are totally dependant on social media to market their menus to save costs. Well-established companies such as Boomerang Caterers are, however, continuing to offer packages with a range of prices from economical to lavish.

In an interview, owner of Sriracha Caterers, Nalini Singh-Basdeo said she experienced a 30 per cent drop in bookings.

“I target my customers with the quality of the food. We use high-end products which are more expensive to keep up our quality standards so most times the cutbacks are on my end in terms of profit.

We push social media marketing and that has been really effective,” Singh-Basdeo said.

Owner of Superb Caterers Wayne Ali said his company has experienced a 50 per cent decrease in bookings for Christmas.

“The whole economy in a mess. We have been offering lower prices for food but our bookings have decreased drastically,” he said.

An official of BK’s Catering Service made similar comments saying, “We also had a little under 50 per cent drop. We are trying to cut our price but people are looking at their money now more than ever.”

However, Jamie Hadeed, of Boomerang Caterer, said her bookings have remained steady.

Hadeed said she also has decided not to spend extra cash on advertising and marketing but the size of her bookings had been reduced.

Manager of Soong’s Great Wall Restaurant John Johnston also said business was not bad.

“Business is okay, we are not complaining but what we are seeing in San Fernando is a lot more competition and this has affected bookings more than the recession,” Johnston said.

President of the San Fernando Business Association Daphne Bartlett said even though business was very slow, better times were ahead.

“We are looking forward to the gas find in the Juniper field and at the end of next year, we should see better times,” Bartlett said.

She said there have been no excessive spending and even stores that usually sold curtains and draperies in abundance were reporting a decrease in sales.

President of the Penal/Debe Chamber of Industry Rampersad Sieuraj said while some caterers had increased their prices, others had “watered down” their menus to save costs. Sieuraj said the effects of the recession were hitting people hard.

“People are facing a bleak Christmas because they now have a lower disposable income given the higher prices and this has triggered a negative business environment,” Sieuraj said.

There is a view the criminals now believe they have the upper hand and are exploiting divisions in society following the failure to pass the Anti-Gang Bill in the House of Representatives.

Some stakeholders say the Government and Opposition should have discussed their differences behind closed doors but ultimately come to a unified position in the interest of the country. The legislation is viewed as a key component in the fight against criminal gangs

Princes Town MP Barry Padarath, defended the Opposition’s vote against the legislation, saying the Opposition was not prepared to give the Government “four years to experiment with legislation. He said they suggested two years with a sunset clause to “review the legislation, its limitations, successes and statistics.”

However, Pastor Clive Dottin, who works in communities where gang warfare is prevalent, said: “This was not the time to try to score cheap points.” The outspoken Seventh Day Adventist minister urged the two sides to meet and come up with a legislative package that would benefit the country

‘The bandits are laughing at us and exploiting the divisions in the society,” he said.

“It is a case of unite now or perish later. The gangs believe they are winning the battle.”

Even more tragic, Dottin said, is that citizens believe the protective services are losing the battle.

Manager and founder of the St James Police Youth Club Officer Derrick Sharbodie said it was unfortunate that the legislation was not passed.

“Sometimes you have to agree to disagree but you need to look at the greater good,” he said.

Sharbodie said the legislation was critical to send a message to gang leaders that the police and the security forces are being given the power to “destroy, dismember and ensure that gangs in the country do not blossom.” He said passage of the legislation would have sent a message to gang members that the country’s legislators mean business.

It would have also shown that they can come together in a collective effort to make a statement, he said.

“Unfortunately that statement was not made,” Sharbodie said.

Criminal defence attorney Israel Khan SC said the anti-gang laws are of extreme importance but requires the Opposition and Government working together.

Khan said by voting against the legislation the Opposition “inadvertently played into the hands of the Government.”

He warned that they could face a backlash. “If the Opposition was saying to change certain clauses they could have postponed the discussion in Parliament and get behind closed doors and agree to a common position,” he said.

Khan said the legislation by itself will not solve the crime problem as it relates to gang activity.

“There will continue to be criminal elements in the country because the basis of crime is that the wealth of the country is not being distributed for the common good of all,” he said.

