Forde-John read to Ramlogan, the charges relating to allegations of witness tampering in 2014.

Ramlogan was not called on to plead. The charges stem from an allegation made by director of the Police Complaints Authority (PCA), David West that he (West) was asked to withdraw his witness statement in a defamation lawsuit Ramlogan had filed against then opposition leader Dr Keith Rowley for comments made about Section 34 and extradition proceedings involving businessmen Ishwar Galbaransingh and Steve Ferguson. West is alleging that Ramlogan, in a telephone interview on October 31, 2014, promised him he would be appointed PCA director if he withdrew from the lawsuit.

Ramlogan was detained by police on Tuesday morning at his home at Palmiste, San Fernando, taken to Police Headquarters in Port-of-Spain for questioning and released on Wednesday night after being charged and granted bail in the sum of $750,000.

Yesterday, Ramlogan’s attorney Pamela Elder SC asked to see the search warrant. The police prosecutor agreed to provide her with it at the next hearing.

Ramlogan left the court accompanied by his wife Nalini and attorneys including Gerald Ramdeen and Wayne Sturge.

“It took a very long time to have my day in court,” Ramlogan said.

“I remain confident that the truth shall set me free. I have no doubt that justice will prevail in this matter and that I will emerge victorious. I have every confidence in my legal team headed by Pamela Elder Senior Counsel, and we anxiously await the day in court when the people that laid these scurrilous allegations will enter the witness box and subject themselves to the cross-examination that will prevail.

“I was a bit flattered when I saw the extreme security measures this morning. Happily it wasn’t for me. I understand that another matter is in the court.

“It has been a very harrowing and distressing experience to be subjected to the execution of a search warrant by such a large contingent of police officers at my home. My primary concern now is for my young children and my family, and I intend to protect them and to ensure that this trial does not affect them.

“Other than that I intend to continue doing what I’ve always done, that is to fight for justice for the downtrodden and the underprivileged in Trinidad and Tobago. I expect to be back out to work at my law firm come Monday morning.”

to be headed by businessman Wilfred Espinet with Reynold Adjodhasingh as vice chairman, was chosen for its business experience as well as deep knowledge of Petrotrin. In addition to Espinet and Adjodhasingh.

the board comprises Nigel Edwards; Anthony Chan Tack; Eustace Nancis; Joel Harding; Linda Rajpaul; Randhir Rampersad and Selwyn Lashley, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Energy Affairs. Rowley said that Petrotrin had run up huge debts which it was unable to pay and which had to be met by the Minister of Finance at a time when the minister was struggling to meet the other expenses which he had to deal with. He said the first of these debts comes due in 2019 – U.S $850 million in one payment – and another smaller payment due shortly afterwards. He said Petrotrin’s oil production has been falling considerably and its ageing infrastructure carries the risk of safety and the possibility of leaks polluting the Gulf of Paria and the Venezuelan coastline which he said would have huge consequences. He said the company’s dated refinery is refining crude at a loss at the current level of oil prices and that because of the company’s serious financial situation.

the Minister of Finance has been forced to pay for imports of crude oil to keep the refinery operating while it is losing money on each barrel of oil that it produces.

The issue was raised yesterday by president of the Co-operative Credit Union League Joseph Remy at the funeral for hiker Richard Baird who fell to his death while returning from a hike to the Aripo waterfall on August 19. His body was found at the bottom of a precipice three days later. An autopsy revealed the father of six, of Rousillac, sustained a broken neck.

The funeral for 55-year-old Baird, a computer technician at Petrotrin, was held at the St Benedict’s RC Church in La Romaine.

He was also the treasurer on the League’s board of directors and served on various committees at the level of the Caribbean Confederation of Credit Unions.

Remy told the large gathering that the regulatory framework guiding hiking organisations should include registration and operating licences, evidence of expertise and establishment of medical, safety and security systems.

