In fact, there may even be a fifth investigation — by the Police Service and the Fraud Squad in particular. Of course, there will be duplication across all of these investigations but it cannot be helped if we are to go ahead with each of them.

It is justified, for example, for the Port Authority to conduct its own internal investigation.

It will need to know if there were systemic failures that facilitated any wrongdoing and where corrective interventions are needed.

The Integrity Commission’s probe may be statutory-based. If a formal request was made, then it has to do what it must. Similarly, the investigation by the joint select committee of Parliament may be legally enshrined once a request is made.

The Prime Minister and/or line minister are also entitled to launch an investigation into this very public matter.

Whether it should be one person or a team conducting this investigation is entirely up to him as well as who are the investigator(s).

However, it would be much wiser for the PM to have an investigation team rather than a one-person investigator.

One investigator, like anybody else, will have his/her own prejudices and can be accused of all kinds of biasness.

It will also be more publicly accepted if a three-member team at least, be used for these very public investigations.

More heads are better than one on these highly controversial matters and you don’t want to be accused later on of having a one-man show.

The PM should quickly add appropriate people and create a team.

It will be interesting for the public to know what the terms of reference for each of these investigations are so that we will know what can be expected.

Of course, the ultimate aim is to find out if any wrongdoings were committed, by whom, why and how, and what actions should be taken.

The public has a keen interest in this matter, especially as it involves public funds so we need to be kept in the loop. The findings should not be hidden away from us especially as the issue involves possibly hundreds of millions of dollars.

IAN RAMDHANIE via email

Busby submitted video footage recorded by Crime Scene Investigator (CSI) WPC Aleong yesterday as evidence before the court.

However, he was met with fierce opposition from Merritt who argued that under section 14B of the Evidence Act, the reliability of the laptop on which the video footage was viewed was not provided by the prosecution and hence any footage viewed from the DVD should not be admissible as evidence.

“Your Worship, this section is what I am talking about. I am saying that the prosecution must first satisfy the criteria on the reliability of the device on which the recording or the footage is being run. It is only then can you allow the admissibility of the footage as evidence, that is what the section clearly states.” Busby responded by accusing the defence of stalling the progress of yesterday’s proceedings and said that while no certificate on the reliability of the device had been provided, there were no grounds for the dismissal of the footage as evidence.

“He (Merritt) wants to assert that the facts presented are not admissible.

“He wants to say that this (footage) is not admissible because there are reasonable grounds for its dismissal. I have led evidence that there are no reasonable grounds as what the footage depicts is in fact accurate. The bottom line Your Worship is that lawyers are sometimes paid to talk rubbish.” This prompted a brief outburst from both prisoners and occupants from the public gallery as Senior Magistrate Indrani Cedeno was forced to regain control of the courtroom.

“You can see counsels, we are both going around in circles with this exchange so if there is a point to be made it should be made now.” Footage of the video recorded was subsequently shown and a thorough cross-examination performed on WPC Aleong on records made during her investigation.

Earlier in yesterday’s inquiry, defence attorney Criston J Williams urged the court to act efficiently in the processing of evidence and witness statements.

He emphasised this point by telling the court that it’s duty was to ensure that time and resources were managed efficiently to avoid dragging the matter on any longer than necessary.

The matter has been adjourned to August 25.

Former Lifesport coordinator Rajaee Ali and brothers, Ishmael and Hamid Ali, Devaughn Cummings, Ricardo Stewart, Earl Richards, Stephan Cummings, Kevin Parkinson, Leston Gonzales, Roger Boucher and Gareth Wiseman were implicated in the murder of Seetahal that took place while she was driving home from a casino on May 4, 2014.

Seven is representative of Tchaikovsky’s ballet Swan Lake, as well as the Magnificent Seven buildings around the Queen’s Park Savannah. Its costumes are also inspired by poui trees in full bloom, and the story of seven sisters and their encounter with a wandering young man who becomes their guest.

