Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - Aujourd'hui 08:57

Case settled, but not closed

GIVEN the shocking evidence and first-instance judicial findings in the Brent Thomas case, Attorney General John Jeremie’s September 16 decision to stop an appeal of the matter was the only appropriate course. His signal that the government will negotiate with Mr Thomas on damages was welcome. And his apology on behalf of the state for its conduct, under the Keith Rowley administration, was overdue. But far too many questions linger in this sordid affair. The case has been settled, not closed. Abuse of process by the police in 2022, extending across borders and implicating regional law enforcement systems through Caricom IMPACS, was arguably followed by abuse of process in the local courts. A constitutional case was continued despite undisputed findings of fact and law at the High Court in relation to Mr Thomas’ abduction from a hotel room in Barbados, despite the state’s own concession that the law was flouted, despite the admission of liability of authorities in Barbados, despite those authorities inviting the settlement of damages, and despite disclosure in the Barbadian Parliament that officers had acted without the basic requirement of an extradition request. After losing before Justice Devindra Rampersad in 2023, taxpayer-funded lawyers carried on, challenging matters relating to the quashing of criminal charges that had been brought nastily, if not maliciously, against Mr Thomas, perhaps seeing more value in forcing citizens to face trials even after having their rights egregiously violated. And egregiously violated they were. A heart doctor was Mr Thomas’ intended destination. Instead, he got the fright of his life when officers barged into his room at 3 am, placed him in handcuffs, dragged him across the floor, put him in “a small cage,” left him without food and water, then trafficked him via a small, non-commercial plane to Trinidad. “Today, by the grace of God, I can attempt to rebuild my life,” he told this newspaper on September 18, noting how his traumatic experience raised the spectre of individual rights being swept away. “The extra-judicial forces in our country should concern us all.” What were the circumstances of the activation of Caricom IMPACS? Was there also Interpol involvement? Which officials authorised action, and why? The settling of the case now places the burden of disclosure in relation to such questions on other officials. Probes have been undertaken by the police and the Police Complaints Authority. Serious personnel questions have been referred to the Police Service Commission by none other than top cop Allister Guevarro. All should account. But notwithstanding word from them, the executive also has a duty to dispel the clouds. The terms of Mr Thomas’ settlement should not include confidentiality; the truth should be ventilated in the court of public opinion. The post Case settled, but not closed appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.