Cops granted fresh bail

Bail which had been granted to constables Ronald Modeste and Anderson Richards, at the police station where they were being held, was rescinded and they were both granted fresh bail in the sum of $90,000 and $60,000 respectively after it was revealed that the bailor for both men had acted as surety for two other persons within the last year.

Modeste and Richards as well as constable Nicholas Henry were were assigned to the Rapid Response Unit (RRU) and were charged on Saturday night by officers of the Professional Standards Bureau (PSB) of the TT Police Service.

Henry was granted bail in the sum of $80,000. Aged 26, 34 and 36, they have been serving officers in the Police Service for six, ten and 11 years respectively.

The formal charges are two counts of misbehaviour in public office by corruptly soliciting and receiving from a member of the public, namely Dion Babb, a quantity of cash ($4,500), as well as an amount of $2,000 as an inducement to not investigate a suspected criminal offence of human trafficking.

Modeste is on three charges, while Henry has been charged with two offences and Anderson one.

The SRPs were arrested between November 30 and December 1 and have been in custody since.

The offences were said to have taken place on November 27 at St Lucien Road, Diego Martin.

It was alleged that the three police officers attempted to extort money from a landlord whose tenants are Venezuelan nationals.

The landlord was allegedly approached by the three SRPs who allegedly told him he had to pay them $4,500 every Monday for a month or else he would be detained and handed over to the Immigration Department for harbouring illegal Venezuelans.

They will all return to court on January 3.