Archbishop Jason Gordon wants to meet with the medical student who smashed the revered crucifix and statute of St Paul at the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception during Palm Sunday mass.

And Monsignor Christian Pereira said he intends to speak to the student’s mother to “see how that could be facilitated.”

The student in question is not Catholic but Pereira said his mother told him that he had been having “visions and probably responded to what he saw as a vision to do this.”

The damaged crucifix has been removed for repairs and will not be in the usual place of prominence for Good Friday observances, instead, an alternate crucifix would be used.

Pereira told the T&T Guardian yesterday that San Fernando artist Joy Jahoor visited the church and viewed the damage done, “and took away the crucifix, she has some work to do on that.”

It means that the crucifix will not be at the Cathedral for Good Friday when parishioners usually venerate the cross in remembrance of the crucifixion of Jesus.

But Pereira said, “We have an alternative, not quite the same thing but we will make it do.”

He could not say how long those repairs would take or the cost of the repairs to be undertaken.

Pereira said he asked Jahoor “not to rush and to be careful.” He said she would keep him updated via regular WhatsApp messages. He is confident Jahoor would “do a good job,” given his experience with her when she refurbished the crucifix from the sanctuary at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in San Fernando.

He could not recall how long that refurbishment took nor did he recall the cost.

The attack at the start of Holy Week, according to Pereira should serve as a “wake up call.” He said “it is damage done to the property of the Church, it is a young man who is crying out for help and attention and it is just how we, who are entering into this Holy Week and celebrating the presence of Christ and the work of Christ can become more available and more sensitive to the needs of one another.”

It represents, he said, “a challenge for us to be alert to the deeper needs of our sisters and brothers around us.”

Pereira has offered to counsel the student if required and has also been in touch with the Faculty of Medicine at UWI, St Augustine, which he said is offering the student counselling. In addition, he said he had spoken to the head of the Faculty “to address an extension of his academic programme as he is going through this period of his inability to focus on his exams.”

Around 6.30 am on Palm Sunday as the congregation gathered in the forecourt of the Cathedral for the Blessing of the Palms and the procession, the man who walked in carrying a knapsack began smashing the statue with a pair of dumbells.

The damage was well-advanced before a security officer was able to suppress him and hold him until the police arrived. The man was taken to the Besson Street Station where he was released into the care of his mother.

In the 1970’s, Black Power revolutionaries threw black paint at the statues in the Cathedral. Pereira said he did not think attacks were an indication of any anti-statue attack, but rather represented a part of the “general malaise not to respect other people’s property.”

HISTORY OF CRUCIFIX

The crucifix from the Cathedral made of resin fibreglass and was part of the refurbishment done on the Cathedral in the 1980’s. The feet of Christ in the crucifix were damaged when the medical student using dumbells lashed out at the symbol.

The student also caused extensive damage to the St Paul statue which is of historical value in more ways than one. Paul as the biblical character is revered for his “apostolic teaching,” according to Pereira and in the Cathedral is it part of the original foundation of the Church dating back to 1830, which means the statue is 188 years old.

The St Paul statue which is made of a concrete base with plaster of Paris will have to be repaired in the Cathedral since it requires a crane to move it. The hand holding the wooden sword was damaged and the sword broke off in the attack. Masman Geraldo Viera has offered to look at the statue to determine what assistance he can lend in repairing it.

As yet there is no cost attached to the repairs to the statue and the crucifix because Pereira said “it is very, very hard for an artiste to put a price at the beginning of a project so the cost of material the labour involved I am not sure what it would be like. I would not want to venture to put a price on that.” What is clear though is that the congregation would bear the cost, Pereira said.

If you dig for four feet in any part of Icacos you will find water because the village is under sea level, yet the people of Icacos have no clean water to drink, as their taps have been dry for the past three months.

To make matters worse, the people can no longer depend on the Siparia Regional Corporation to bring a truck-borne water supply because the only functioning water tender was seized by High Court marshals during a levy last fortnight.

Frustrated with their plight, the villagers staged a protest yesterday calling on the Water and Sewerage Authority to send water in their community. Holding up placards which read “We want water” and “Water always scarce in Icacos,” the resident called on Public Utilities Minister Robert Le Hunte to intervene in their plight.

The water shortage caused the shut-down of several businesses and institutions. Around 9.30 am, principal of the Icacos Government Primary School dismissed classes because there was no water in school.

The Icacos Health Centre was also shut down.

Resident Neil Sookram said for the past year, the water pressure in Icacos has been low. He said areas in Lower Icacos have been dry.

“We cannot afford to buy water and we have been begging WASA to assist us,” Sookram said. He said he has been forced to borrow a truck and go five miles to Fullarton Village to fill water at a friend’s home.

Another resident Keisha James said the water bills have been coming every quarter even though the area had no water.

“We want WASA to send water as soon a possible. We cannot send our children to school. We cannot wash and the elderly people especially are really suffering,” James said.

Councillor for Cedros Shankar Teelucksingh said the water trouble remains of major concern. He said that around 11.30 am, WASA sent a truck-borne supply to the Icacos school.

Asked why the residents were getting a limited water supply, Teelucksingh said he has been calling WASA.

“I was told that WASA will lock off the supply from Bamboo and send it to Icacos but that has not happened. Both areas are without water,” Teelucksingh said. He added that the Granville water treatment plan is functional and there were no technical problems to affect supply.

Contacted yesterday, a source of WASA said a Well Number nine was under repair and was now back in service. The official said water will be sent to the area soon. Last week, Le Hunte apologised to T&T for ongoing water shortages saying technical and infrastructural problems were responsible for water shortages.

A scrap iron dealer who beat a murder rap two years ago and was suspected to be involved in two recent murders was gunned down in Claxton Bay yesterday.

Crime Scene Investigators found over 20 bullet casings outside Annie’s Bar, along Cedar Hill Road, where 27-year-old Stephon Forgenie was murdered.

According to reports, Forgenie, also known as Stephen Ramdhan, of Hilltop Drive, Claxton Bay took his girlfriend to the bar around 7.45 am to purchase breakfast.

