CHIEF JUSTICE Sat Sharma yesterday ordered that the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court be shut down because of a plumbing problem which threatened the electrical system in the new wing of the building. As a result, no cases will be heard at the St Vincent Street courthouse until Monday when it is hoped that the problem would be rectified. Following a meeting with officials of the Court Executive Administration department yesterday, Chief Magistrate Sherman Mc Nicolls passed on the news to attorneys involved in the Akiel Chambers inquest, which Mc Nicolls was hearing when he was summoned by the Chief Justice.
   
Mc Nicolls left the court at 11.30 am, saying he was going to attend an urgent meeting and would be back by midday. He did not return until 12.45 pm when he announced that the Chief Justice had ordered the court to be shut down. Mc Nicolls took reporters to see the problem in the basement of the new wing, where a pipe had burst in the generator room. According to the Chief Magistrate, no one at that time knew where the problem was. “The water was just leaking and gathering on the floor of this room. We had to shut off the water because it threatened the electrical system,” he said. Mc Nicolls said the court has had no water since Friday. He pointed out that MTS staff members collected buckets of water from the basement and carried them as high as the fourth floor. Because of the lack of water, staff workers placed “out of order”  signs outside the public toilets in the building, as the toilets could not be flushed. Added to that, no prisoners were brought from the State Prison for this week. “This was going to be a problem so the prisoners could not be brought.”

When asked what would happen to cases listed for today and tomorrow, Mc Nicolls said charge cases would be heard before acting Senior Magistrate Deborah Quintyne at the Chaguaramas Magistrates’ Court. Members of the public and attorneys who have matters before the court on these days must attend the court registry in order to be informed as to the status of their matters and their adjourned dates. Mc Nicolls asked, “how could you have hundreds of people using this building every day with no water? It will amount to a serious health hazard,” he added. According to a release from the judiciary, the court was closed due to an undefined plumbing problem of some magnitude. The contractor, NIPDEC, has promised to treat the matter as one of urgency, according to the release. WASA has been working with the judiciary but noted that it was not their problem.

The new wing of the Port-of-Spain Court was started under the UNC Government in 1997. Two and a half years ago, then Attorney General Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj attempted to hand over the building to the judiciary but then Chief Justice Michael de la Bastide refused to accept it. A site inspection revealed so many defects that the judiciary refused to take possession. The PNM Government injected a further $5 million to correct the defects. According to CJ Sharma, the original designs of the building showed complete ignorance or indifference to the special needs and requirements of a court building. Attorney General Glenda Morean handed over the new wing to acting CJ Lionel Jones on August 15. The new wing was opened to the public three weeks ago. When contacted yesterday, CJ Sharma said several things contributed to the “colossal disaster” of the refurbishment of the new wing. He cited the excessive cost overruns, the inordinate delays, the failure to consult with the judiciary, the improper planning, the lack of daily supervision of workers and the reckless disregard and disrespect for public property together with the failure to meet promised deadlines.

AN EMPLOYEE of the Ministry of Health died on the spot, after being thrown from his vehicle during a two-car collision along the Solomon Hochoy Highway yesterday afternoon. Aaron George, 28, a driver of Silk Cotton Trace, Bon Accord, Tobago, died instantly while two other persons, 52-year-old Edward Piper and his son, Dale Francis, 23, both employees of Southern Sales and Services, were seriously injured in the collision and up to late yesterday, were being treated at the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH). The fatal accident occurred around 1 pm, along the south-bound lane of the busy Solomon Hochoy Highway, between the Freeport and Preysal flyovers.

George’s co-worker Derrick Simmons, who witnessed the fatal accident, told Newsday he picked up George at the Health Ministry’s head-office in Port-of-Spain, after fixing one of the Ministry’s trucks, which had broken down on the Solomon Hochoy Highway. Simmons said he dropped George back to the repaired truck which was parked at the side of the highway and that he (George) was supposed to have driven the truck back to the Ministry’s headoffices in Port-of-Spain. As Simmons was leaving in his private vehicle, after dropping George off, the accident happened. “He (George) drove down the shoulder and as he pull onto the highway, a van struck him from behind and the truck fling up in the air and spin around. He fell out of the truck on to the road. The truck landed on top of a TTEC pole and crashed into an embankment on the side of the road,” Simmons said.

