Govt presents 16 bills to Opposition

Al-Rawi said the meeting also gave Government the opportunity to update the Opposition on matters such as Prison Rules and Electronic Monitoring, “all of which in advanced state of physical operation.” In outlining the bills presented to the Opposition. Al-Rawi said Government believes many of the laws on the country’s law books do not have the kind of impact into crime they should.

He explained this is why Government feels it is very critical, “to go behind the money because it is the money which floats crime.” Speaking later during the briefing, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said the Opposition has been alerted that Government will need its support to pass the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) Bill in Parliament.

The bill requires a three-fifths majority for passage and there is September 30 deadline for TT to become FATCA compliant. In terms of “low hanging fruit” mentioned by Opposition Leader Kamla Persad- Bissessar during the meeting, National Security Minister Edmund Dillon said joint border patrols and joint coastal patrols have been in operation for quite some time. Dillon also said significant progress is behind made towards the establishment of a Joint Border Protection Agency. He said former Police Commissioner James Philbert and former Civil Aviation Director Ramesh Lutchmedial have been part of that exercise.

Dillon also said the National Intelligence Agency which Persad- Bissessar spoke about in the meeting, is serving as a fusion centre under the Strategic Services Agency. He stated the process to recruit a DNA custodian for the Forensic Sciences Centre in St James is underway.

Dillon said the country is engaging the United States and United Kingdom regarding a DNA bank. Recalling that Rowley witnessed the operations of a DNA laboratory at UWI’s Mona Campus in Jamaica in July, Dillon said Government would seek to model a facility in TT after that lab.