Staff at the bar said that Forgenie purchased a soda and chicken roti, and asked for it to be cut in half. As Forgenie went back to his silver Toyota Corolla and sat in the driver’s seat, a white vehicle pulled up on the roadside. Two masked men got out with automatic weapons and opened fire on the car.

Forgenie was killed instantly, while his girlfriend, who sat in the back seat, escaped without harm. The gunmen drove off and up to yesterday, no one was held for the murder.

Staff at the bar said that there were several patrons eating breakfast outside when the shots rang out. They said the patrons ran away while they hid inside until the police arrived. The bar remained closed for most of the day.

Southern Division’s ASP Ali Mohammed, ASP Peter Ramdeen, Insp Don Gajadhar, Cpl Barry Bacchus along with Insp Darryl Corrie of the Homicide Bureau of Investigations, Region Three were on the scene and conducted inquiries.

Investigator said the bullet holes in the windscreen of the car showed that Forgenie was their target. They believe he was followed by his killers and attacked on reaching the bar.

Neighbours said the survivor was Forgenie’s girlfriend, but police did not reveal her name as they were told that she was a minor. Up to mid-morning, they said she had not reported the incident to the police.

Neighbours said Forgenie would usually purchase breakfast elsewhere but yesterday morning, his girlfriend asked for a roti. They said he and his younger brother lived alone in a house that was still under-construction. The house was reinforced with a high concrete wall and steel gate. A neighbour said that three other occupants; a 43-year-old woman, her 22-year-old son and son’s girlfriend, 24, were arrested after Couva CID found a Glock pistol along with 15 rounds of 9mm ammunition and 5.6 grammes of marijuana in the house.

Officers searched an area near the house and found an AK-47 assault rifle loaded with a magazine containing 17 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition.

Investigators are examining the theory that Forgenie’s murder may be linked to 23-year-old Jeremiah Stephens, also known as G5, of Lodge Road, Claxton Bay on January 4.

“Leave the PSA (Public Service Association) now.”

This was the advice from PSA’s Team Sentinel presidential candidate Nixon Callender had for the organisation’s president Watson Duke and his executive.

Callender said this yesterday during a press conference at Pembroke Street in Port-of-Spain.

He said under Section 99 of the PSA’s constitution the present executive, which is led by Duke, should vacate the premises at Abercromby Street and the positions they are holding after 90 days have passed from November 17 when their first elections were called.

Callender is calling for the Chief Personnel Officer (CPO) and the Ministry of Finance to discontinue any meetings held with the PSA.

He said the actions of Watson Duke and his executives were “illegal” and they were “occupying” the PSA.

“Team Sentinel is addressing this issue with a legal team and we will not take this sitting down...,” he said. He said the finances were in the hands of an un-elected executive and that members needed to speak out on this issue.

“If the rules of the association is not being upheld by the organisation or who leads it under the Civil Service Act the Minister of Finance can withdraw his certification of the PSA from the public service,” he said.

When contacted, Duke said the union’s general council can call elections at any time.

“Rule 101 of our Constitution states that the executive could keep holding office until the elections are held,” he said.

Duke said on numerous occasions he made attempts to have the elections and it was stopped.

HISTORY

On November 24, 2017 an injunction was filed by Solomon Gabriel and Team Fixers and was granted by Justice Frank Seepersad therefore stopping the PSA elections.

The main reason for the granting of the injunction was because of the unchallenged and unproven claim by Fixers that 1,500 names were added to the voters list.

To date the Fixers has been unable to prove that 1,500 names were added to the PSA voters list.

In December 2017, an agreement was reached by Attorneys representing the PSA Election Committee and Attorneys representing Solomon Gabriel and Team Fixers that the highest authority of the PSA, the

Conference deliberate over the issues raised by Solomon Gabriel and Team Fixers and that the Conference set a new date for the PSA election.

The conference of the PSA did meet at the PSA head Office on December 18, 2017 and Monday, February 19, 2018 was agreed as the date for the next PSA election.

After hearing arguments by both attorneys for the PSA Elections Committee, attorneys for Solomon Gabriel/Team Fixers and also oral and written evidence on February 2, Justice Kangaloo ordered that the PSA elections that should be held on February 19 be squas

The Ministry of Works and Transport (MOWT) says it welcomes the decision of the Court of Appeal which on Monday dismissed the case brought by Fisherman and Friends of the Sea (FFSO) challenging the decision of the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) to grant a Certificate of Environmental Clearance (CEC) to the ministry for the construction of the Cumuto to Manzanilla Highway.

In a statement yesterday, the ministry said the court’s decision had cleared the way for the ministry and its agent the National Infrastructure Development Company Limited (Nidco), to proceed with the construction of this highway in an expeditious manner for the benefit of all citizens, particularly, the people of Sangre Grande, Cumuto and Manzanilla.

On Monday, the Court of Appeal dismissed the group’s appeal seeking to overturn the decision of High Court judge Kevin Ramcharan to strike out its lawsuit, in which it was challenging the process used by the EMA to grant the CEC for the project.

In the statement yesterday, the ministry reiterated that construction work on this project never occurred and was never intended to occur on the Aripo Savannas as was being asserted by the FFOS.

“On the contrary, it was always intended to proceed in a manner that would protect this environmentally sensitive area. The ministry is committed to preserving this national treasure and will work closely with the EMA to minimise any adverse effect on the environment during the construction of the highway and to observe all the terms and conditions of the Certificate of Environmental Clearance, the statement said.

In the lawsuit, FFOS was challenging the process used by the EMA for granting the CEC for the first phase of the project between Cumuto and Guaico. The 5 km segment is estimated to cost $400 million.

The organisation claimed that the process was procedurally flawed and failed to consider alternative routes for the project, which would have less impact on the environment and existing communities.

The group also contended that the construction work, which commenced at the start of the year, has already infringed on the Aripo Savannas forest reserve, which was declared an environmentally sensitive area by the EMA in 2007.

Following Monday’s court ruling, the group’s lawyer Anand Ramlogan, SC, made an oral application for an interim injunction pending his client’s application for conditional leave to file a final appeal with the United Kingdom-based Privy Council.

The Water and Sewerage Authority says it is in dire need of a rate increase because it was spending more money to supply the nation water than it receives from customers.