“Even if the Opposition had supported the legislation, when you lock up one gang member another one will come. What you need to do is wean them away from crime and get some proper training and programmes for them to get them away from crime,” he said.

Former head of the National Operations Centre Garvin Heerah said the delay in passing the bill should not be viewed as a failure, but must be taken in “positive stride of optimism that must now challenge the strategists and the decision-makers to explore workable solutions and not lose focus of the end game.”

He said law enforcement will have to explore the laws that exist and “escalate a high visibility to ensure that all existing threats and challenges are brought under control.”Heerah said there is need to address weak points in socio-economic sectors, reach out to young people and work closely with international partners to foster relations that could be results-based and measured over time.

A recommendation contained in the 9th Actuarial Review of the National Insurance Board to increase the retirement age from 60 to 65 is not sitting well with the trade union movement with a suggestion that it be put to a national referendum.

President of the National Trade Union Centre (NATUC) Watson Duke said the umbrella organisation represented thousands of employees and was of the view that “age movement is something for the collective agreement.” He made the comment before Parliament’s Joint Select Committee on Finance and Legal Affairs last Friday.

Duke said in the Public Service “people want to retire at 55 with full benefits.” He said the suggestion contained in the 9th Actuarial Review will have to be put “before individual units in NATUC and because of the national effect of the issue we would want to suggest and place on record this may require a national referendum.”

Trevor Johnson, of the Banking, Insurance and General Workers Union and assistant general secretary of the Joint Trade Union Movement, said the body “would have a serious problem with movement from 60 to 65.”

He said he got the impression that “we have a financial issue with National Insurance so 65 will solve that. If you take it to the logical conclusion if the financial situation worsens what will you do put the retirement age to 71? It cannot be that you go to increase the retirement age because of financials,” he said.

Johnson said the union had collective agreements where workers retire at 60. “We cannot see that changing without significant consultation and with all employers through the collective agreement.”

While the report recommended that the change to 65 be done over a period of 36 years, ECA president Keston Nancoo felt it had to be “much faster.” He said Barbados had made the change in 12 years and St Lucia had changed its retirement age to 65 over 15 years.

Special Reserve police officer Richard Babwah was killed last evening during an attempted robbery at a Chinese restaurant in Arouca.

Babwah, the father of two girls, was killed after he was fired upon by two bandits who stormed the restaurant shortly after 6 pm.

He was last night described as a hero by his colleagues, as they said “this just showed the extent of his dedication to his job…sad as it is.”

Babwah, 31, who was assigned to Region 2 Homicide, had reportedly just left work at the Arouca Police Station and was on his way home when he stopped at the Long Yuan Chinese Restaurant to purchase dinner to take home to his family.

According to preliminary reports, Babwah was in the restaurant when two men walked in and announced a robbery. Babwah attempted to draw his firearm but was fatally shot by one of the bandits. Police sources said the safety lock on Babwah’s firearm was on when he drew it and the delay allowed one of the bandits to shoot him. Police said the men then subsequently escaped in a waiting vehicle – a red Almera licensed PCM 1625.

Police officers who responded within minutes to the attack later spotted the getaway vehicle travelling east along the Eastern Main Road. A high-speed chase ensued and the police intercepted the vehicle near Pelican Lane in Maloney. Police said the men shot at the police as they attempted to escape, forcing the officers to return fire. One of the suspects was shot and another was immediately arrested. A third suspect, the driver, managed to escape but police held him hours later. The wounded suspect was up to late last night being treated for gunshot wounds at the Arima District Hospital.

At the scene, Babwah’s relatives arrived at about 7.30 pm where they viewed his body. They were inconsolable and were seen comforting each other outside the restaurant.

Speaking with the T&T Guardian yesterday, one of Babwah’s colleagues described the incident as “very tragic.”

“He was a very hard working officer and everyone would always like to work alongside with him because he makes his job and others around him enjoyable,” Babwah’s colleague said.

T&T Police Service Social and Welfare Association president Michael Seales last night extended deepest condolences to Babwah’s family.

“The association is in shock at this time…our heart goes out to the family…this by itself tells you that with our job we can leave for work and never be sure to return home, especially around this time, Christmas time, where robberies are very prevalent,” Seales said.

Investigating officers were up to late last night still processing the scene.

Investigations are continuing.