Simmons, who was already driving along the highway in his private vehicle, in front of George (who was driving the Ministry truck), said the white van (which struck the Ministry truck from behind) ran off the road and crashed into the embankment. Simmons said he ran to his friend’s assistance, but George was already dead. Eyewitnesses said that Piper was screaming for help while his son, covered in blood, lay unconscious and pinned in the passenger seat. Francis and Piper were rushed to the SFGH in two EHS ambulances. The extent of the injuries to the men was not known up to late yesterday TTEC workers cut off the supply of electricity in the area while they repaired the lines which were pulled down during the crash. Visiting the scene were a party of officers from the Couva Police Station and Mon Repos Highway patrol including PCS Singh and Ali. The accident caused a massive traffic pile-up along the highway. Investigations are continuing.

AKIEL CHAMBERS INQUEST —— DAY 5

PATHOLOGIST Dr Hughvon Des Vignes said yesterday that he cannot rule out that 11-year-old Akiel Cham-bers was smothered to death during sexual intercourse. Smother-ing, he added, happens when one suffocates because the nose and mouth are obstructed by something or someone. He said based on all the information now available to him and the photographs tendered into evidence, it was still possible however, that Akiel could have died by drowning. In his evidence on Monday, Dr Des Vignes said he cannot say for sure how Akiel died. However, a post-mortem report compiled by the pathologist was tendered into evidence yesterday. In his conclusion, Dr Des Vignes said, “ I am of the opinion that Akiel Chambers, an 11-year-old boy died by drowning.”

When asked by the Coroner how he arrived at that decision, Dr Des Vignes said he interviewed Cpl Husbands and PC Clive Alvarez, who were attached to the Maraval Police Station. “They gave me certain information which I accepted. This weighed heavily in my initial conclusion as to the cause of death.” The pathologist continued, “Cpl Husbands informed me that there was significant fine white foamy froth at the mouth and nose of the deceased in the immediate period following recovery of the body. PC Alvarez gave me information that there was marked breaking of the hands and feet which is described as ‘washer woman hands and feet.’ Dr Des Vignes said based on this information he was of the opinion that the most likely cause of death was drowning. He said a pathologist comes to a conclusion based on information that is available. He accepted that the presence of the foamy substance pointed to drowning. This, he added, came from the police.

Dr Des Vignes was the only witness to testify yesterday in the inquest into the death of Akiel Chambers, whose body was found in the swimming pool of Charles and Annelore James at 23 Balata Terrace, Haleland Park, Maraval, on May 24, 1998. Chief Magistrate Sherman Mc Nicolls, presiding as Coroner, is hearing the inquest at the Port-of-Spain Eighth Magis-trates’ Court. Desmond Allum SC and Kenneth O’Brien are looking after the interest of the Chambers’ family, while the court prosecutor is Sgt Kenneth Cordner. Hearing was adjourned to October 14. Questioned by Allum, Dr Des Vignes said that Dr Neville Jankey, who performed the first post-mortem did not open the body. He said he did not find any significant amount of water in the lungs. But he did find 125 ml of pinkish, brown fluid which Akiel had digested about two hours before death. Dr Des Vignes said he could not determine conclusively whether Akiel was dead when his body first went into the swimming pool of the James’ residence.

On the issue of spermatozoa being found in the anus of the boy, Dr Des Vignes said as a pathologist, it was his duty to raise the matter where the issue was one of illicit sexual activity. He said the bruising on the knee and the discovery of the sperm in the anus must be significant as it demonstrated that Akiel may have been kneeling on a surface at the time the act was carried out. Asked by Sgt Cordner if he took samples from the swimming pool for testing, Dr Des Vignes said that was not his function. What about the swabs taken from Akiel’s anus, the pathologist said if they were available, it would have been possible to extract a DNA analysis from it. He said if the body was to be exhumed, no DNA testing could be done because all the tissues would be decomposed. The Coroner asked that Carrie James, 16, who is now attending school in Canada, be brought back to testify on the next occasion. Her father Charles James said he is prepared to spend $7,000 to bring her back in the interest of justice.

