Lucky demands witness protection for ‘Army victims’

OPPOSITION MP Gillian Lucky on Thursday demanded that witness protection be given to El Socorro residents who were allegedly beaten by members of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force last week. Speaking with reporters at Barataria/San Juan MP Dr Fuad Khan’s office in San Juan, Lucky warned residents that until the police conclude their investigations into that incident, “you are vulnerable”. She questioned whether the Army had the jurisdiction to interview El Socorro residents and whether National Security Minister Howard Chin Lee now had a report listing the names of potential witnesses in the incident. Chin Lee told the Senate on Tuesday that the results of an Army Board of Inquiry’s investigation into the incident were inconclusive and the police would now be starting their own investigations. “Who mandated a committee to investigate this matter? What is the jurisdiction of the committee? If Army personnel were allegedly involved that does not mean that the Army can call the residents to give the evidence. What the Army should have done is launch an internal investigation. The real people who should be getting the protection, who are potential witnesses, those persons are not being given the protection.” Lucky declared.  She claimed that if the names of residents fell into the wrong hands, they would be at the mercy of the alleged perpetrators. “That list must never become a hit list,” Lucky warned.

The UNC MP lamented the absence of an established witness protection programme in the country but “only an  adhoc witness protection  and that has been going on for years”. Khan said former Attorney General Ramesh Law-rence Maharaj was in the process of fine-tuning the legislation but never completed the process. Attempts to contact Maharaj for comment were unsuccessful. Lucky said it was “wholly unacceptable” to have situations like this where “members of the Executive” were adopting a hands-on approach to investigations where “they ought to be independent”. “It encourages suspicion. It encourages a cover up,” she warned. Lucky said there appeared to be enough evidence to establish a prima facie case and she has formed a legal team to investigate the residents allegations and study all available options. On several occasions during the meeting, Lucky was forced to caution residents about making statements in the presence of the media. Some residents took issue with one newspaper which they said falsely claimed El Socorro residents were prepared to engage in vigilante action to defend themselves.