According to chairman Romney Thomas the public utility company is in a dire financial situation where “despite the monopoly status WASA’s revenues are way below operating costs resulting in a heavy dependence on subventions from the Government.”

Appearing before the Joint Select Committee on Local Authorities, Service Commissions and Statutory Authorities yesterday, Thomas identified “low tariff” as the main reason.

The last rate increase which WASA got was 25 years ago, in 1993, and current rates, he said, were “among the lowest in the region.”

Low rates, he said, not only impacted on the utility’s bottom line and dependence on the State but has resulted in “consumers using water inefficiently,” which he said led to “wastage.”

Thomas said rates are used to meet salaries and wages, recurrent and operational costs and improve the delivery of service to customers.

Romney said the intention was to “transform WASA to operate independent of Government subventions,” and to do so, he said, they needed to get a “tariff increase.”

Romney said WASA was in a “catch-22 situation,” where it has a lot of “aged infrastructure and as a result, there will be breakages in lines and disruption in service.” This, he said, was as a result of a lack of finances, which had resulted in “some projects being stalled because of a lack of funding.” One such project, Romney said, was the “dualing of the Caroni line,” which was starting in the 2010-2015 period. The Commission could not say what was the cost of the project.

While 93.6 per cent of the population, according to the utility have pipe-borne water, only a small percentage of the population gets water seven days a week and the authority provides more than 47,000 truck-borne deliveries annually at a cost of between $300 and $500 per truckload of water.

The irony though is that in order to present a Business Plan to the Regulated Industries Commission (RIC) a requirement for a rate increase, the cash-strapped utility has retained the services of a Consultant Albert Gordon at a cost of US$70,000. The contract ends in December of this year.

Asked by Committee member Khadijah Ameen why WASA needed to hire a consultant at US$70,000 a year to do something that should be done in-house, CEO Ellis Burris said the utility did not have the competence in-house “and the matter was rushed. We wanted to get the business plan as rapidly as possible so we had to bring competence.”

The plan, however, according to RIC chairman Hyacinth Guy is incomplete.

She said while the RIC had “a first version of the business plan” it did not supply “all the information and up to this point in time we don’t have a final document some information is still outstanding.”

Executive director of the RIC James Lee Young noted that when T&TEC got its last rate increase in 2006-2011 “they developed a regulatory department whose function is to provide the information we need. WASA does not have that. I would envisage going forward that we would expect to see that resource reside within WASA.”

WASA officials admitted to the committee there are “inefficiencies’ in the system and although ideally, complaints from customers should be addressed within 7-10 days it sometimes takes longer. Interaction with customers is also poor.

Romney said, as a result, they had embarked on an “exercise to train and sensitise staff on dealing with the public.”

That, however, will change once the RIC’s Quality of Service Standard regime for the utility is implemented, the standard mandates the utility to respond within 48 hours to complaints from customers. Those standards go hand in hand with rate determination.

The national airline, Caribbean Airlines (CAL) owes a staggering $210 million in rent to the Airports Authority of T&T (AATT), according to the Auditor General’s Department.

CAL has promised to come up with some kind of settlement plan to pay off the outstanding arrears.

This was revealed yesterday in a Public Accounts Committee meeting chaired by Bhoe Tewarie at the Parliament Building, Port-of-Spain.

AATT’s general manager Hayden Newton said two things were raised by the Auditor General’s department with regards to the $192 million rental debt owed by national airline and its estate lands at Piarco.

In a telephone interview yesterday, Newton said the debt relates to “rent for CAL’s head office and their hangars on the airport’s estate at Piarco.”

The debt has been accumulating since 2007, he said.

Tewarie asked assistant auditor general Shiva Sinanan to share his comments on AATT’s financial audited statements.

Sinanan said the department’s general concern was CAL’s debt to AATT which went from “$129 million in 2012 to $210 million in 2018, according to the documents here…a 63 per cent increase in the management of that debt…and if it is collective at all.”

On the books, Sinanan said there was an $8.9 million in receivables from defunct BWIA.

Committee member Adrian Leonce asked Newton what the AATT intended to do to ensure that CAL’s debt does not increase.

“I can point to the fact that we have raised this with CAL. I want to point to the fact that within recent times the new board and the new CEO have indicated that they will be sitting down with the Airports Authority to come to some kind of settlement. We look forward to that.”

The committee was told that AATT’s overtime bill was $22 million monthly. It was revealed that AATT spends $22 million annually on repairs and maintenance.

New Police Service Commission member Bliss Seepersad will be functioning on the independent body alongside her role as a member of Government’s Chaguaramas Development Authority (CDA) Board.

And while the Government has no problem with her handling both, the Opposition UNC - while approving her for the PSC job - feels she should have stepped down from her CDA post to prevent the perception of bias.

UNC MP Roodal Moonilal voiced “gentle concerns” about the situation during yesterday’s Parliament debate on an order to appoint Seepersad to the PSC. Both sides approved the appointment.

Seepersad was selected by President Paula-Mae Weekes to serve on the PSC. The term of previous PSC chairman - Dr Maria Therese Gomes - ended recently. It was urgent that a new PSC member be appointed and a chairman chosen since the acting appointment of (Ag) Police Commissioner Stephen Williams ends Saturday.

Prime Minister Keith Rowley, debating the order, said if the PSC composition wasn’t dealt with, there might have been no Police Service leadership on April 1.

He listed Seepersad’s extensive qualifications - from social sciences roots to business, banking and financial acumen including with Guardian Asset Management Ltd.

Moonilal said while the Opposition approved Seepersad’s nomination, her CDA board membership - in December 2015 - would have been a PNM Cabinet appointment. He said she should step down from the CDA post once she takes up the PSC appointment since there could be issues of bias and prejudice if she was on both.

A person appointed by Cabinet to the CDA might not seem independent as PSC duty requires, he added. “The situation is untenable as there could be conflict,” Moonilal said.

Rowley disagreed, saying that on CDA’s Board, Seepersad served the people and not him or the PNM. He said she shouldn’t be seen as a Government lackey. Rowley said he was aware that “gentle” Opposition concerns could become barbs” and scrutiny could be an issue.