A two-year-old child was warded in serious condition at the Eric Williams Medical Sci-ences Complex yesterday, after he was struck by a runaway maxi-taxi at the Diego Martin Main Road. The child, Tyrel Roberts, suffered severe head injuries as a result of the crash. The driver of the maxi-taxi was detained at the West End Police Station late yesterday after officers discovered that he was not in possession of a driver’s permit and insurance. The mother of the child, Annmarie Jerry, 21, of Waterfall Road, Diego Martin, told investigators that she was standing with Tyrel at the side of the road when suddenly, before she could act, the maxi skidded off the road, struck her son and then ended up in a drain. She said that she was unable to even throw herself in the path of the maxi to prevent her child from being injured because the incident happened so quickly.

When Newsday arriv-ed on the scene, minutes after the incident took place, passengers in the maxi taxi said that they too were shaken up over the incident. They said that they saw the driver reportedly nodding away while driving the vehicle but they paid no real attention to him. One woman told Newsday that the vehicle swerved off the road and into the drain. She said that she heard a woman crying out “my son, my son” and then she and other passengers be-gan crawling through the windows of the vehicle. The driver of the maxi-taxi walked up and down the busy Diego Martin Main road and looked on in disbelief at the entire incident. He was jeered by passengers, other mo-torists and members of the public.

Nearby, Jerry collapsed on the road while her son was being put in a taxi which took her and the injured child to the Port-of-Spain General Hospi-tal. The driver of the vehicle, a 32-year-old man of Savannah Trace, Diego Martin, gave a statement to the police late yesterday. Police told Newsday that around 11.20 am, the maxi taxi was proceeding north along the Diego Martin Main Road, close to the West End Police Station, when the driver lost control of the vehicle. It struck the child and ended up in a drain at the eastern side of the road.

Executive Director of Guardian Holdings Limited (GHL), Dr Terrence Farrell, has advised that if Trinidad and Tobago aims to attain developed nation status by the year 2020, it has to achieve a rate of growth of ten percent per annum (US$). He was speaking at the recently held pre-Budget Breakfast Seminar, organised by the TT Economics Association and held at the Hotel Normandie. Dr Farrell, who is a member of the 25-member multi-sectoral core group established by the Ministry of Planning and Development to develop the road map towards Vision 2020, revealed that TT presently had a per capita income of US $7,000 per capita.

When compared to other developed countries, he maintained, we were far behind those of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) which had a per capita income of between US$25,000 and US$33,000. Another group of countries, labelled the High Income Developed Countries, which includes Singapore, had a per capita income of between US$17,000 and US$22,000. “If we have to get to developed country status by 2020,” he said, “we need to establish some kind of benchmark outside which this can be done. “Maybe we will not get to US$20,000, but the question is what does TT need to be able to do to get within striking distance of those countries?” he asked. Dr Farrell expressed his belief that to achieve this, TT would have to grow at seven percent per annum, something which has not been done over the last few years. TT, he stated, is now growing at approximately 4.5 percent.

He said, “We need to understand that no country is going to jump from where we are now, growing at about 4.5 percent GDP to seven percent in 2004. This can’t happen, economies don’t behave this way.” TT, he continued, therefore needs to accelerate gradually from where we are now at 4.5 percent up to and in excess of seven percent. “At some point in time between now and 2020, TT will have to grow at rates of ten percent per annum, US dollars,” he asserted. “This has never happened in TT before.” However, Dr Farrell stressed, this rate of growth could be achieved once the country adopted certain macroeconomic conditions. It is important, he stated, to understand that growth will not happen in a stable society, since by its very nature it is a state of imbalance.

Therefore, if the country intended to accelerate growth, it was necessary to create imbalances, always being cautious of the fact that if certain conditions get too far out of balance, this will result in a crisis situation. Dr Farrell expressed his belief that the 2003/2004 Budget would revolve around two major areas, namely the quantity of expenditure or the size of the deficit and the quality of this expenditure. He said, “What you want is that from a growth point of view, a significant part of expenditure should be on capital formation. “If you spend too much Government and society expenditure on consumption and not enough on capital formation then there will be no growth.”

PRIME MINISTER Patrick Manning said Trinidad and Tobago’s efforts to forge ahead through uncharted economic waters provides ample testimony that this country “represents the spirit of the Free Trade Areas of the Americas (FTAA)” and this is one reason why the FTAA Secretariat should be located in Port-of-Spain. Addressing a reception on Tuesday night at his La Fantasie residence for the vice trade ministers of 34 FTAA nations, the Prime Minister said despite the global economic slowdown and poor economic performance in Latin America and the Caribbean, TT’s economic performance over the last nine years “is testimony to the fact that under the correct circumstances, even small, western hemispheric, developing economies can derive meaningful gains from the multilateral trading system.