The T&T Police Service is now investigating one of its own, after a photo surfaced on social media over the weekend of a woman holding what appears to be a gun near the head of a baby also in her arms.

In a release yesterday, the TTPS confirmed the woman in the photo was a member of the service and that the acting Commissioner of Police had since ordered the Professional Standards Bureau to start an immediate investigation.

“The public will be updated on the outcome of said investigation when completed,” the release added.

The photo drew scathing criticism from some on social media, since the woman seemed to be holding it close to the child’s mouth. However, close friends of the woman seen posing in a picture yesterday came to her defence, saying they believe the photo was maliciously posted onto social media. One of the woman’s friends, who did not want to be identified, said the photo was taken about ten years ago before the woman was enrolled into the TTPS. She said she believed the image was posted in an attempt to discredit the woman’s actions and “destroy her character.”

Another close friend described her as an ambitious young lady.

“That’s my girl…some people could be so WICKED…But God is good! She’s one of the most ambitious young ladies I know. People just like to talk what they don’t know.”

The T&T Guardian understands a man the woman knew very well at the time took the photo. It is alleged the man is a also police officer and the gun belonged to him.

The Housing Development Corporation says it cannot do anything more for former national heavyweight boxer Wendel Joseph and his wheelchair-bound wife Erica.

The HDC made the comment in a press release in response to the latest media reports which suggest the Josephs want to be relocated again, despite only recently been allocated an apartment at Charford Court, Port-of-Spain.

“The HDC is not prepared to go further at this time but is willing to work with any other state agency or NGO which wishes to offer assistance,” the HDC said, noting it had fulfilled its duties and responsibilities and even gone beyond its obligations in this regard.

The HDC also made it clear that on each occasion the couple complained to the HDC about their living conditions, a team from its Social and Community Services Unit was despatched to investigate the alleged claims. However, the HDC said on each occasion, the representatives were unable to substantiate the couple’s claims.

The HDC’s statement came even as officials from the Ministry of Social Development suggested the couple be psychologically assessed given their reported history. The officials, who wished not to go on record, said based on media reports over the years, it seemed the couple should be evaluated. They noted they could “not force the couple to undergo any sort of evaluation,” but would be willing to work with any other authority once it was within legal boundaries.

The Josephs have been recipients of HDC (state-subsidised) accommodation on several occasions between 1998 and 2017.

Prior to the Charford Court relocation, the couple was provided with a single family unit in Tarodale, San Fernando, which was retro-fitted specifically for Erica’s wheelchair access to the tune of tens of thousands.

A manhunt is in progress for a prisoner who escaped from a cell at the Scarborough Police Station over the weekend.

The T&T Guardian understands that Samuel Maharaj, 25, of Mt. Zion, Whim, a repeat firearm and ammunition, robbery and house breaking offender was arrested and charged last Friday.

Maharaj, who is unemployed, was kept in jail over the weekend and was scheduled to appear in the Scarborough Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning, but when checks were made around 9 am it was discovered he was missing. Police sources said there were signs of forced exit.

Maharaj is approximately five feet, five inches tall, weighs approximately 130 pounds, is light brown in complexion and has braided hair. He was last seen wearing a three quarter pants and a red t-shirt.

An all points bulletin was put out and ASP Sterling Roberts of Scarborough Police Station is continuing investigations.

Anyone with information should contact the nearest police station, 800-TIPS, 555 or the Scarborough Police Station at 639-2512 or 639-2515.

Former Education Facilities Company Ltd (EFCL) chairman Arnold Piggott has described the organisation which he inherited as one in which collusion, bid-rigging, favouritism, nepotism and political interference were rampart.

He also alleged interference from high-ranking officials in the current Cabinet and the Ministry of Education, while the Office of the Attorney General also got involved after the suspension of Louis Frederick.

“There was a meeting on August 16, the day after Mr (Louis) Frederick, the executive head was suspended ... There was a meeting summoned by the Attorney General. It appears that at least two people in the organisation had the ear of politicians and felt empowered to deal with matters within the EFCL based on that empowerment ... one was the HR manager Gillis Noel and one was Louis Frederick,” Piggott said during yesterday’s Joint Select Committee meeting in Parliament

Piggott said there was a written request to re-engage Frederick following his suspension while there were also political interventions by the Finance Minister during his tenure at the EFCL.