He felt Moonilal’s view was unfortunate - but Government felt she should be allowed to serve on both CDA board and PSC.

HOSEIN LEAVES CABINET AS RELATIVE FALLS ILL

Rural Development and Local Government Minister Kazim Hosein had to leave yesterday’s Cabinet meeting for “urgent attention” to deal with a close relative’s health, T&T G confirmed.

The weekly Cabinet meeting was held yesterday instead of today ahead of the long holiday weekend.

A hint of the situation came yesterday in Parliament when the Opposition posed questions to the Works Minister Rohan Sinanan. He is out of T&T and is due back today.Hosein is acting as Works Minister.

But in Parliament, Prime Minister Keith Rowley had to fill in - to reply to the Opposition’s questions- as Hosein was absent, as was Sinanan.

When Rowley was replying to the Opposition’s questions to the Works Minister, he said the Works Minister was out of T&T and the acting Minister “had to leave Cabinet for urgent attention.”

As a result, Rowley said he had a certain amount of information on the question - concerning Wednesday’s fire on the water taxi - at that time.

T&T Guardian later confirmed that Hosein wasn’t ill, but that he simply had to leave the Cabinet meeting to assist a relative with a health issue.

Police raided a house in Santa Flora and arrested a housewife after 28 protected yellow-headed parrots were found at her home. The 31-year-old woman was at her Savannah Road, Santa Flora home when the police executed a raid on Tuesday.

Acting on a tip-off, a party of game wardens from the Forestry Division as well as officers from the South Western Division Task Force found the birds. It is believed the birds, which are a protected species, were brought in from the South American mainland. Many of them were young birds.

The exercise, coordinated by Snr Supt Neville Adams and supervised by Sgt Shaheed Ali took place between 12 noon and 3 pm. The woman is expected to be charged under the Wildlife Act for being in possession of protected birds. She will appear before a Siparia Magistrate today to answer the charges.

Archbishop of Port-of-Spain Jason Gordon is standing by the decision by Msgr Christian Pereira not to press charges against the medical student involved in the Palm Sunday incident at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception when the crucifix and a statue of St Paul were damaged in a dumb-bell attack by the student.

Gordon said it was clear that “the person had a challenge and it led to the actions,” and the first thing to be concerned about “is the health and well-being of the young man.”

He intends to meet with the student but he said: “We need to offer care and pray for him.”

Speaking on the monthly programme Ask the Archbishop, Gordon said, “Let us pray for the guy and for other students like himself who are having challenges at this end of the year time where the stress is incredibly high and some people handle it well and some not so well.”

Gordon said the actions of the young man “raises the issue of how are we helping young people who are challenged and what kind of systems do we have.”

He said those who fear for their safety after the incident should recall that “Holy Week is a fearful time, it happened to Jesus, he was innocent, I don’t have any guarantee on my life, none of us has any guarantee,” he said, noting that anyone can step out of their home or a door and anything could happen. But, he said, “We have to live our lives trusting God and put things in place but at the same time live our life and live it fully.”

As the country gets set for the long Easter weekend Gordon is urging everyone to do three simple things: take time to breathe—“a deep breath is such a wonderful thing,” when frustrations set in, he said, “just take a deep breath,” “meditate,” and to be positive.

“Challenge yourself between now and Easter Sunday to think positively, when we think negative, we bring negativity into the world. We give off and receive what we are giving,” he said.

The Easter Triduum begins today with the washing of the feet. Gordon will preside at Easter Triduum masses at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Independence Square, Port-of-Spain. The Holy Thursday mass is at 5 pm today. Good Friday’s service, the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion starts at 3 pm and the Easter Vigil on Saturday starts at 9 pm.

Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat said yesterday a decision has been made not to interfere with the 12-foot anaconda that was sighted at the Aripo Livestock Station in Aripo. Rambharat said that no livestock at the Aripo farms was under threat and added that “it is normal to have snakes in ponds at the Ministry’s facilities.”

He however, admitted though that in this case the size of the anaconda was “larger than what they usually see.”

The snake was sighted at the farm on Monday trying to swallow a seven-foot caiman by a staff member at the Ministry of Agriculture facility.Herpetologists from the University of the West Indies were called in to track the snake after one of the workers at the facility prodded the snake until it released its intended meal and disappeared under the water.

President of the T&T Zoological Society Gupte Lutchmedial said on Tuesday that battles between two of the country’s largest amphibious predators were common.

“Small caimans are a normal part of an anaconda’s diet, the anaconda will apply constriction to kill the caiman, however, it will take a very large anaconda to swallow this size of caiman. Caimans will eat snakes if the opportunity presents itself,” Lutchmedial said.

Kristopher Rattansingh, of Wildlife and Environmental Protection of T&T, said that anacondas were often killed by people due to their formidable size and unfortunate reputation. If seen, members of the public should avoid contact and call in experts, to remove the non-venomous reptile. Members of the public who wish to contact Wildlife and Environmental Protection of T&T for the removal of wildlife from populated areas can reach them at 341-9983, 748-7100, 497-3373 or 748-3936.

Kunti Deopersad sought medical treatment yesterday, a day after she gave an account of how she escaped four abductors by picking a lock with a hairpin.

Up to press time yesterday, her husband Tilkee Gopaul, 61, of Oropouche South Trace said they were waiting for her to be medically examined at the San Fernando General Hospital.

Gopaul said Deopersad, 39, went to the Siparia Health Facility yesterday but was advised to go to the San Fernando General Hospital instead.

“We waiting here right now. The doctors still have to examine her,” Gopaul said.

Asked how Deopersad slept on the first night home after her ordeal, Gopaul said, “My wife slept good. After eight days of trouble, she finally got a good sleep.”

The story that Deopersad gave was met with scepticism by the police as well as people on social media. A senior investigator said that they found gaping holes in Deopersad’s story. However, he could not say whether Deopersad will face charges if she was found to be dishonest in her statements.

Gopaul and Deopersad have been together for 23 years and have seven children together aged 13 to 22. She also has a four-year-old grandson.

Gopaul described Deopersad as a loving and committed mother. He said she was not someone to lime and party and had been with her since she was a teenager.