TT not only embodies the collective aspirations of the small developing economies of the hemisphere and the political will that is needed to make this integration process a reality, but it also represents the essence of the spirit of the FTAA and the principles on which it has been premised,” Manning declared. Recalling the FTAA’s genesis at the Miami Summit of the Americas in 1994, the Prime Minister said it was fitting that the 15th meeting of the Trade Negotiating Committee of the FTAA was being held in TT and outlined the reasons why this country is “the natural home of the FTAA.” Manning urged the assembled delegates not to be downcast about the “collapse at Cancun” and hinted that frustration with the lack of progress at the multilateral arena has set the stage for “the emergence of bilateral and regional free trade agreements as possible first-best options for fostering trade-led socio-economic growth and development and the alleviation of poverty.”

He said TT and Caricom, while reaffirming their commitment to the ministerial mandate, believe that under the present circumstances, the scope of the FTAA should be reduced “while retaining the schedule would represent a prudent means of moving forward. “Given the current status quo, this overarching agreement would provide the basis for a series of bilateral agreements which seek to deepen the integration process while safeguarding against any glacial progress at the multilateral level,” Manning stated. The Prime Minister hinted “it might very well be that given the recent turn of events in the multi-lateral trading system, the economies of the western hemisphere seem headed along what could emerge as the preferred path to economic growth and development.”
The FTAA summit ends tomorrow.

Health Minister Colm Imbert has given instructions for refurbishment work to begin immediately on the Maternity and Neonatal Units at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital, following a recent visit to the institution. In a release from the Communications Department of the Ministry of Health, it was stated that the work would be overseen by the recently created Special Projects Team in the Ministry of Health.

Work mandated to begin on the Neonatal ward will include the:-
* installation of new specialised equipment including infant incubators, ventilators, monitors, suction equipment, ECG monitors and centrifuges;
* rewiring of the electrical systems to allow air-conditioning;
* air-conditioning of the Unit, with appropriate isolation of ICU areas;
* complete upgrade of plumbing systems and fittings;
* complete interior restoration;
* electronic security;
* partitioning for specialised functions such as a breastfeeding room, patients’ waiting room, doctors’ offices, on-call room and storage room for medical supplies;
* construction of changing room facilities for staff;
* construction of a reception area;
* replacement of the entire floor surface of the Unit with appropriate custom-made sheeting designed to withstand rigorous use in a hospital environment;
* removal of all existing louvre windows and replacement with modern metal-framed glass windows; and
* installation of new burglar proofing.
Work on the Maternity Unit will include:-
* air conditioning of the Labour Ward and the delivery room;
* provision of private rooms for mothers and their families;
* construction of visitors’ toilets for the Labour Ward;
* replacement of the entire floor surface of the Labour Ward with appropriate custom-made sheeting designed to withstand rigorous use in a hospital environment;
* complete interior restoration; and
* electronic security for main door entrance.
When work is completed on both the Neonatal and Maternity Wards, they will both be properly equipped, especially in terms of facilities for infection control, in order to ensure that mothers and infants receive the highest standard of health care.

NEW parking arrangements are to be instituted in downtown Port-of-Spain. The arrangements have increased the parking time by an hour, making it legal to park on certain streets from 10 am to 4 pm. In addition, parking will now be allowed on several other streets during the same time. The new arrangement will take effect shortly, once the necessary regulations are published in the Gazette. The announcement was made yesterday at a joint press conference hosted by the Minister of Works and Transport, Franklyn Khan, the Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (DOMA) and Port-of-Spain Mayor, Murchison Brown, at the Ministry’s Richmond Street offices.