“And in the event of incidents, mandatory investigations must be conducted to ascertain liability,” Remy said.

Remy questioned whether Baird’s death would be the catalyst for advocacy by his peers for State-sanctioned regulations for such events or if his death would be just another statistic to be ignored.

He said as president of the national umbrella body for credit unions in the country, he and the organisation will be failing if they leave issues like this one unattended.

“While we consider Richard to be a victim on this occasion, and sadly so, we pledge in the interest of those of us who are left behind, to pursue with our country’s leaders, the issue of legislation and practices to govern hiking with appropriate safeguards and attendant consequences for non-conformance.” Remy said Baird was more than a friend or colleague; he was a brother, mentor, leader and a man who spent all his years “looking out for everyone”.

To the Baird family, Remy said: “Rest in the comfort that Richard certainly did his duty for his country and his people. We want to thank you for the privilege of sharing such a great life with us. He was a true co-operator and a friend. We will surely miss him and his vast contribution to the co-operative credit union movement and the quest for equity and economic and social justice.” Many friends, colleagues and relatives paid tributes to Baird and thanked him for his contributions which, they said, enriched their lives in different ways.

Deacon Harold Woodroffe, who officiated at the funeral, recalled fond moments with his friend Baird.

The body was taken to the RC Cemetery at South Oropouche for burial

Doldron, a proprietor of Cemetery Street in La Brea, died shortly before 5 am yesterday while being treated at the intensive care unit of the San Fernando General Hospital, police said.

According to police reports, at about 6 pm on Wednesday, Doldron was liming inside Diane’s Bar at Blitz Village, Pleasantville when two gunmen entered and announced a robbery.

One of the men snatched a gold chain from Doldron’s neck and a struggle ensued. His accomplice shot Doldron in his abdomen. The men then fled the scene with the chain.

Doldron, also known as Ladder Boss and Papy, was taken to the hospital where he underwent emergency surgery. Police said a bullet remained lodged near his spine.

Sgt Corneal, Cpl Mohammed and PCs Lee Lum and Matloo of the Mon Repos Police Station visited the scene and conducted investigations.

Homicide Bureau (Region III) based in San Fernando is continuing investigations.

Knight Riders have an unassailable lead at the top of the standings with 16 points after earning eight wins and one loss.

Knight Riders will also welcome Shadab Khan back into the squad after the Pakistani had to return to Pakistan briefly for fitness and medical tests. The Tridents are in a keen contest with the Guyana Amazon Warriors to earn the fourth and final spot of the knockout phase.

Knight Riders will face the second placed team in qualifier one at Brian Lara Cricket Academy (BLCA) in Tarouba, on Tuesday, from 8 pm. Either Jamaica Tallawahs or St Kitts and Nevis Patriots will finish in second position.

Last night, Tallawahs were hoping to seal second place with a victory over Amazon Warriors in Jamaica.

The winner of qualifier one will qualify for the September 9 final at 9 pm. On Wednesday from 8 pm, the eliminator between the third place and fourth place teams will take place. The winner will play the loser of qualifier one in qualifier two on Thursday at 8 pm for a place in the final. All matches in the second phase of the tournament will be played at BLCA

For this exhibition, he has drawn inspiration from his archives and produced striking pieces in oils, the medium he favoured in his early development as an artist.

Bryden believes these paintings to be some of his best work and is pleased to still have the drive to create and be relevant in a pastime he loves so much, said a media release.

The exhibition will also feature pieces on loan from his family’s private collection, many of which have never been displayed in public. Limited edition prints of Bryden’s watercolours will be available for purchase. Journey Through The Past will open at 5pm on Friday, and will be held at the Art Society of Trinidad and Tobago, Federation Park. To encourage a more diversified ownership of his paintings, Bryden will have a silent auction on selected pieces, with a blind bidding process, which will conclude with last bids on September 15 at 3 pm.