On March 21, Deopersad said she went to the Princes Town Health Facility to get medication for a skin condition. While walking along Market Street, Deopersad said four men cornered her and another woman and forced them into a car. They were blindfolded and taken to a dark room where they were kept for seven days.

Deopersad said the men never harmed her and they fed her vegetarian food like roti, water and soft drink. She said the abductors never spoke to her. During the ordeal, she managed to send a message to her husband saying she was kidnapped.

A week later, Deopersad said she and another woman picked a lock with a hairpin and escaped. She said after walking through a track she arrived at Princes Town where she took a taxi and returned home.

New security measures have been put in place following last December’s $5 million heist at cargo bond of the Piarco International Airport, according to the deputy general manager of security at Airports Authority of T&T (AATT) retired Col Albert Griffith.

The incident of the robbery came up at a Public Accounts Committee meeting into AATT chaired by Dr Bhoe Tewarie who questioned officials as to how the multi-million dollar heist could have occurred by gun-toting bandits where the public has access.

Last December, armed bandits escaped with an estimated $5 million in cash from a cargo cart before the money was transported to the tarmac of the airport. Four people were charged with the robbery and the case against them is still pending.

Griffith said what happened in the lead up to the robbery was that “shipments of cash would be moved between the two-islands without the Airports Authority being notified. Once that happens and the risk profile of the airport changes, we should be notified.”

Following the incident, Griffith said measures have been put in place to make sure that “movement” of cash between the two airports remain safe and secure.

It was a bitter sweet outcome for Putitia Mohammed yesterday after she was freed of a murder charge, but she left behind her husband who was convicted and taken back to prison to await sentencing.

Putita, 39, blew a kiss to her husband Nizam Mohammed, 45, as he was being led in handcuffs from the San Fernando High Court to the prison van last evening. Putitia, her husband, both double vendors, and former worker Daniel Sammy, were all on trial before Justice Maria Wilson charged with the 2008 murder of Stephen Joshua, also called Jumbo, who was set on fire by her husband.

Yesterday, Putitia and Sammy, 42, were freed after a jury in the Third Criminal Court found them not guilty. Putitia’s husband was found not guilty of murder, but guilty on the lesser charge of manslaughter.

He was remanded into custody and the matter was adjourned to April 18. Mohammed admitted to pouring gas on Joshua and setting him on fire, but he claimed he was acting in self-defence. He told the police he was in fear of Joshua who was always harassing him.

Putitia and Sammy were also charged because a witness claimed Putitia brought the container of gas and Sammy gave him the lighter. The incident took place on May 3, 2008, at a house at Cipero Road, Friendship Village, where the couple lived in a downstairs apartment. Sammy, who was hired to build their cupboards, was staying with them. Speaking to reporters, Putitia said she was happy but also sad.

“It very hurtful. I know that that day my husband did not look for problems. He was trying to calm the man. I believe he will be back out very soon.”

Putitia, who was surrounded by her family, also criticised the justice system.

“It was hurtful to me knowing that the justice system was so slow and then the police officers don’t investigate matters properly before they charge an individual.”

She was excited to be reunited with her children, 14, 15 and 16 years old and intends to expand her food business.

Also complaining about the slow pace of the justice system, Sammy said, “If the police did proper investigations we would not have spent no 10 years in jail. Sammy said he and Putitia played no part in the incident and he had even tried to douse the flames of Joshua.

Sammy, who has a 19-year-old son in the United States Navy, said he intends to take up gardening. The couple was represented by attorney Israel Khan SC, Sammy was represented by attorney Ramesh Deena while state attorneys Trevor Jones and Anslem Leander prosecuted the case.

At the height of one of the busiest holiday periods, the sea transport to Tobago is at its lowest, with none of the passenger ferries in operation and the lone water taxi, which was capable of making the journey, down after a fire broke out in the engine room on Tuesday night.

The Cabo Star, the cargo vessel, can only accommodate 130 passengers, who are usually truckers transporting goods and material to and from the islands.

The situation, which has gotten progressively worse over the past few months, has now put extra responsibility and strain on the national airline, Caribbean Airlines, to fill the void.

Passengers who were onboard the water taxi Trini Flash on their way to Trinidad on Tuesday when the vessel stalled in the ocean, are said to be traumatised over the incident saying that for them to jump onto a “big ship” could have cost them their lives or major injuries.Nidco confirmed a fire in the ceiling of the engine room shut down the vessel which has since been taken out of service.

The water taxi only began to service the seabridge on Tuesday to assist in taking passengers to and from Tobago for Easter long-weekend to assist inter-island travellers. There are three other functional water taxis but they are not suited to make the journey to Tobago, according to Port officials.

Nidco said water in the engine room as a result of firefighting activity was quickly pumped out and dismissed reports that the vessel was taking in water. Nidco confirmed that all 63 passengers and customer service representatives were safe.

They were rescued and bodily transferred to the Cabo Star, which was en route to Tobago.

The Cabo Star responded to the distress call sent out from the Trini Flash. The passengers were taken to two guest houses and transported to the Arthur NR Robinson International Airport and flown to Trinidad early yesterday.

Minister of Works and Transport Rohan Sinanan had described the incident as “unforeseen” and “unfortunate”.

Deputy chairman of the Tobago Forwards Kevon Mc Kenna said statements attributed to Sinanan, who also described the incident as a minor mishap, were insulting and showed that the minister did not care about the welfare of those on board.

“To add insult to injury is what I would describe as the Tobago Titanic. He is going to go and say it’s a little mishap. A little mishap? You don’t care about the Tobagonians. No, this is nonsense and we are sitting down and supposed to be quiet about this. If your mother was on that boat, would you be saying it’s a little mishap? I cannot begin to understand the panic and the fright that those persons on that boat went through and you would come and say no comforting words,” he said.

Mc Kenna said those who experienced the ordeal should be given counselling. He also called on members of the Opposition to move a motion of no confidence in the Minister of Transport.

A passenger’s nightmare

A woman, only identified as Rosh, who was on board the Trini Flash said the incident was not a “small mishap” but very traumatising. She said she was scared at the very thought of what could have happened.

She said the first passenger to be transferred had a toddler, believed to be less than two-years-old. She recounted that the child was literally thrown across for the person onboard the Cabo Star to catch.