President of DOMA Gregory Aboud noted that the issue of parking was crucial to any activity, and having experienced difficulty getting parking spaces downtown, the organisation approached the Ministry with its ideas for new parking arrangements. He said the proposal was to extend parking from the initial 10 am to 4.30 pm, but the Ministry agreed to extend the hours by only an hour, after their own investigations. The streets on which parking will be allowed are Queen Street between George Street and Chacon Street; Prince Street between George Street and Henry Street; George Street between Prince Street and Independence Square North; Henry Street between Park Street and Independence Square North; Charlotte Street between Park Street and Independence Square North and Chacon Street between Queen Street and Independence Square North. Parking will be allowed between the hours of 10 am to 4 pm on alternative sides of the above streets on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Minister Khan stressed that parking will not be allowed on Albion Street, Gordon Street between St Vincent and Dundonald Streets; on the Southern side of Park Street between Victoria Square West and Victoria Square East, and Sackville Street between Edward and St Vincent Streets. The Minister said the measures would be short-term and if it created congestion, then it would be reviewed. Mayor Brown sanctioned the parking plan and expressed optimism that it would be a success, moreso because of the removal of street vendors. He reiterated that street vending would no longer be tolerated in downtown in the indiscriminate way it was being done, not even for the busy Christmas season. He further assured that for Christmas, certain things would be put in place to ensure a free flow of traffic in the city, together with security plans.

THE introduction of parking meters in the city of Port-of-Spain could soon become reality after years of lobbying for its implementation. Minister of  Works and Transport, Franklyn Khan, yesterday in response to another call from the Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (DOMA), said the plan for parking meters was on the front burner of the Ministry’s programme. He assured that the Chief Traffic Engineer, Suresh Jogie, was looking into the matter and promised “some action very soon.” The Minister’s comments were made at yesterday’s launch of new parking arrangements for downtown Port-of-Spain at his Ministry.

The Minister said that new solutions to the country’s traffic problems had to be “crafted.” He said the issue could not be solved with merely the introduction of over-passes, like what is being called for at the intersection of the Uriah Butler and Churchill Roosevelt Highways. He pointed out that an over-pass at the intersection would create traffic pile-ups at the El Socorro and Aranguez traffic lights. The Minister said the real issue with the traffic congestion at that intersection, was to get a proper flow from the West to South. He said a new lane was needed from the Grand Bazaar to Chaguanas. The Minister further said that new designs for the intersection will be revealed shortly. The Minister said the country’s infrastructure will need at least $2.5 billion over the next seven years to be improved.

He said the proposal for three major highways — from San Fernando to Point Fortin, which would start at the end of 2005; San Fernando to Princes Town and the extension of the CR Highway to Wallerfield would cost $1.6 billion. The Minister further said creative ideas were needed to develop two other fundamental routes, that is, Matelot to Blanchisseuse and the Western artery from Port-of-Spain to Chaguaramas. Khan said there were three concepts for the latter. They are: a four-lane highway along the Western coastline from the foreshore, Wrightson Road to Chaguaramas; upgrading of the Western Main Road to a highway status, and a route through the mountains from the city to the western peninsula. He said settlements patterns meant there was a need for alternative route planning in the west. He stressed that proper development could not be achieved with only “one way in and one way out.” The Minister also spoke of a possible road from Santa Cruz to the Queen’s Park Savannah, a new lane from Sea Lots to Colville Street, as well as the commissioning of a national comprehensive transportation study.

Joint 2003 National Junior Monarch tiltleholders Olatunji Yearwood, Karene Asche and Sheynnene Hazell are among the National Youth Action Committee’s Top 20 Awardees for 2003. The three recently represented Trinidad and Tobago in England as part of their Junior Monarch prize. They will be awarded among others for having three of the top calypsos sang by Juniors for the year. The Top 20 ceremony will take place on a date and venue to be announced. The names of awardees are as follows:

Aisha Samuel  ‘Trini Pelau’
Andrew Prescod ‘Links’
Calvie-ann Williams ‘Pressure’
Corey Burke  ‘Welcome to the Dust’
Denelle Daniel   ‘Freedom’
Duane O’connor ‘Two Dollars to Wine’
Ezikiel Yorke  ‘The Great Pretender’
Jervae Caesar  ‘Youth Anthem’
Karene Asche  ‘Vision 2020’
Kirt Ross  ‘Me’
Kizzie Ruiz  ‘The New Exemplars’
Kwesi Jeffers  ‘Seize the Moment’
Marcell Bennet  ‘What the Country Needs’
Megan Waldron ‘Rewards of Discipline’
Michael Davidson ‘Ah Change Meh Mind’
Monique Hector ‘Whey Meh Room’
Olatunji Yearwood ‘Donkey Time’
Rondel Donowa ‘True Peace’
Sheynnene Hazell ‘Can’t Sing Along’
Shinesse Simmons ‘You must Shine’
Tenaj Smith  ‘Fight down Aids’