CALL US AT:

Defense Attorney Fareed Ali insists the right given to a murder accused to apply for bail does not mean it will be granted.

This as the Attorney General prepares to take the controversial ruling to the London based Privy Council.

Last week an appeals bench denied a bridging order making it now possible for murder accused to apply for bail.

Speaking with Newscenter 5 yesterday Mr. Ali said the right is to apply and no more.

He would explain as he said the public perception might not be the same.

Attorneys for the Office of the Attorney General are now said to be working apace to petition the Privy Council in an attempt to have it once again grant a stay or suspension of the appeal court’s declaration.

That application to the Privy Council is expected to be made by early this week.

Until such time, though, attorneys representing murder accused are free to approach the high court and apply for bail for their clients.

The 9 men charged with the murder of Senior Counsel Dana Seetahal have been granted bail, but not for the killing.

They have been given bail on gang related charges.

Magistrate Kerrianne Byer last Friday allowed bail when the matter was taken before her in the Port of Spain Magistrate’s Court.

Among the 9 accused is Rajaee Ali.

However they will not automatically be freed because they are still awaiting trial for Senior Counsel Seetahal’s murder.

In July 2020 they were committed to stand trial for the murder of Ms. Seetahal.

Their matters are yet to be called before the High Court.

Magistrate Byer granted Mr. Ali bail in the sum of $500,000 dollars.

Leston Gonzales, Gareth Wiseman and Kevin Parkinson were also granted bail in the sum of $500,000 dollars each.

Ricardo Stewart and Roget Boucher were granted bail in the sum of $350,000 dollars each, while Devaughn Cummings, Earn Richards and Hamid Ali got $300,000 dollars bail.

On their release they have to surrender their passports and report daily to the nearest police station in the district they live.

Rajaee Ali’s brother Ishmael was denied bail because the court was unsure of his updated criminal record.

He is to be taken to court when the State has gotten the result of background tracing.

There have been 3 overnight murders.

In the latest incident a man identified as Keston Agard is the victim.

Reports say he was shot and killed at Carlsen Feild Chase Village around 9:45 last night.

In Maracas St. Joseph the victim is identified as Dwayne Dhanoolal.

He was gunned down at his Pepper Village home last night.

The incident is said to have occurred shortly before 9pm.

And the body of a man is discovered in Chaguanas.

He has been identified as Suresh Harrickdeo.

The find was made in Longdenville.

Police say Mr. Harrickdeo’s body was found in a ravine in the ravine sab area.

He was bound and gagged.

Investigators say Mr. Harrickdeo was well known to them.

Police are now looking for the abductors and killers of 53-year-old poultry farmer Imran Mohammed.

Mr. Mohammed was found dead after he and his 22-year-old son, Isiah were abducted on Tuesday.

According to police reports the 2 men were taken against their will from Chaguanas.

They were placed in the trunk of their vehicle.

The Mohammed’s, of Dow Village, California, were travelling in a Suzuki vehicle along the Longdenville Old Road at around 12.30 pm Tuesday, when they were attacked.

Police say a black Nissan Sunny B-15 blocked their path and 2 men armed with guns emerged and forced them into the back seat of the vehicle.

After driving to Las Lomas, the abductors parked the car in some bushes.

They gagged and tied up father and son, and took their phones.

The assailants then bundled the 2 into the trunk and left.

Reports say Isaiah managed to loosen the ties and untie his father.

However by the time officers arrived on the scene the senior Mr. Mohammed was dead.

Police believe Mr. Mohammed may have choked on the gag placed in his mouth.

Police reports also say there was also a wound to the side head and blood oozing from his nose. 

Police have launched a search for the suspects.

The Police Social and Welfare Association is disturbed by an assumption of Acting Police Commissioner Mc Donald Jacob.

President Gideon Dickson says it was premature of Mr. Jacob to assume that an officer posted pictures and a video clip of the remains of the 3 dead divers.

Members of the public have expressed outrage at the postings.

Acting Commissioner Jacob has been reported as saying if it is determined that a member of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service was responsible for leaking the pictures, action would be taken.

The statement is not sitting well with the head of the association.

The acting top cop said he has launched an investigation into the matter.

Mr. Dickson wants to wait on the findings before pointing fingers.

The bodies of Kazim Ali Jr, Fyzal Kurban and Yusuf Henry were identified by their loved ones on Tuesday.

The photos and the 14-second video were released around the same time.

Paria Fuels Limited has recovered Rishi Nagassar’s remains.

All 4 victims of the accident are now recovered.

Mr. Nagassar’s body was pulled out of the 30-inch pipeline at 12:36am today.

Paria says the operation had to be conducted with extreme care, given the fact that the bodies were lodged behind diving equipment in the pipeline.

The family of Mr. Nagassar has been advised and the company has extended condolences and offered counseling support.

The other 3 bodies were recovered on Monday this week.

They are Fyzal Kurban, Yusuf Henry and Kazim Ali Jr.

Paria Fuels has been criticised for its handling of the tragedy and its treatment of the families affected by the incident.

The 4 men were employed by contractor LMCS Limited to carry out maintenance work on a 30-inch pipeline at Paria.

Last Friday they were sucked into the pipeline.

There is an online petition calling for the board of the Paria Fuels Limited to be dismissed pending investigations, which have been launched, by the company and the Ministry of Energy.

The President of the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association is not pleased with what she sees as flip flopping of the Ministry of Education on the issue of face to face classes.

Antoinia De Freitas earlier this morning said the Education Minister needs to be clear on what her Ministry wants to do with the students who are writing upcoming exams.

And Education Minister Dr. Nyan Gadsby-Dolly makes an appeal to students to continue practicing health and safety protocols so that schools can remain opened.

Minister Gadsby-Dolly gave the advice yesterday as she paid visits to schools in east & central Trinidad.

Accompanied by a team of senior executives from the Ministry Dr Gadsby-Dolly visited schools in the St. George east and Caroni education districts.

In a release the Ministry says the delegation visited 16 schools, starting at 8:00am at the Mt. Hope Secondary School.

During the tour, the delegation engaged school administrators on matters of safety protocols, infrastructure, attendance schedules and other operational matters at schools.

The Education Minister also took the opportunity to interact with students, reassuring them of the Ministry’s efforts to ensure all health and safety systems are operational for their continued educational and physical wellbeing.

Murder suspect Norville Edwards is found dead at the Maloney Police Station.

Fifty-seven-year-old Mr. Edwards, a resident of Morvant, was discovered motionless in a cell at around 9pm on Monday.

Police say a piece of clothing was found wrapped around his neck.

Officers say efforts to revive him failed.

Mr. Edwards was being questioned in connection with the death of Jonathan Phillip in Morvant on February 25^th, 2022.

He was detained last weekend.

A post mortem is to be performed on Mr. Edwards’s body today.

Acting Commissioner of Police Mc Donald Jacob says he is appalled by a video clip and photos being circulated on social media showing the remains of the 3 men.

An Express Newspaper report quotes Mr. Jacob as saying, if it is determined that a member of the police service was involved in the release of these photos and clips, action would be taken.

The acting top cop says an investigation into the suspected leak is underway.

He says this goes against the police service rules and regulations and standing orders on the conduct when dealing with post mortems.

Mr. Jacob is reported as saying if the police are culpable the Professional Standards Bureau would lead the investigations.