“So it was just to jump and grab the hand of that young man who was stretching out to catch us on that side. I looked at that guy and say if he could not hold me I was going to slip and fall and be crushed between both vessels,” Rosh said.

“When I jumped I closed my eyes and ended up opening my eyes on the Cabo Star and holding on to the two ends of the door. I was standing on the edge and I had to throw myself forward. As I went up the stairs to the top of the Cabo Star I just kept telling myself that I couldn’t believe what had just happened that I had just jumped off a boat to a bigger boat and I started crying and bawling my eyes out,” she recounted.

The woman questioned when the Mayday distress call was sent out, why the T&T Coast Guard did not respond and also, why the Ministry of National Security did not dispatch a helicopter.

She said when they were brought back to Tobago at about 1.45 am there was no medical staff on standby, neither were there any counsellors to help them get through their traumatic experience.

“There were a lot of elderly people on the water taxi and it was very traumatising for them as well. I sat next to an elderly man on my way to Trinidad this morning (yesterday) and he was talking about how frightening it was. Could you have imagined the panic? Imagine if it was 300 people in that situation,” the passenger said.

“This was no little mishap, it was a major incident that occurred and people need to take responsibility. It was the dark of night and we all had to jump up to a higher vessel. I tried to sleep but I kept seeing myself there at that door going to jump,” she said.

CAL steps in with 16,000 seats

Over 16,000 inter-island travellers are expected to be accommodated in the continued collaborative effort between Caribbean Airlines (CAL) and PATT.According to CAL’s head of corporate communications, Dionne Ligoure, a total of 236 flights have been scheduled to operate the airbridge as of yesterday until Monday. Those flights are expected to accommodate 16,484 passengers.

There is also a wet lease arrangement with LIAT on the domestic airbridge. This has cost the Government US$560,000. The wet lease arrangement accommodates 544 ferry passengers return daily, on four flights, until the end of March and 680 daily up to April 30.

Port Authority representatives will be stationed at Piarco International Airport and Arthur NR Robinson International Airport, Tobago, to assist customers.

Nidco: Probe into water taxi fire

Nidco Chairman, Herbert George said the root cause analysis is still being done, however, disclosed that the fire took place around the exhaust from one of the vessel’s engine.

“The damage is minimal and in a short time the vessel should be back in operation and return to the sea for water taxi services,” George said.

Told of the rescue operation carried out and the trauma the passengers experienced, George said crew members would have worked out the way to carry out the operation as safely as possible.

“There were no incidents in the operation and I will approve it and tap them on their shoulder for doing good,” George said.

Minister of Works and Transport, Rohan Sinanan was expected to get a full report from Nidco yesterday but up to press time gave no further update.

He, however, said that there was no quick fix to the “unfortunate” situation regarding both the T&T Express and T&T Spirit off the seabridge, which he added came about as a result of poor maintenance over the years.

In an interview with CNC3 Morning Brew yesterday, Sinanan said that they plan to replace both ferries, with one—the Galleons Passage—coming in at the end of April. He said when that vessel arrives they will be seeking to purchase another ferry.

He also said that Nidco is expected to tender out for a new maintenance company for the managing and maintenance of the ferries as he is not convinced that they have the expertise here in T&T to manage the ferries.

AIRPORT BOARDING PROCEDURE

Ferry passengers must follow this process:

• Travellers with confirmed ferry tickets and no vehicles, may go directly to the airports and present their confirmed tickets for possible acceptance for travel on Caribbean Airlines
• Persons will only be placed on flights for the specific date listed on their confirmed ferry ticket
• Passengers with confirmed ferry tickets and vehicles must first check in at the Ports and after check-in will be shuttled via PTSC to the Piarco International Airport and the ANR International Airport, at no additional cost.
• If persons wish to travel on a date that is different to the date on their confirmed ferry ticket, they must purchase a new ticket on Caribbean Airlines.

Bandits pounced on truckers who lined up along Wrightson Road yesterday hoping to board the Cabo Star, at the Cruise Ship Complex, in Port-of-Spain.

In one case, the thieves made off with a truck loaded with a shipment of Nestle products and abandoned the vehicle near the lighthouse, in Sea Lots after stealing the $77,000 worth of cargo.

Outside, the driver of the stolen truck said he parked his vehicle around 9.15 am and went into the Port to confirm his ticket. Upon his return minutes later the 10-tonne truck was gone.

The truck contained a variety of Nestle products, the driver said. The matter was reported to the Central Police Station.

Nestle’s Corporate Communications manager, Denise D’Abadie confirmed that the company had received a report of the stolen truck and its contents. Minutes later, a Guardian Media Ltd news team saw the vandalised truck a few metres from the busy lighthouse.

The truck’s left passenger window had been smashed, while the thieves had rummaged through a knapsack inside the vehicle containing personal items.

On hearing the unfortunate news, trucker Smith Lewis first checked his knapsack and found in a hidden compartment $5,000.

“Oh God!” he shouted, “the thieves ain’t find the money. Thank God!” a smiling Lewis said, holding the wad of $100 bills in the air. The gang of thieves also broke into three other trucks.

He, along with several other truckers were jostling for space on the Cabo Star, which is the lone vessel operating the seabridge for the peak Easter weekend.

This after Tuesday’s fire in the engine room on board the water taxi, Trini Flash, brought that service to an end. Some 63 passengers were rescued by the crew of the Cabo Star.

President of the Inter-island Truckers and Traders Association Horace Amede confirmed that three trucks parked on Wrightson Road were broken in while a fourth was stolen, as he called on the Port Authority of T&T (PATT) for regular security patrols or installation of surveillance cameras.

Amede also complained that on Tuesday and yesterday approximately 100 truckers could not get on board the Cabo Star, as priority was being given to people with private vehicles. Among the 30 truckers bumped off on Tuesday was Ramdin Boney who had a confirmed ticket.

Boney return early yesterday at the Port, but up to 11.30 am they could not say if he would get on the 2 pm sailing.

“Daily we are incurring losses and suffering. It’s sickening…frustrating. The situation cannot get any worse. I don’t know what else could go possibly wrong,” Boney said.

