Former FIFA VP Jack Warner on Tape Apparently Organizing a Cash-for-Vote for Bin Hammam Scheme in Trinidad

State of Emergency Statistics Revealed by Trinidad and Tobago Police Service reveals Vast Majority of People are Arrested Without Charge

Over 558 people were detained with no charge.

Atleast 658 people were released after being detained.

60% of persons held in connection with gang related crime have been released.

70% of persons held in connection with homicides have been released.

1028 people held for "outstanding warrants"

Other statistics were withheld by the Police, probably because they are even more embarrassing that those already released.

Port Authority Chairman Refuses to Comply With Minister's Cronyist Orders, Gets Fired Immediately

Port boss axed

By Ria Taitt Political Editor
October 8, 2011 The Government has decided to terminate the appointment of Port Authority chairman Clive Spencer, who refused to carry out instructions allegedly given by Transport Minister Devant Maharaj to fire all the legal representatives used by the Port and reassign all work to Fortis Chambers and the law chambers of Subhas Panday, according to information received by the Sunday Express.

Sources said Cabinet last Thursday accepted a recommendation from the line Minister Maharaj to revoke Spencer's appointment.Spencer was appointed chairman in January of this year, when Jack Warner was the Minister with responsibility for the Transport portfolio.

Questioned yesterday on whether a decision was taken to fire Spencer, Maharaj said: "Well he was never hired so I don't know how he could be fired". He said the position of Port Authority chairman was an "appointment".Was Spencer to be dis-appointed? Maharaj was asked.

"Well all of us could be disappointed. I could be disappointed. And when you look at the track record you have (former ministers) Therese Baptiste-Cornelis, (Rudrawatee) Nan Ramgoolam and (former Police Service Commission chairman) Nizam Mohammed. Once you are there at the pleasure of the Government you could be replaced in a day or in a heartbeat. Nobody has a mortgage on any position. MPs have a five year contract with the people and at the end of the five years the people decide if they want to renew it or not," Maharaj stated.

So was he confirming that a decision was taken to terminate Spencer's appointment? "I wouldn't comment on that. I run my business with the boards rather than in the media. When there is something to come out, it would come out, alright?". Maharaj had denied in a previous Express article that he had ever issued any instructions to fire all the legal representatives used by the Port and reassign all work to Fortis Chambers and the law chambers of Panday.

But Spencer told the Sunday Express that he was informed that the Cabinet considered Maharaj's recommendation that he be removed as chairman and the Cabinet concurred with the recommendation. Spencer said he was not formally notified by letter but "that's on its way I believe".
"It would mean that my appointment would have been revoked for speaking the truth. I really couldn't care too damns," he said, adding "These people are too vulgar"."When they can't drive you into subordination they try to destroy you," he said.

"I have done nothing wrong. All I have said is I am unable to carry out an instruction because it lacks a number of things with which I would not be associated. And he (Maharaj) got on his high horse and decided to come for the jugular. But I have gotten accustomed to that kind of absurdity," said Spencer, who was a former President General of the Seamen and Waterfront Trade Union (SWWTU) .

He added: "When I was 30 years old I took on Eric Williams (former prime minister) and succeeded, You mean I would take him (Maharaj) on at 75? Come on! Steups. Waste of time!" He said the decision to fire him was the sequel to his questioning the Minister's directive to fire the five law firms currently used by the Port—MG Daly and Partners, Seenath Jairam, Kenneth Thompson, Hamel Smith and Co and Kelvin Ramkissoon—and hire instead "Jagdeo Singh and Subhas Panday".

Singh is member of Fortis Chambers, along with Larry Lalla, Randy Depoo and Derek Ali. Spencer said notwithstanding the Minister's denial, there was a lot of correspondence between himself and the Minister on this issue. He recalled yesterday that at one stage when he asked Maharaj for written confirmation of his directive, Maharaj told him not to expect a reply to this letter."So I wrote him another letter telling him that he told me not to expect a reply to that first letter," Spencer said.