He also spoke of a contract “mill room” set up during the People’s Partnership’s term in office, which resulted in the urgent need for forensic auditor PriceWaterhouseCoopers. In this “mill room,” Piggott said State invoices were generated under the watch of senior executives, adding that there were some 160 cheques drawn in favour of contractors amounting to some $33 million.

“Records show in excess of 120 contracts to one contractor for some $40 million and another with some 42 contracts with some $825 million,” Piggott added.

He said the work of certain contractors was questioned after the EFCL board he chaired inherited 108 unfinished schools for which the contracts were awarded in excess of $2 million and which then required $1.5 million to complete.

Citing the Five Rivers Secondary School as one example where wrong doing occurred, Piggott said this was reflective in a $4.49 million contract which was awarded while at another school a contract was awarded but the contractor “mobilised even before the date of submission.”

Piggott, who was at the helm of the EFCL for some 17 months, said in the case of the Five Rivers Secondary there was an unsolicited bid for some $4 million. Saying there were clear breaches of the tender rules, Piggott reiterated that certain contractors were given preferential treatment.

“There were budget sums approved by the Education Ministry which were being leaked to contractors from inside the EFCL,” Piggott said.

He said there was also gross indiscipline within the human resources department and tampering by the information technology department.

“We had a situation where the HR manager was not responsive to discipline with respect to employees. That manager resigned but is still with the EFCL,” Piggott said.

He said there were people who did not have the nation’s children at heart working within the EFCL.

JSC chairman David Small said from what was revealed during the proceedings it showed malfeasance in public office in the company.

The EFCL board of directors now comprises deputy chairman Ricardo Vasquez and members Anthony Bisnath, Jeffery Francis, Indu Sharma, Christopher Brathwaite, Clyde Permell, Dean Burgen and Steven Samlalsingh.

Audit Committee probe almost done

Contacted yesterday on claims raise by former EFCL chairman Arnold Piggott at yesterday’s JSC hearing, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi said the Central Audit Committee probe ordered by his office to decipher if there was wrongdoing under Piggott’s tenure was almost complete. He said following this the appropriate steps will then be taken.

The AG said the officers had already done all their field work and were in the process of writing up a report which was expected to be completed within the coming weeks.

However, he made it clear that he had an obligation to investigate allegations of wrongdoing under both the present administration and when the PP was in office.

On Frederick’s suspension from the EFCL, sources close to the team from within the AG’s Office investigating the EFCL described the move as unjust, saying Frederick had raised concern after being ordered to sign off on certain documents. They said he subsequently refused to sign off on the documents and was suspended.

Former Educational Facilities Company Ltd (EFCL) chairman Arnold Piggott has insisted he was not forced out from the organisation by the People’s National Movement (PNM) or by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley as publicly perceived, but rather left on his own volition.

“I was not asked to resign despite what has been out in the public domain. There was absolutely no pressure placed on me to resign,” Piggott said as he appeared before yesterday’s Joint Select Committee in Parliament, where he cleared the air surrounding his departure from the EFCL.

He denied he was forced to follow instructions from Balisier House when the issue was put to him by Senator Wade Mark, who asked whether he was influenced by the PNM to resign from his position. He said his resignation was a “combination of a number of things,” including questions regarding contracts for school repairs and gross mismanagement by company officials.

“We were asked to reinstate Mr Louis Frederick (executive manager) after he had walked off the job. Had he returned the board would be handicapped and he did return after being requested to re-engage him and perhaps that should have been my last call,” Piggott cited as one of the reasons which led to his resignation.

Piggott, who also said he attended yesterday’s JSC’s meeting on his own accord, was in November threatened with a summons from the JSC after failing to attend a previous committee hearing.

But he made it clear yesterday that Parliament does not posses that power to summon him.

“I am appearing before this Joint Select Committee today voluntarily, notwithstanding the advice by senior counsel that the Parliament does not have the authority to summon me,” Piggott said, adding that he ought to receive “courtesy and respect which he deserved.”

In May this year, Piggott tendered his resignation from the EFCL, saying he was doing so for the “protection of my reputation and family name” and protecting the PNM.