“At the Piarco International Airport, ferry passengers complained of waiting as much as two hours to get on board stand-by flights to Tobago. Holding several bags at the terminal, waiting to board a PTSC bus to be shuttled to the Piarco Airport, ferry passenger Ternesa Phillip said she was at her wit’s end.

“The service is horrible. I left home 6 o’ clock and I am still waiting to get a bus. It’s over five hours I am here,” Phillip said.

When the bus arrived, Phillip, who was with her four-year-old niece Damia Prime, did not get on which infuriated her. At the airport, ferry passengers in the line to the Caribbean Airlines’ domestic check-in counter complained of waiting for two hours to get a flight.

Father and son—Clifton and Christian Moorgse—said they thought they were going to sail with the T&T Spirit.

“We thought it had been repaired. We are going backwards instead of forward,” Clifton said, while Christian said he felt like cancelling his leisure trip.

“Everything is so disorganised,” ferry passenger Akile Jones said.

Other domestic passengers who had booked tickets said things ran smoothly.

CAL’s corporate communications manager Dionne Ligoure said the airline added five flights to its scheduled 44 flights yesterday and they faced no problems. The 44 flights transported 2,976 passengers. Today, there would be 54 flights accommodating 3,828 passengers.

Caribbean Airlines (CAL) increased the number of flights during the period March 27 – April 03 to accommodate the Easter holiday demand.

The airline stated that it will provide seats, on a first come first served basis to passengers with confirmed tickets for the specific day sailing.

Confirmed passengers will be required to check in at the ferry terminals (Port-of-Spain and Tobago) and not go directly to the airports.

The vehicles of passengers with confirmed tickets (T&T Express/T&T Spirit) will be accommodated on the daily sailing of the Cabo Star, and all ticket holders will be shuttled via PTSC to the Piarco International Airport and the ANR International Airport accordingly at no additional cost.
(See page A15)

Cabo Star down on Sunday

The only sea-worthy vessel transporting a limited number of passengers and cargo to and from the island of Tobago, the Cabo Star, will be down for routine maintenance on Sunday and is expected to be back in service on Monday. The vessel, which normally does not sail on a Saturday, will be in operation today given the demand to transport vehicles to the island of Tobago for the long Easter weekend. The Cabo Star can carry 300 vehicles.

Port Authority spokesperson Vilma Lewis-Cockburn said the routine maintenance means that the vessel would be down “usually for one day.”

Asked whether it was normal for the vessel to be operating on public holidays, Lewis-Cockburn said, once there was a demand for the cargo vessel the Port will authorise a sailing. In a statement, Lewis-Cockburn said the Cabo Star weekly sailing schedule is from Monday to Friday & Sundays.

“On Saturdays, the planned maintenance works are carried out. For this week only the works will be carried out on Sunday...instead of Saturday. The Cabo Star resumes operations on Monday,” it added.

The Port advised ticket holders of the 48 vehicles scheduled for the cancelled TT Express sailing for Sunday, to bring their vehicles on Saturday, to be transported on the Cabo Star. Check-in of vehicles starts at 9 am for the 1 pm sailing.

Faulty radar on T&T Spirit

Meanwhile, the passenger ferry, the T&T Spirit, which was scheduled to return to service today remains out of service as the radar was not functioning properly. The radar is used to detect other vessels and objects during travel.

As a result, the Port Authority advised that the “T&T Spirit is still undergoing its sea trials.”

“At this time, repairs are being undertaken to the radar system, which is a critical item for the safe navigation of the vessel as per the SOLAS Convention,” the statement said. Both T&T Express went on dry dock in February.

The new ferry, the Galleons Passage is expected to arrive in Hawaii on Saturday.

Remove failed Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan and the two PNM Tobago MPs should resign and call elections after continually failing Tobago.

That was the call to Prime Minister Keith Rowley from UNC deputy leader, Tobago-born Jearlean John yesterday.

At an Opposition briefing yesterday, John said Government’s sustained failure on the Tobago seabridge could drive Tobagonians to “walk on water...this man (Rowley) has destroyed Tobago where he’s from,” John declared.

Noting Tuesday’s fire aboard the water taxi used on the ferry service and people having to jump from that vessel to the Cabo Star with dark water beneath, John said she’d observed comments and images of travellers who had been traumatised.

“For Sinanan to say it was a ‘small mishap’ is grounds for his dismissal. People were scared. They had old ladies cock up, jumping from boat to boat at sea—how you would like your mother or grandmother to have to do that?” she asked.

“Why didn’t the Coast Guard respond? This is a Tobago tragedy and something bad is going to happen at this rate—people might die out there. Tobago needs a miracle because of Government’s ineptitude on the seabridge and its effects on Tobago’s economy—an unholy mess on Holy Thursday.”

John said yesterday’s T&T Guardian headline “Shipwrecked” was a good description of the seabridge.

“But a headline ‘Enough’ is more accurate to describe how people are feeling,” she said.

“The genesis of this was their removing the (Superfast) Galicia—pure ‘bigishness ‘as we say in Tobago on their part.’ There was no reason for that—so they can’t fix this situation. They just need to resign and call elections.

“If the Tobago MPs (Ayanna Webster-Roy and Shamfa Cudjoe) resigned, and Sinanan was removed, that might restore Tobagonians’ faith in the ‘Ah We Boy’ and his loyalty to the island that conceived and nurtured him,” she added.

“And yes—MP for Tobago East, people are suffering,” she added, dismissing Webster-Roy’s recently claim that “nobody was suffering in Tobago.”

Police will be out in full force today for the funeral of murdered car dealer and real estate agent Sheron Sukhdeo, who was gunned down on Monday night.

Sukhdeo, 33, who was affiliated with the Muslim gang of Laventille, had been a sponsor of known gangsters of Laventille.

He financed car dealerships and illicit operations in Laventille and was believed to be linked to money launderers and the drug cartel.

Police said they were also setting up roadblocks and patrols around the Chaguanas and Waterloo areas while the funeral takes place.

A relative, who requested anonymity, said Sukhdeo’s body will be brought to his home at the corner of 10th Avenue and Xavier Street in Chaguanas from 9 am, where relatives will perform full Hindu rites.