In an exclusive article published on September 12, which quoted a September 2, Spencer in a strongly worded letter told Maharaj: "Minister, notwithstanding my preparedness to comply with all legitimate instructions issued by your good self, it would be entirely remiss of me, in fact bordering perilously on irresponsibility to fail to draw to your attention the potentially and substantially deleterious consequences of my placing before the Authority and hastening to implement your directives without further thought, due care and consideration...The initiative will surely assume the visage of a politically inspired, motivated and propelled witchhunt and especially when viewed against the backdrop of the proposed replacements."
Warning against political meddling, the letter urged the Minister to "consider the nature and potency of the response that would surely emanate from the wholesale removal of the Authority's panel of attorneys, particularly where such removal will not have been effected on the premise of any incompetence, dereliction of duty, lack of professionalism or any other negativity, real or imagined or contrived". Spencer said yesterday he would not be intimidated by any "two by four minister who feels that he can tell me to do things which are improper and that I am going to do it unchallenged".

"He probably thinks that in recommending my revocation he is hurting me but he isn't. He is just letting me go home and rest," Spencer quipped. "At 75 I don't care too damns what they want to do. When the God Lord bless you with 75 years to your credit, 75 good, honest and hardworking years, you don't take on little shrimps like Devant Maharaj. Waste of time!"Spencer said the Board had not been meeting since he and Maharaj were at loggerheads on this matter.

He said four Commissioners—(who he named)—have not been attending meetings, depriving the Board of a quorum and whenever they show up they move motions of adjournment on matters that should not be adjourned. Spencer said the issue of the legal briefs was not the only point of contention between himself and Maharaj. He said the Minister had been using certain board members to go to senior managers demanding information such as how many vacant positions there were, when were they filled, how many were still to be filled, how many were on contract and what salary the persons were being paid.

"The sort of information should be obtained from the Chairman, Secretary or General Manager/CEO," Spencer said."And it was being done in such an unfettered manner- with people saying 'the minister want this...and that...and he want it by Friday'. And it was all in emails," he said.Spencer said, however, "the 'S' hit the fan when the Minister took "the big bite" of instructing the board to fire wholesale the panel of attorneys.

"By which time he (Maharaj) was calling me the following morning, demanding that I expedite this directive, right away." And in another Sunday Express exclusive published on September 12, which quoted Port Authority Board Minute 671/11 of August 25, director Jalim Ramnarine said he had been directed by the Transport Minister to convey the Minister's instructions for the "immediate termination of all legal briefs" and the reassignment of work to the Fortis Chambers and Subhas Panday and Co.

Spencer who served as General Manager of the Port Authority between 1992 and 1997, said he had too much experience as a senior public servant to tell a Minister 'no' rightaway."But you tell him in due course why you can't do it and that if he would clear that situation for you, then you can do it".

Former Government Minister Admits Government Is In An Embarrassing Position With the SoE

Gather evidence before charging someone
By Keino Swamber keino.swamber@trinidadexpress.com

Story Created: Oct 8, 2011 at 11:44 PM ECT

Story Updated: Oct 8, 2011 at 11:44 PM ECT 

 

THE failure of police officers to follow a fundamental principle of criminal law, which is to gather evidence before charging someone, played a significant part in several cases taken to court under the Anti-Gang Act 2011 being discontinued without prosecution. 

This view was expressed by attorney-at-law and former minister in the Ministry of National Security, Subhas Panday, in an interview with the Express on Friday.

"They should have had evidence prior to laying charges against people," Panday said."They (the police) may have had information but information on its own may not be admissible and this cannot be used to arrest anybody because information can include hearsay which cannot be used as evidence."

Panday was asked to outline, from a legal perspective, the elements needed to secure a successful conviction under the Act. He said several pieces of legislation must be used."The most important one is the Interception of Communications Act 2010 which deals with intelligence gathering where, for example, if they decide to target a person, they first have to get permission from the Commissioner of Police, the Head of the Defence Force or the Head of the SSA (Strategic Services Agency).

"They then begin to tape (and) as they are taping they may get information that a person is going to do something. This can be used to go before a judge and an oral application can be made for a warrant to start recording for use as evidence. The evidence is called first-hand evidence and can be taken before a judge to say that the target (the person under surveillance) is a member of a gang."

Panday said because the Anti-Gang Act was proclaimed only on August 15, surveillance gathered before that date could not be used to charge and prosecute individuals. "The State of Emergency was declared on August 21 so, in the space of a week they could not really do any significant recording.

"What they did here is that they went to the Crime and Problem Analysis (CAPA) Unit of the Ministry of National Security and they concentrated on people who have pending matters and they sent the information to the police station to lock up from a side.

"You may have observed that only persons who have matters pending or have convictions were locked up. The real people who are importing and are really behind the scenes are not being picked up. That is why they are only picking up these little peewats all over the place." 