In his resignation letter dated May 27 to Education Minister Anthony Garcia and copied to Rowley and corporation sole, Finance Minister Colm Imbert, Piggott said he had resigned “due to family commitments requiring greater attention at home and abroad.”

He cited that while he had the privilege to work closely with “a diligent, dedicated and professional team of board members,” they had gone through many challenges, including “reputational risks.”

The drunk driver who crashed into a family’s home in Debe escaped being sent to jail yesterday.

Nigel Jacob, however, is not off the hook. His is sentences for driving under the influence and dangerous driving were deferred to next year and will depend on what attempts, if any, he makes to compensate the homeowner.

On the other two charges of driving without a driver’s permit and insurance, Jacob, 42, a security officer, was slapped with $5,000 in fines and disqualified from obtaining a driver’s permit for the next three years.

Jacob reappeared before the San Fernando Traffic Court yesterday one day after he was remanded in custody for the police to produce an estimate of the damage to the house and household articles.

He had pleaded guilty to the four charges and not guilty to driving the Nissan Note without the consent of the owner. He was granted $10,000 own bail on the latter offence.

Jacob, after drinking several beers and drinks of puncheon rum, crashed into the house around 6 pm on Saturday and landed up in the living room. He recorded a reading of 105 microgrammes. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

Yesterday the home’s owner, Vijanti Seudath, showed Magistrate Lisa Singh-Phillip two estimates for the damage, totalling $40,000 and photos. Seudath said her two nieces and their four children cannot live in the house because there is a hole in the wall and the structure is unsound.

She said her nieces’ husband, however, will still sleep there to watch over the items in the house. Jacob said he was willing to pay compensation, but the magistrate could not give an order for compensation because of the extent of the damage. Seudath said her ability to repair her home will depend on how much compensation Jacob gives her.

Given the aggravating factors of the case, the magistrate told Jacob she was leaning towards a custodial sentence for the drunk and dangerous driving charges, but if he goes to jail he would not be able to pay the compensation.

Jacob said he was willing to pay Seudath $2,000 a month for a period of time. The magistrate fined him $4,000 or four months on the insurance charge and $1,000 or two months on the permit charge.

Deferring sentence on the other two charges, the magistrate granted him $50,000 approval bail. She also ordered him to surrender his passport and report to the Santa Flora Police Station on Tuesdays.

“The court is going to keep a close eye on your payment,” she told Jacob before adjourning the matter to January 9, to determine what progress had been made in terms of compensation. Speaking with reporters after the court hearing, Seudath said if the crash occurred mere minutes earlier her relatives could have been injured. She, however, agreed with the magistrate’s decision to defer sentence.

Almost two weeks after her short-lived prison escape, accused fraudster Vicky Boodram reappeared in court yesterday on a series of fraud charges which landed her in prison in the first place.

Boodram was due to reappear before Magistrate Christine Charles in the Port-of-Spain Magistrate’s Court for the continuation of her case relating to 40 fraud charges, which were laid in March, last year.

Charles was not present in court and all her matters were adjourned by Senior Magistrate Nannette Forde-John. Boodram will reappear before Charles next Thursday.

Charles had denied Boodram bail as the offences allegedly occurred between 2012 and 2016, while Boodram was already on bail for over 100 unrelated fraud charges.

Under the charges before Charles, Boodram is accused of defrauding several people and companies of close to $1 million. Boodram escaped from the Women’s Prison in Arouca on November 27 but was arrested at a house at Latchoos Road, Penal, three days later.

Police officers PC LeVon Sylvester and WPC Lisa Navarro were jointly charged with Boodram for aiding in her escape by presenting fraudulent court documents to prison officers. They were also charged with misbehaviour in public office and suspended from duty.

The police officers were each granted $300,000 bail and are expected to return to court today.

Lotto booth operator Roxanne Cudjoe, in whose home Boodram was allegedly found, was charged with harbouring a prisoner and had been granted bail in the sum of $100,000.

Ramraj Samaroo yesterday appeared in the Couva Magistrates Court charged with the murder of his younger brother.

Samaroo, also known as Baye, 52, of Couva, is accused of chopping his brother, Ganesh Samaroo, 37, several times with a cutlass following an altercation last Tuesday at his Perseverance Village home.