His brother Sheldon, who escaped death last November after being shot in the forearm during a drive by shooting, will take the lead in the rituals.

Following the religious last rites, Sukhdeo’s body will be taken to the Waterloo cremation site where the final rites will be performed before he is cremated.

Rachael did not speak to the media when contacted yesterday. A relative said she was resting and was not in a proper frame of mind to give an interview.

Meanwhile, a senior police officer investigating dismissed media reports that a close male relative was the prime suspect behind the killing.

Officers said they have not yet identified the main suspect but were working on several leads.

In 2016, Rachael posted photos of herself showing injuries she suffered during a beating from Sukhdeo.

He was charged twice for assault in February 2016 and later in May 2017 but the charges were dropped after she refused to testify.

A month before his death, Rachael posted on her Instagram account a series of photographs of herself taking out dentures from the front of her mouth.

She said, “You literally spoiled my smile...you don’t know what he did to me.”

The injuries were said to have been sustained after a quarrel on Carnival Tuesday but the incident was not reported to police.

n Anyone with information on Sukhdeo’s killers can contact CrimeStoppers at 800-TIPS.

Three prison officers will remain in police custody over the Easter long-weekend after they were arrested for attempting to smuggle drugs, cell phones and cigarettes into the two prison facilities at Arouca yesterday.

According to reports, the officers were arrested by police after their colleagues discovered the items during a routine search of the remand facility at the Golden Grove State Prison and at the Maximum Security Prison, yesterday morning.

The items included two kilogrammes of marijuana, cell phones, chargers and cigarettes. The officers were detained and then handed over the detectives of the Arouca Police Station. They remained detained at the station up to late yesterday and are expected to appear in the Arima Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday charged with misbehaviour in public office and marijuana trafficking.

Their arrests came less than a month after 43-year-old colleague Nigel Marshall was arrested during a similar exercise at the Port-of-of-Spain State Prison. Over the past few years, prison officers have been arrested periodically for smuggling the items, which fetch exorbitant prices behind prison walls. Investigations are continuing.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry is investigating circumstances which led to this country’s representative at a recent meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS) where T&T ‘s representative to decline to support Dominica’s bid to waive its OAS contributions.

Prime Minister Keith Rowley who’s asked for a report on the matter will receive one “shortly,” the Ministry also confirmed yesterday.

The Ministry claims T&T’s position offered by Ambassador Anthony Phillip-Spencer was misrepresented.

Foreign Affairs Minister Dennis Moses, in an interview with Guardian Media, said: “Our position is not at variance with what was being sought by the country concerned. What was being sought by the country and agreed upon across the board, we are not at variance with that position.”

The developments were listed in a Ministry statement yesterday.

In the face of the public objection, the Government has sought to assure its support for Dominica is still strong—and pacify regional concerns—following reports that T&T had “blanked” hurricane-ravaged Dominica’s recent bid to get a waiver on its contribution to the OAS for the 2018-2019 period.

T&T’s position on the OAS matter had been noted—and criticised—in some quarters. At the recent OAS meeting T&T’s Ambassador to the OAS, Phillip Spencer, reportedly said despite the “goodwill” expressed by the other delegations, including those from Caricom, T&T wouldn’t support Dominica’s waiver bid.

Phillip-Spencer reportedly said T&T would instead consider supporting either the “deferral of payments of contributions by member states and where possible the implementation of a payment plan.”

Dominica, which was severely affected by two hurricanes last year, had urged OAS members to approve its waiver.

Yesterday, Opposition MP Rodney Charles, panned T&T’s decision, calling on Rowley to remove Foreign Affairs Minister Dennis Moses whom he said has failed on a number of matters.

Apologising to Dominica, Charles noted T&T’s decision had been widely reported.

Another UNC MP, Suruj Rambachan, who once held the portfolio of foreign affairs minister, said “the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in its attempt to distance itself from the position taken by Trinidad and Tobago against the waiver of fees for Dominica at the OAS reflects in no small way the deterioration in the management of our Foreign Affairs and diplomatic relations.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs must produce the documentation communicated to the TT-OAS Representative on this particular matter since representatives of Trinidad and Tobago Missions abroad in general, take positions based upon communication from head office.”

“The Minister cannot wash his hands from this matter. If he is so convinced that an official acted on his own then he should proceed to fire that official.

“The Minister himself has not been a competent and efficient Minister in matters of Foreign Affairs leaving large gaps in policy coordination that would effectively guide our representatives abroad.

“The slap meted out to our Dominican neighbours is highly regrettable and have done more to affect our relations not only with Dominica but with our Caricom neighbours, given my understanding that Caricom had decided on a common position which was the waiver,” Rambachan said in a statement.

Soon after Charles spoke, the Foreign Affairs Ministry issued a press release.

It stated: “In an unqualified way, the Ministry of Foreign and Caricom Affairs regrets the misrepresentation of the position of T&T offered by a public official of T&T during a meeting of the OAS’ Permanent Council (held 23rd March) relative to a request from Dominica for a waiver of its financial contribution to that Organization for 2018 to 2019.”

“Currently, an investigation into the briefing arrangements of the public official and the circumstances involved in the discussion at the OAS is underway.”

“Shortly a report, as requested, would be made available to the Honourable Prime Minister.”

Reiterating unwavering support for Dominica, the Ministry said this was tangibly demonstrated in T&T’s recent aid and expressions of empathy to that country.

The statement added: “A suggestion by a public servant at an OAS meeting that Dominica’s dues not be collected at this time but be deferred to some future time in no way reflects any change in the demonstrated concern of T&T for the welfare of the people of Dominica.”

“T&T’s solidarity with the people of Dominica is without question.

The actions, co-operation (be it technical, financial or diplomatic) with Dominica and advocacy over time, most recently in the advent and aftermath of hurricanes, Erika (in 2015) and Maria (last year) attest to the strong and abiding relationship between Dominica and T&T,” it added.

“The position presented at the OAS isn’t aligned with the actions, policy or orientation of T&T towards Dominica.

“The unswerving commitment of T&T is that the fraternal bond between Caricom member states and peoples of the Caribbean continue to be further strengthened.”