Panday reiterated his call for the Anti-Gang Act to be amended to make it compulsory for police officers to consult with the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) before laying charges against individuals suspected to being gang members.

"This will ensure that another layer of checks and balances is put in place to prevent abuse of people's rights."We would not have found ourselves in an embarrassing position (had this been done). We could have filtered out all the cases which had no evidence and those that had evidence we could have gone before the courts and dealt with them quickly. 

"The Attorney General says there is nothing wrong with the legislation. The Attorney General is the legal adviser to the Government and he may know better than I do."

People's Partnership-affiliated Organization Pays University Students to Spread Government Propaganda Online

BLOGGERS FOR DOLLARS GROUP ALLEGEDLY PAYING STUDENTS TO POST PRO-GOVERNMENT COMMENTS

By Faine Richards
Staff Reporter

An organization purporting to work for the People’s Partnership is allegedly paying university students to inundate newspaper websites and Internet chat forums with pro-government sentiment.

A Campus Chronicle investigation found that the organization – known only as ‘tntgoodblogs’ – hires students to post reader comments below news stories on the Trinidad Express, Trinidad Guardian and Newsday websites in praise of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and her government. University students recruited for the covert propaganda campaign who spoke to the Campus Chronicle on the condition of anonymity, said students are also paid to author comment or ‘blogs’ that attack the Opposition and counter anti-government opinions expressed by other bloggers. In addition to receiving monetary payment, student bloggers are also promised a free Blackberry with unlimited internet to allow them to frequently post comments online during classes.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Communication, Dr. Suruj Rambachan, told the Campus Chronicle he was unaware that any such operation exists. The “bloggers project” targets students at the University of the West Indies (UWI) through a series of flyers posted on notice boards across the St. Augustine campus. The flyers invite resumes from students who are “intelligent, patriotic and enjoy sharing [their] views” and who seek to “have a sense of power associated with the changing of minds (Paradigm Shift).”“I expected being able to talk about my own opinions on current affairs, that was my first impression of it,” said a female UWI student who applied for the project. “But it was totally different. “Instead of what the flyer said about you giving your opinion, it was pretty much that they would tell you what to say,” she revealed. Neither the name of the employer nor contact information for anyone overseeing the project is disclosed on the flyer. Interested students are simply told to send an email to tntgoodblogs@hotmail.com.

In response, applicants receive a phone call from a woman who only identifies herself as Marsha. A female UWI student said Marsha told her, “we’re going to sway the ideas of the public by speaking positively about what’s going on.” The objective was reiterated in detailed email instructions specifying the frequency and content of the blogs students would be paid to post online. In addition to blogging on all three newspaper websites, the email correspondence obtained by the Campus Chronicle directed students to write in support of the People’s Partnership on certain Yahoo chat groups. Two of the more popular Yahoo groups targeted by the blogging operation are ‘theunitedvoice’ and Caribbean Talk.’ Both forums are devoted to discussions on politics, news and current affairs.

In one of the documents attached to the email, an unnamed author explained, “Organisation contract ‘tntgoodblogs’ to promote their image products. We are compensated when we provide intelligent, positive and persuasive blogs for the contracted organisations.” But three UWI students who applied for the job told the Campus Chronicle that Marsha was more explicit during telephone conversations. “She stated the People’s Partnership had hired them,” one girl recalled. When contacted by the Campus Chronicle about the bloggers project, Minister Rambachan said, “I really don’t know anything about this, you’re the first to bring this to my attention. I have to investigate it and see if I can get to the bottom of it.” Asked whether he was concerned that ‘tntgoodblogs’ claims to be doing work for the People’s Partnership, Minister Rambachan said, “There’s nothing to say until I investigate it.”