Ganesh, a truck driver, died at the scene.

Samaroo was charged by Cpl Ian Bobb on Monday following instructions from the Deputy

Director of Public Prosecutions Joan Honore-Paul.

Couva Magistrate Christine Charles read the charge and subsequently remanded Samaroo into custody. Samaroo, who was represented by attorney Shirvan Ramdhanie, is expected to return to court on January 9.

A soldier was detained at the Sangre Grande Police Station last night, after he allegedly shot two people, including a two-year-old girl who subsequently died at hospital.

The girl’s uncle was also wounded during the shooting, which occurred at Paul Street, Sangre Grande.

Details were sketchy, but preliminary reports reveal the soldier went to visit his daughter at Paul Street but was prevented from doing so by the child’s uncle.

The angry soldier, who was in full uniform, was going into the house when the argument started. During the heated exchange, the soldier reportedly pulled out his gun and shot at the uncle, injuring him. However, one of the bullets reportedly hit the toddler, who was in the arms of another relative who ran for cover when the shooting started. The child and her uncle were taken to the Sangre Grande Hospital, where she died during emergency surgery.

The soldier then jumped into his vehicle and fled the scene while relatives of the child called the police.

An all-points bulletin was sent out and a road block was set up by Valencia police. Officers later apprehended the soldier and he was handed over to CID officers at Sangre Grande station, where he was interrogated by officers.

Police reported that the soldier had a domestic matter at the Sangre Grande Magistrate’s Court.

Two days after she was reported missing, 16-year-old Shakeela Phillip was found in a house metres away from her father's Sea Lots, Port-of-Spain home.

The teen was last seen by her father, Sheldon Phillip, on Saturday night after he placed her in a taxi to Chaguanas. The teen lives in Carapichaima with her mother. On Monday, the teen was found disguised in a house in the same lane where her father lives.

Police said councillor Allan Samuel sough help from Port-of-Spain Division officers to free the teen, who had been in the house since Saturday night. The child's father was informed his daughter was there and confronted a 20-year-old and another 16-year-old.

Police officers lamented that the situation could have ended worse for the child and urged teenagers to communicate more with their parents.

Slain SRP Richard Babwah’s daughters were very traumatised yesterday as they tried to come to terms with the sudden death of their father, who was killed by bandits during a robbery in Arouca on Monday night. Babwah had planned for four months to ensure they spent a good Yuletide season together, and had purchased all their “dream” gifts, wrapped them and placed them under the family’s Christmas tree for December 25.

The younger of the two girls, who is eight, was said to be so traumatised that when she was told her 40-year-old father had been killed she insisted he would be back home with them very soon.

Yesterday at their Arouca home, Babwah’s wife, Akeba Sorzano, 27, was arranging the children’s gifts under the tree when the T&T Guardian visited.

“The last package came in today (yesterday) and I didn’t even have the strength to go and collect it to have it gift wrapped and put under the tree for them. Richard was looking forward for Christmas so much this year that we began planning and buying stuff from since September,” Sorzano said, adding Babwah took the girls to the Prisons Christmas party on Sunday and had a wonderful time with him.

Sorzano said they endured a traumatic time after she returned home after viewing his body at the Long Yuan Chinese Restaurant on Monday.

“... When I cam home after being at the restaurant the girls were seated inside and we made it look like it was just a family gathering, but as I walked in I broke down crying and the younger daughter came and hugged me and said ‘aunty Akeba don’t cry, daddy is breathing and in hospital and will be home soon. This broke my heart into more pieces,” she added.

Sorzano, who works in the cargo section at the Piarco International Airport, said she last saw Babwah on Sunday morning when she was getting ready to go to work. She said she received a message from him and responded at 5.47 pm and got no response, which she said was strange. Not long after she was contacted and told Babwah had been killed as he attempted to foil a robbery.

“I was told like he had seen when the Chinese man threw the bag of money at the bandits and he just couldn’t watch and do nothing…that was when he acted and was shot…he was shot in the face and chest and fell right there and died,” she recalled.

Sorzano said Babwah was dedicated and passionate about his job and carried out his duties with pride. She, however, noted he was very concerned about the crime situation and always chose to come straight home after work.