The costumes are vibrant with a fairy-tale feel to them and are expected to come to life under the hands of MAC’s director of makeup artistry in New York, Romero Jennings.

Jennings was born in Jamaica and although he grew up in New York, he still calls himself an “island boy.” With over 30 years of experience in the field, he is accomplished in the world of makeup artistry and has done looks for three international magazine covers, including Harper’s Bazaar in Spanish and L’Officiel, Ukraine.

Working with LTCB’s theme, Jennings revealed, was “like a makeup artist’s dream come true!” “The costumes are graphic, colourful, filled with sparkle and dimension,” he said. “Creating the looks were so satisfying as an artist.

“Since I am an island boy born in Jamaica, I imagined beautiful, bright fabrics against many different skin tones! It really is a dream partnership with Lost Tribe.” Although it is his first time working with a Carnival band, Jennings is not daunted. “The partnership with Lost Tribe was perfect, I am counting on working together with the band and even using some of its costumes in upcoming photo shoots and presentations.” A photo shoot has already been done at the MAC location in Trinidad.

Having the freedom to interpret the looks since he was able to consider all aspects of island life when designing them, Jennings went on to describe the surreal process.

“As my brain was thinking, I could smell and taste the food (doubles), feel the sun and ocean air. It was so unreal, I could taste the island.

“No, I have never been to Trinidad before this trip but I knew that it would be like home. The island and people are amazing! “It was bigger and more dynamic than I thought. Trinidad has a laid-back vibe but a fast, inviting riddim.” He explained that customers will be able to recreate his looks with the aid of the face charts they have produced.

“I had Christa Wong, a NYC based makeup artist Face Chart Pro create the polished charts.

We used them for the band launch and will use them as a guide for customers to get the same looks with ease.

Face charts really are an art form,” Jennings said.

When asked about his favourite look, Jennings found it difficult to choose one because he loved so many of them.

However, he tentatively settled on Fleur, because “the colours are delicious and the engineering creates a cloud of floating fabric that looks effortless but effective.” Jennings described his work with the Lost Tribe team as “magical” and said he would not change a thing they did on launch night.

“I am so proud of the MAC Travel Retail Caribbean team.” He added, “I know as a leader that you are as good as your team and the team is talented and with a high level of artistry skills. They are the heroes and I really love and appreciate working with them.” Jennings was impacted personally by the experience.

“It reminds me of where I come from and to always remember to stop and smell the roses,” he said. “I realise how much I missed the magic of the Caribbean.

“ It is electric but calming at the same time. Island peeps, bredrin, have a drive and determination to never give up and always strive for the best but look for the beauty within.”

In a release, Dr Virginia Asin-Oostburg, director, Surveillance, Disease Prevention and Control urged people to take the necessary precautions to prevent and reduce the spread of this illness. CARPHA said conjunctivitis referred to inflammation of the membrane covering the whites of the eyes and the inside of the eyelids. The congestion of blood vessels in this membrane gives rise to a reddened appearance and explains the more common names “red eye or pink eye.” The most common causes of conjunctivitis are viruses, bacteria, and allergens. Viral and bacterial conjunctivitis are very contagious and can spread easily from person to person.

Eye symptoms can include, redness, irritation, itchiness, production of excessive tears, clear or yellow discharge that may make the eyelids stick together, especially on mornings, and swelling of the eye lids.

CARPHA advised members of the public to practice good hygiene. They advised people to avoid close contact with those with conjunctival symptoms, keep unwashed hands away from face and eyes. Also avoid sharing personal items such as pillows, wash cloths, towels, eye drops, eye makeup, face makeup, makeup brushes, contact lenses and, contact lens containers, or eyeglasses and disinfect frequently- touched surfaces in common areas, (for example doorknobs, counter-tops in shared spaces).

When contacted Dr Kaiawa Clarke, medical doctor in the ophthalmology department at the Port of Spain General Hospital, said he was aware of the release from CARPHA and indicated that he had not seen an increase of people at the hospital with conjunctivitis.