Student instructed to take pre-determined stance
In an email dated July 26 and sent to a batch of 10 students who applied to the bloggers project, the anonymous author directed bloggers to flood newspaper websites and chat groups with support for the resignation of then Minister of Works and Transport and FIFA Vice President Jack Warner, from the international football body. But the students were also mandated to cast doubt on whether Minister Warner should retain his Cabinet post. “QUERY HIS CURRENT POLITICAL STANDING,” the email urged student recruits. “QUESTION HIS REMAINING IN POLITICS. (GO ANTI PEOPLE’S PARTY FOR HIM. Jack is yet to clarify the issues to the people.) His integrity is questionable, especially as the person who has much access to our resources.“Call me for clarification if needed,” the email’s author added. The students who spoke to the Campus Chronicle said that directive triggered concerns which ultimately led to their decision not to work for the bloggers project. One student recalled, “I sat and thought about it and said, ‘I don’t know if I want to get involved in this.’ So I decided no to, it sounded scary.” “From that point, I was like ‘something in this not right,’” said another student. The email also instructed students to blog in favour of Minister of Health Dr. Fuad Khan deciding to cease his private medical practice. Amid concerns about a conflict of interest after it was discovered that the minister continued to see patients while managing the nation’s health system, the paid bloggers were ordered to focus attention on Minister Khan’s choice to give up his private urology practice instead of his Cabinet post. “He was called to serve in the Cabinet at short notice and accepted the call because of the crisis that exists within the health sector,” the email guided students to write of the health minister. Instruction in a subsequent email said, “So we should applaud him for choosing country over a self/ a couple hundred sick who are in need.” ‘Tntgoodblogs’ recommended that students use facts and quotations to substantiate their arguments. “Doesn’t this sound like the approach for a University assignment?” the email’s author remarked.

Opposition and its online supporters attacked
The Opposition is deliberately targeted by the bloggers project, with students being instructed to dispute statements made by other bloggers who support the People’s National Movement. “I AM GIVING YOU THE CHANCE TO BATTLE HEAD ON WITH THE OPPOSITION BLOGGERS!” AN EMAIL FROM ‘TNTGOODBLOGS’ DATED August 2 told student bloggers. “YES, YOU CHOOSE OPPOSITION BLOGGERS AND TARGET THEIR BLOGS AND HIT THEM ONE FOR ONE. NO MERCY. START ARGUMENTS, BE BOLD AND STAND UP FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN!!!”

One of the students who withdrew from the propaganda campaign said she had concerns about trying to obstruct the free expression of opinion. “If you look at some of the counter blogs (that paid student bloggers post), they are really insulting to people,” she told the Campus Chronicle. “For you to dissuade me from giving my opinion because you are supporting it and getting paid for it, it’s not fair. “I just think it’s wrong, immoral. It’s just unethical,” she said.  Students who submitted neutral blogs were chastised by Marsha. “She said if I had an issue before I could have come out and tell her but then in the same breath she contradicted herself” one student recalled. “And said how I am a rookie and I am on (a one-week) trial and I don’t have a say… she gives me something to write, I have to write on it.” The underground blogging operation strictly prohibits its student bloggers from using their real names. Instead, bloggers are required to present the orchestrated comments under the guise of multiple aliases or screen names. To create a significant pro-government presence on newspaper websites and chat forums, every student blogger is required to submit a minimum of five comments daily. Should student bloggers pass a one-week trial period, the anonymous author of the email promised to give them “a free blackberry and free internet access” to help them blog throughout the day from any location. A female UWI student recalled discussing payment with Marsha over the phone. “The first week would be $300, if she kept us on we were getting a Blackberry with unlimited internet and she said she ran the numbers… and I would make $3000 - $4000 a month.”

Tntgoodblogs resonds
To independently verify the information from students interviewed during this investigation, the Campus Chronicle created an email account under a female name and sent an expression of interest to the email address displayed (tntgoodblogs@hotmail.com) on the flyers. The following response was sent from the email account, tntgoodblogs@yahoo.com:

“Based on d (sic) tense environment now, emails like these need to be heavily screened… Note… No resume attached but wants information. Note… ‘paid’ is used in her response but that word was never stated in flyer. Can u or anyone u kno (sic) do student searches to verify if d (sic) student is in fact part of that faculty and if that is her major.”

An hour later, a follow-up email from tntgoodblogs@hotmail.com:

“Please be advised that the previous email was sent to you in error. Can you please send a copy of your resume and one page summary highlighting your social, political and economic affiliations and perspectives. The purpose of your summary will guide me as to where you should be placed if recruited.”

The Campus Chronicle also called the mobile contact number for Marsha. The woman who answered the phone initially hung up when asked if her name was Marsha. Upon calling again, the woman insisted her name was Nicole. Asked if she managed the student bloggers project, she said, “You tell me, I would love to know.” Told that her contact number was given to student bloggers as a liaison for tntgoodblogs she said “Who gave it to you? Maybe you should ask them.” The woman maintained she was a UWI student who simply sent an email to tntgoodblogs inquiring about the bloggers project, and never received a response from the organization.