“He always said that he was afraid to be out there liming, as he feared being noticed as a police and killed,” Sorzano said.

Babwah, who had four years’ service, was last assigned to the Homicide Bureau of Investigations, Region 2, Arouca.

Yesterday, acting ASP Windel Flaviney described him as someone who was committed and dedicated, with a desire to serve others. Flaviney added that Babwah was also well liked and had a good rapport with his colleagues.

According to reports, Babwah had just gone off duty and was at the restaurant at about 5.20 pm when two men entered, one armed with a gun, and announced a hold-up. Babwah drew his pistol and there was an exchange of gunfire. One of the suspects was hit in the lower abdomen. Babwah was shot about the body and died on the scene. The bandits escaped in a red Nissan Almera, but the wounded suspect, a 33-year-old Maloney man, sought medical attention at the Arima District Health Facility, where he was subsequently detained. He was transferred to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex and was under police guard up to last night. The second suspect, a 31-year-old man, was held at Everglade Avenue, Maloney, at about 7.20 pm in the getaway vehicle.

The Government intervened in the Education Facilities Company Ltd (EFCL) but did not interfere, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said yesterday.

Rowley’s comment came as he responded to claims by former EFCL chairman Arnold Piggott that there was interference from high-ranking officials in the current Cabinet, Ministry of Education and political interventions by the Finance Minister during his tenure at the EFCL. Piggott also alleged that the Attorney General summoned a meeting the day after executive head Louis Frederick was suspended.

Piggott made the claims on Monday before a Joint Select Committee which was reviewing the operations of the EFCL during his tenure, adding too that similar activity occurred during the People’s Partnership’s tenure in office.

Yesterday, however, Rowley said: “The Government became aware of things happening that required action which was taken. If you have a misbehaving child it will call for the intervention of the parent, so it depends on what you call interference.

“As far as I am aware, certainly what we did was intervention not interference. It will be dereliction of duty to hear things not going right and turn a blind eye.”

Rowley admitted, however, that if there was any interference it needs to be highlighted.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Anthony Garcia yesterday refused comment on Piggott’s allegations, saying, “I do not wish to engage Mr Piggott or to get into any conversation that would add life to what he has said.”

He said he did not want to “cast judgement on anyone. But I want to say we are committed to work with the EFCL to ensure our system is able to deliver so that the curriculum could be implemented in an environment that promotes healthy teaching and learning.”

Garcia pointed out that he has been holding weekly meetings with the current EFCL board chaired by Ricardo Vasquez and is confident things are going “as the Government and the Ministry would like.”

He admitted there are a number of schools which are in need of repairs or which are under construction and need to be completed.

Asked why the ministry has not paid contractors who are owed outstanding monies to the tune of millions of dollars, Garcia said, “Our view is that once somebody has worked they must be paid. But there are instances where we had concerns with respect to claims made and we have to examine those claims before we can decide on payments.”

Garcia said contrary to what some believe, the EFCL set up in 2005 by the then Patrick Manning government had not outlived its usefulness.

He said, “More than 50 per cent of the schools are aged and in need of refurbishment or rebuilding and there is need for some agency or department to look after those needs. The EFCL is a special purpose company put in place to see about repair, construction and refurbishment of schools. This is the policy directive that we have been given and we are executing that policy as best as we can.”

Samuel Maharaj, who escaped from the Scarborough Police Station between Sunday and Monday, was recaptured by police on Monday night.

Police told the T&T Guardian that following an all-day search for the 25-year-old Maharaj on Monday, he was found hiding in some bushes near his Whim home.

Maharaj, who is unemployed, was arrested last Friday and was scheduled to appear in the Scarborough Magistrate’s Court on Monday morning, but was discovered missing when checks were made to take him to court. The T&T Guardian understands there were signs of forced exit, as the jail cell’s locks were tampered with. Maharaj reportedly escaped through a back exit of the station, jumping approximately 20 feet during his escape.

Sources said information from residents who spotted Maharaj in the area alerted officers to his location. He was recaptured around 8 pm.

ASP Sterling Roberts, of Scarborough Police Station, is continuing investigations.