Part proceeds from winning bids in excess of their base price will be donated to the All Saints Gordon Home for Senior Citizens.

The exhibition will continue until September 15, from 10am to 5pm daily.

Rennie Siew and Naruba Roodal were arrested and charged on Tuesday after a raid at their home at Union Village, Couva. Police said, at about 5.30 pm members of the Central Division Task Force executed a search warrant at the couple’s home where they allegedly found one Glock pistol, one 9 mm pistol and 28 rounds of 9 mm ammunition.

They also allegedly found 13 packets of marijuana with a street value of $58,000. PC Anand Kumar laid the charges. Siew and Roodal were expected to appear before a magistrate in the Couva court yesterday.

A cursory glance at the make-shift facilities at the Riverside Plaza car park is enough for anyone to realise that the time has come for a proper, dedicated shelter to be designated. The Riverside Plaza car park facility came about due to the losses being incurred at that east Port-of- Spain rejuvenation project and was never designed for the purpose to which it is dedicated now.

In fact, it is arguable that the facility is now a major hindrance to the development of that segment of the capital since it is manifestly overcrowded and ill-suited to meeting the needs of those within it. It is high time a new facility is designated.

But what is required is more than just land and a building.

The new facility must be specifically tailored to handle what is a complex matter.

As noted in several Parliament committee sessions and reports, street-dwellers involve a wide range of social intersections.

A person may end up on the street for one of many reasons.

These include: lack of employment, abandonment by family, ostracism from community, drug addition, and mental health issues.

As such it is more than just a matter of providing each homeless person with a room.

They must also have access to all the ancillary things that could make a stay in the new facility meaningful, including access to medical facilities, counselling, rehab and life support.

We cannot have a repeat of the grand clearance which took place before the 2009 Summit of the Americas.

What was at first a successful removal of homeless people from the streets later became an abject failure once the summit was over. The homeless people simply came back.

Sweeping up the homeless and placing them in a room on a new piece of land is not going to solve anything.

The State may be able to implement a holistic programme at the new shelter if it partners with organisations with experience in these matters, such as the Salvation Army and the relevant regional heath authorities and their facilities.

The days of homeless people dying on our streets or at the Riverside Plaza car park should be over.

A dedicated facility will contribute to the development of a more humane environment.

And it will also have the added benefit of allowing planners and business officials to make better use of the capital and its facilities.

If we truly desire the rejuvenation of Port-of-Spain we must include a clear plan for its homeless.

We laud the Port of Spain City Corporation for the big step it is taking and hope this move by Mayor Joel Martinez is part of a wider plan.

If supporting local content is an objective worthy of support (as I believe it is), then the Government should determine up front by how much and for how long (on a reducing scale) it was prepared to subsidise local programming until that element as well could be profitable.

But that and God’s face we are not likely to see.

How many times must taxpayers bare the burden of inefficient governance, helpless witness to obvious ineptitude. No wonder the country sinks deeper into economic and morale malaise. From sea bridge, to accelerated crime, to rising unemployment, to “visionlessness” on a way forward.

I am bombarded by people hungry for a sense of hope. What can I say when those who were given the reins keep messing up like this. Mr Ministers, who are your technical advisers? Your rationale for such a move needs to be made transparent to the public. We need to know what are the costs involved? What is the time frame for profitability etc? But even without such projections, I stake my professional reputation that this is as bad a move as was closing down ttt to open CNMG; crazy dog chasing its tail to no avail.

INDERA SAGEWAN-ALLI via email

Also detained were four men, three of whom are also from Tucupita – ages 21 and two 26 years old.

Police said the fourth suspect is a 39-year-old Trinidadian and has identified him as the owner of the house located at Katwaroo Trace. Police said, at about 1.30 am yesterday, Snr Supt McIntyre, ASP Smith, Sgt Jodhan and members of the Central Special Crime Unit executed a search warrant at the house when they found the items and arrested the occupants.