“I cannot really say I have seen an increase in conjunctivitis patients coming in Port-of-Spain at least right now. Usually when it is in season three or four people will come in per day and I can’t remember when last I saw a conjunctivitis patient.” Clarke said with conjunctivitis, the main thing to reduce the spread of it, is hygiene because it is very infectious.

He said there was a need to do a lot of hand washing, and washing of pillows to really reduce the risk, “Once you get it you just have to run its course, and there is no real treatment to stop it.” He continued, “Some people can have conjunctivitis for a week, or three weeks and if it is a complicated viral conjunctivitis, you can actually have problems for a couple of months afterwards.

But the main thing is hygiene, it is the take home message if you want to stop the spread of conjunctivitis.”

The Venezuelans remained in custody yesterday as police tried to get an interpreter to allow for formal charges to be laid.

According to reports, at about 3.20 pm on Thursday, officers of the Coast Guard were on patrol along the North Coast when they saw a Venezuelan Vessel named El Continent 2.4 nautical miles off Point Galeota. Officers called on the captain to take the vessel to shore so that it could be examined.

While on shore, officers of the Customs and Excise and Police searched the vessel thoroughly but nothing illegal was found.

It was then discovered the vessel had developed a leak and two of the six occupants were allowed to remain in the vessel under guard while the four others were taken away and placed in a cell at the Mayaro Police Station.

They are expected to be charged with illegally fishing in the territorial waters of Trinidad and Tobago.

Inspector Jurai of the Mayaro police is continuing enquiries.

If “eating ah food” (being paid for doing nothing) is nation building, we got a long way to go.

What has been happening is that those given the job to guide our youths are grandstanding, using terms like “I prepared a paper on that.” Paper on shelves and not implemented is a waste of time. It becomes garbage.

Our education system is a complete failure as most of our children go to school but do not participate in schooling. Teachers must take some responsibility for this as absenteeism is the name of the game.

And they can be at that school for a year and not know the children or the culture of the community.

How sad.

For our country to progress we must be committed, be true Trinis to the bone.

ATHELSTON CLINTON Arima

Calling for export growth, the TTMA in a statement urged the creation of an enabling environment to create a much-needed expansion of the manufacturing sector, plus greater production, employment, export and foreign exchange earnings.

The statement said Government and business sector have similar interests.

“Both the Government and the manufacturing community agree wholly that the industry needs to take the lead in the diversification drive, and the urgent acceleration of this drive is crucial.

“However, for this objective to be realised, certain measures need to be implemented to serve as a catalyst for investment in plant, machinery and operations, allowing for greater productivity and output from factory floors across the country.” The TTMA said it has proposed a priority list of items for the Government to mull for the 2017/18 fiscal package, to collaboratively help build the non-energy sector and drive diversification.

“The TTMA would like to see as many of our manufacturers competing on the global market as possible, but without the right conditions locally, it would not be possible to effectively compete with some of the most efficient world market leaders.” The TTMA’s priority list of items includes export incentives to manufacturers to help create new streams of foreign exchange revenue for our national economy.

“The TTMA emphasises that these proposed measures would serve to promote manufacturing, exporting, job creation, crime reduction and ultimately aid in the much required diversification process.

“The initiatives are not burdensome on the Government coffers (but) are cost-effective, and the benefits will undoubtedly have far reaching consequences in stimulating sustainable growth and economic activity across the country.”

Chase was the West Indies best bowler, finishing with four for 113 in 26.2 overs as England declared on 514 for eight in the first innings.

Cook scored 243, while West Indies closed on 44/1 in reply.

Chase was happy to get wickets but felt he was expensive. “It is always good getting wickets. I was lucky enough to get four in the day but I thought I was a little bit to expensive for that stage of the game. I thought my length was a bit short to Cook and that was my main error for me today,” Chase said.

