(Trinidad Guardian) Barbados Attorney General Dale Marshall yesterday made it clear that his government was not to blame in the highly controversial October 2022 arrest of Trinidadian Brent Thomas in Barbados and his subsequent transfer to T&T.
Speaking in the Barbadian parliament yesterday, as he sought to clear the air in the matter, Marshall said neither Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley nor Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley was informed or aware of Thomas’ transfer to T&T from Barbados and that the matter was fully co-ordinated by Caricom’s Implementing Agency for Crime and Security (Impacs).
Referring to reports from Barbados’ Commissioner of Police of Barbados, the Regional Security System (RSS) and Caricom’s Impacs, Marshall claimed Thomas was not abducted but returned willingly to T&T.
He confirmed, however, that there was no official extradition request made to the Barbados government and that the RSS and Impacs were part of the exercise.
Marshall also confirmed that the initial approach to apprehend and transfer Thomas came from the Transnational Organised Crime Unit of the T&T Police Service on October 4, 2022.
Noting that the Barbados Police Service was informed by the TTPS that Thomas was a person of interest in a case they were investigating, Marshall told the House, “The Barbados Police Service was initially requested to establish the whereabouts of Mr Thomas in Barbados and to keep him under surveillance. Before taking any steps to render the requested assistance, the matter was discussed with the Acting Commissioner of Police who gave certain advice and instructions.
“The Barbados Police Service then requested to see the warrants of arrest under which Mr Thomas was wanted in Trinidad and Tobago. They were duly provided.”
He said the information revealed Thomas had travelled to Barbados and had checked into a hotel. He said on October 5, 2022, plain clothes officers of the Barbados Police Service, who wore ballistics vests with the words “Police” went to Thomas’ hotel room.
“On entering the room, a search warrant was executed. Nothing of illegal nature was found. The reports indicate that the senior police officer then informed Mr Thomas that there was a warrant of arrest for him in Trinidad and Tobago and that he was being arrested. Mr Thomas was then cautioned. Mr Thomas then said, ‘If Trinidad has a warrant for me, I will go back with you all.; Mr Thomas was then arrested and informed of his right to an attorney,” Marshall said.
He said Thomas was later taken by Barbadian police officers to the Grantley Adams International Airport, where they were met by members of the TTPS and he was handed over to their custody.
No collusion in matter
The Barbados AG revealed that on October 5, the Regional Security System (RSS), headquartered in Barbados, received a request from Caricom Impacs to transport four Trinidadian police officers from T&T to Barbados that evening.
“The aircraft departed Trinidad at 3.21 pm on October 5th and arrived in Barbados at 4.11 pm. A further request was made to transport the same four police officers and a Trinidadian national back to Trinidad that same evening.
“The RSS aircraft departed Grantley Adams International Airport at 5.08 pm and arrived at Piarco International Airport at 6.01 pm, where the police officers and the Trinidadian national disembarked the aircraft and it returned to Bridgetown. That Trinidadian national was Brent Thomas. The coordination of the travel to Barbados of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and their return with Mr Thomas was fully coordinated by Caricom Impacs,” Marshall said.
He confirmed that no request was made to the Barbados government for Thomas’ extradition.
However, he described the labelling of the matter as an “abduction” by T&T High Court Judge Devindra Rampersad as unfortunate language.
“I am satisfied that the actions of the Barbados Police Service have fallen short of applicable legal norms, such as acting under an extradition request. I, however, cannot associate myself with the description of the actions of the Barbados Police officers as an abduction or as has elsewhere been described as a kidnapping,” Marshall said.
“It is evident, Mr Speaker, that the Barbados Police Service sought to assist a sister police service in a matter which appeared to them to be of a grave and important nature, and especially so, given the scourge of firearm violence that is a feature in Barbados and across the Caribbean. It is my view that they rendered that assistance without any element of criminality that would be associated with an abduction.”
Marshall said the Barbados government welcomes full ventilation of all the facts surrounding the matter but rejected any implication of involvement and collusion in the matter as to deny any citizen of Caricom their rights to due process.
“To the extent that there may be any legal liability attaching to the actions of the Barbados Police Service Officers, I can assure you that the government of Barbados will abide by the law and fully respect any decisions of the law courts. … We reject fully any implication of involvement and collusion in this matter so as to deny any citizen of Caricom (or anywhere) their rights to due process,” he said.
In early October 2022, Thomas, a licensed firearm dealer, was charged with three counts of possession of prohibited weapons and four counts of possession of explosives. He was granted $800,000 bail.
The charges came after an audit of Thomas’ business by officers of TTPS’ Professional Standards Bureau.
Police claimed the three firearms and four explosive devices were found during a search of his home.
After seven warrants for his apprehension were obtained in T&T, four TTPS officers flew to Barbados to collect Thomas, who was apprehended by Barbadian police officers on October 5th.
On April 25th, T&T High Court Justice Rampersad halted the criminal case against Thomas, suggesting that the manner of his detention indicated an attempt to bypass the lawful procedure of requesting Thomas’ extradition.
Rampersad ruled that Thomas was “unlawfully abducted.”
Last Friday, the state submitted grounds of appeal to the Appeal Court against Justice Rampersad’s judgment.
A judge is expected to deal with damages in relation to the matter next week.
Thomas is expected to be awarded significant compensation for the matter, according to legal sources.