A forensic audit at the East Port-of-Spain Company Limited (EPoS) has unearthed a scheme of unauthorised cheque payments to the value of approximately $16 million to a company affiliated with an EPoS employee over the period 2014 to 2017.

A report was made to the Fraud Squad, who launched a criminal investigation, but EPoS says it will also pursue civil action to recover the monies that were misappropriated, Minister of Housing and Urban Development Randall Mitchell, under whose ambit EPoS falls, said in a release yesterday.

The forensic probe initiated in November was prompted by financial discrepancies which were discovered in October. EPoS management brought it to the attention of the board, who in turn raised it with Mitchell.

Mitchell assured that there would be “zero impunity for those with questions to answer where the misappropriation, fraud or mismanagement of public funds is concerned.” He said his ministry remains firmly committed to the principles of good governance and will continue to pursue the speedy recovery of public monies intended primarily for the improvement of the quality of life for those communities in East Port-of-Spain.

Efforts to contact former Housing Minister and Port-of-Spain East MP Marlene McDonald, who has been pushing for development plans for the community, were unsuccessful.

EPoS was incorporated as a limited liability company on September 15, 2005, became operational in April 2006 and receives funding from the Infrastructure Development Fund. The company’s strategic focus is on comprehensive and integrated planning and development, with a mandate to develop and re-develop areas of East Port-of-Spain through economic, social and physical regeneration. From 2006-2007, the company was aligned to the Ministry of Planning and Development, but from 2007-2012 it fell under the remit of the Ministry of Local Government before returning to Ministry of Planning and Sustainable Development from 2012-2015. From September 2015, EPoS was placed under the purview of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.

In light of the recent killing of Special Reserve Police Officer Richard Babwah, the Greater Tunapuna Chamber of Industry and Commerce is calling for increased police patrols in the region.

Chamber president Nalini Maharaj made the call yesterday, saying there has been an increase in criminal activity and this “has had a negative impact on business owners and operators, as they are in constant fear becoming victims of the criminal elements.”

She lamented that whilst the Tunapuna Chamber is disappointed that the Anti-Gang Legislation was not passed, they believe this legislation alone would not have necessarily solved the escalating crime situation.

“Effective management, planning and implementation of existing laws can impact positively on crime and criminal activity. We do hope, however, that the Anti-Gang Legislation will be passed soon,” Maharaj said.

“The Tunapuna Chamber is requesting more visibility of police officers at various times during the day and night, especially during this heightened period, as criminals choose any time to commit their heinous crimes.”

The inability of police to locate a teenager, who witnessed his father’s murder when he was nine-years-old, has allowed the alleged killer to walk free.

After spending almost a decade on remand, 37-year-old Dwayne Bramble walked out the Hall of Justice in Port-of-Spain a free man yesterday, as Justice Gillian Lucky stayed his indictment over the police’s failure to find the State’s main witness against him.

Lucky ruled that homicide detectives who charged Bramble with murdering former Unemployment Relief Programme (URP) foreman Brandon Duke in 2007, had failed to take reasonable steps to locate his (Duke) son Lyndon.

As a result, Lucky denied an application from State prosecutors to tender his witness statement into evidence in lieu of him testifying and being cross-examined. The process is frequently used when witnesses die or leave the country before trial. A similar application was allowed during Bramble’s preliminary inquiry and at his first trial in 2014, which ended in a hung jury.

Lucky noted that police merely did surveillance on the 19-year-old’s home and only spoke to his grandmother, which were the same steps they took during the inquiry and previous trial.

She also agreed with Bramble’s lawyers that police should have increased their attempts to locate Lyndon earlier this year and should not have waited until two months before the trial was due to begin. She also suggested that social media service Facebook could have been used to attempt to locate Lyndon.

“Things should and could have been done earlier and the court can not turn a blind eye to this delay,” Lucky said. Duke, of Upper Fairley Street, Tunapuna, was killed in a shooting on May 25, 2007. Duke had taken his son to a parlour in the community to purchase a soft drink and was ambushed by a gunman, who shot him several times.

Duke’s son escaped unscathed and allegedly identified Bramble, of Achong Trace, Balthazar Street, Tunapuna, as the gunman. Bramble was represented by Evans Welch and Kelston Pope.