The truth about the Government’s involvement in the controversial 2022 arrest of Brent Thomas in Barbados will soon be revealed after the Barbados government accepted liability for breaching Thomas’s constitutional rights.
This according to former Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith, who claims that he intends to write to the PCA and the Police Service Commission on the matter if need be.
Thomas, a firearms dealer, was arrested in Barbados and brought back to this country resulting in a cross-border furore which led to probes in both Barbados and T&T.
In a statement issued by his party the National Transformation Alliance yesterday, Griffith said the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago will “soon face another example of a blatant lie, which shows how deceptive, immoral and unethical the government is.”
“I call on the Commissioner of Police to do her job without fear or favour, and I urge the government to immediately come clean and fire the Minister and other officials involved, so as to show some respect to citizens who deserve the truth and who must be guaranteed that no one is untouchable.”
“I also wrote to the Police Complaints Authority (PCA), and after the Minister’s name is revealed, I will write to the PCA again, as well as the Police Service Commission (PolSC), should Commissioner (Erla) Harewood-Christopher fail to adhere to her responsibility to have this matter thoroughly investigated,” the National Transformation Alliance political leader said.
Thomas is suing the Barbados government over his ‘forcible removal’ from the island in October 2022. Section 18 of Barbados’ constitution speaks to provisions to secure the protection of law.
The Barbados operation, according to Barbados Attorney General Marshall, was fully coordinated by Caricom Impacs. Thomas claimed he was mistreated and humiliated while in custody.
The United National Congress is expected to address the latest development regarding the Brent Thomas issue during its Cottage Meeting in Caroni Central this evening. The party’s political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar will be the featured speaker at the meeting.