Chase said he grew in confidence the more he bowled which saw him grab the wicket of Cook. “At one point I just tried to contain him (Cook). I was not thinking of getting the wicket, but I grew in confidence in my bowling and I was feeling a bit better and I guess that worked for me.” West Indies will be batting today to stay alive in the match and Chase believes the batsmen are confident after scoring heavily in the warmup match. “The batting is full of confidence although we lost that early wicket. Tomorrow in the sunshine we will look to do our best.” Rain ended play early yesterday but Chase believes that the West Indies would have done well in the closing session. “The guys were batting well, we were quite confident that they (Kieran Powell and Kyle Hope) would have brought us to the end of play. The rain came and we can’t do anything about that. We just look forward to tomorrow.”

In the Port of Spain High Court on Thursday, Al-Rawi was granted an ex-parte order against private Josimar Belgrave and corporal Jason Richards to have them repay $1,480,000.

In a statement issued to the media yesterday, the Office of the Attorney General said it is seeking to have the money recovered by the Defence Force and wants the court to freeze the assets of the soldiers and order disclosure and discovery from certain financial institutions.

The ministry said the order granted restrains the soldiers, “whether by themselves, their servants and/ or agents or otherwise howsoever, from removing or in any way disposing of, dealing with or diminishing any and all assets located within or outside the jurisdiction that are owned by either of the (soldiers) whether solely or jointly with each other or any other person; held by any third party for the benefit of either (soldier); and/or held by any third party under the direct or indirect instructions of either (of them), their servants and/ or agents.” The order also freezes certain accounts held by the soldiers in financial institutions and it grants disclosure of certain accounts held by them.

“It requires disclosure by the (soldiers) by the filing of affidavits on or before August 25 and requires the payment of the (AG’s) costs of the application to the court.

The order granted by Justice Margaret Mohammed was served on Thursday.

Ramcharan Ramlokan, 49, of Ramkalliah Trace, Kanhai Road South, Barrackpore told Newsday the prosthetic leg he was using is broken and worn out and was causing him great discomfort in his leg and spine. “The crack in the false leg cut my foot and it got infected,” he said. “The doctor put me on antibiotics.” Ramlokan was born with spina bifida occulta.

According to the National Health Services in the United Kingdom, spina bifida is when a baby’s spine and spinal cord does not develop properly in the womb, causing a gap in the spine. Spina bifida occulta is the most common and mildest type of spina bifida.

Symptoms may include weakness or total paralysis of the legs, bowel incontinence and urinary incontinence. He was born with a severe form of club foot and required a right below the knee amputation.

Club foot is a condition where the affected foot and calf are often smaller than usual and the skin and soft tissues are short and underdeveloped.

The cost of the right prosthetic limb is $21,000 and one left short leg calliper boots is $6,000. Ramlokan has to wear a certain type of boots as he develops ulcers in his left from regular shoes. Further to these complications his bladder was removed in 1999 and he has one kidney. He uses urostomy bags (external bags for urine) which cost $1000 per month.

He said tearfully, “I cannot do anything as I want. It gets to me sometimes. This is a hard life.” He has been seeking assistance since 2014 through the Ministry of Social Development.

Ramlokan said, “I get a run around from the Ministry of Social Development.

Every time I go they keep telling me they waiting on approval.” He said since 2015 the funding he has received from the State to pay for his urostomy bags has been cut. Ramlokhan lives alone and has no children. He receives public assistance and a disability grant which totals approximately $2210 a month. Ramlokhan has a bicycle which uses to move around.

He said he has a kitchen garden to help him cut down on his food bill. When asked if he has planned any way to raise funds he said, “I have donation sheets and I am planning on doing a curry que.” He is hoping people would support the venture. Ramlokhan is pleading with citizens to give whatever assistance they can. He has a message to those who are in some sort of difficulty. “Do not give up in life because you have a problem.

Always try to motivate yourself and move forward. Don’t let a problem keep you down.” He can be contacted at 292- 1809 or 784-9495.