Former Chief Justice Clinton Bernard, chairman of the Commission of Enquiry into the Piarco Airport Expansion Project, stayed mum after handing over the report to President George Maxwell Richards yesterday at President’s House.

Reporters were barred from the handing-over, with only cameramen being admitted. As he exited President’s House with other Commissioners, Justice Bernard refused to shed light on the report. He pulled his hand across his mouth as if zipping his lips together to indicate his lips were sealed. Repeatedly questioned by reporters, he replied: “No comment.” Pressed to say how he was feeling now that the Report had been submitted, he merely stated: “I’m happy.” Bernard gave no indication whether or not there was dissension among the Commissioners in compiling the report. Sunday Newsday understands that there was originally disagreement between the Commisioners, but that after many persuasions and arguments during several discussions, in the long run they all agreed on a compromise that was acceptable to all, to present a united report.

One source confirmed the Commissioners had given the President just one unanimous report, without dissension. The source said there was no separate minority report, either as a separate document or as a dissenting section within the report itself. During the earlier handing-over ceremony, President Richards thanked the Commissioners for their work, including praising the late Peter Bynoe, an architect who had previously been on the Commission but who had resigned due to health problems and had died last week. The Commission, established to investigate the controversial $1.6 billion airport expansion by the former UNC Government, itself became mired in controversy for its cost (including salaries paid to Commissioners and counsel) and the time taken for its completion, and for Bernard’s description of the late Justice Richard Crane as a drunkard.

Martin Joseph, Minister of Housing, is credited with bringing home for the PNM, the marginal Ortoire-Mayaro seat in the last general elections, which was won by Franklyn Khan.

He is said to be a man who sets the pace by planning strategies and carrying them out. When he was appointed a senator and made Minister of Housing, replacing Danny Montano in the new post-2002 elections, Opposition political observers immediately saw a PNM plot to organise the national housing development plan — provision of 100,000 homes across the country, as a way of ensuring that marginal seats could be made safer for the PNM. This, they argued would be achieved by deciding who got houses and/or apartments. Is there any truth that the distribution of houses will favour PNM supporters and is this not a form of voter padding? And what about charges of favouritism in getting a home to call your own? Martin Joseph refused to respond to any calls to his office on several occasions last week. In fact, his Communications Manager, Lenore Joseph, stated that the chances of talking to him were “very slim”. National Housing Authority’s Executive Director Noel Garcia was more easily available, stating outright that the distribution of houses would be “fair and just”.
The UNC Opposition, is not buying that.

One who was outspoken on the issue was Barataria/San Juan MP Dr Fuad Khan. He claimed his concerns were not a matter of “sour grapes”, but based on observations which he said revealed the demographic movement of the housing developments was not normal. “They are building housing units in Barataria/San Juan, St Joseph, Ortoire/Mayaro,” he said, “the major marginal constituencies.” Dr Khan said: “The way they are operating, even if the entire country ends up hating the PNM, they will still win an election because they will have votes in all the marginal constituencies.” Another source who wished to remain anonymous noted that the construction has been moving at a “more than normal fast pace.” He wonders if this is because of a genuine desire to fulfill the needs for housing or the fulfilment of a political agenda.

Anderson Morris, Public Relations Officer and spokesman for the Ramgoolie Trace, Curepe Farmers Association, has no doubt that the farmers, whose agricultural lands were bulldozed in May for houses, strongly feels this was done in order to fulfill Government’s housing plans. “Indeed, this is an avenue to gain votes, to make the marginal constituencies safe,” said Morris. “We have no problem with Government building houses,” he said, “what we are against is the building of houses on agricultural lands that were primarily used for agricultural purposes.” He pointed out that contractors have already been sent to the site and have started laying the foundation. Breaking down the entire housing plan contrary to Government’s agenda, an Opposition official described it this way: “If they have 2,000 units in one area and you multiply this by two, that will give you 4,000 people in one area alone and this is what they are aiming to do under the disguise of the need for houses,” he said.  

So what is Government’s plan?

Garcia said its database for people demanding homes is about 31,000 applications with a likelihood of this figure increasing to 40,000 by the end of the year. The database is increasing at a rate of 2,000 people per month, he said, adding that the  overall demand is close to 100,000 homes and this expectation is to be fulfilled by constructing about 10,000 homes per annum over the next ten years. Garcia insisted that Government’s proposed plan is to build just under 4,388 houses, next year about 6,000 houses and approximately 8,000 houses by the year 2005. The private sector will be actively involved with a number of home construction companies, developers and contractors taking part in the housing plan. The entire project is expected to cost Government $300,000 million with middle to low income earners expected to benefit most from the plan. The prices range from $100,000-$200,000 per unit for low income earners and the middle/high income earners; between $200,000-$300,000. Loans will be granted to the Trinidad and Tobago Mortgage Company at six percent with 95 percent financing. Therefore, the owner of a low income unit, will pay about $620 for a mortgage loan, with this increasing according to the price of the houses. “This is affordable when you compare the prices to what is in the market. In Diego Martin, for example, it is difficult to find a residential accommodation under $600,000 and the prices are just as high in other residential areas,”said Garcia.

Garcia strongly denied that the houses will be only in marginal constituencies, insisting that the plan covered every area in TT. He dismissed claims about the housing plan as being an avenue for voter padding, describing them as “rubbish and nonsense”. He said it would be very foolish for any Government to build houses in only one part of the country describing such a plan as not   “physically possible.” “Our policy is to house all of our people without exception and without regard race, colour, class, creed or political affiliation,” he said. He wants to know why some people such as those in Valsayn and Santa Magarita were opposed to Government expanding the project in their area. “People are free as far as I am aware to live anywhere in Trinidad and Tobago. The NHA is about building communities and not only homes,” Garcia said. He said therefore, he could not understand why some communities believe the housing developments will create “urban ghettos” since the homes will be of upscale designs. Garcia said their “fears” were unwarranted and wonders if they were politically motivated. Corporate Communications Manager in the Ministry of Housing Lenore Joseph said the application procedure for the housing units is a “fair” one.

The interested party will be asked to fill out a form and will be added to the rest of application database for random selection, she said. When the person’s application is chosen via a lottery-style draw, he/she will be invited to a preliminary interview, to determine whether or not the person is financially capable of making the terms of payment. Once this is approved, the Trinidad and Tobago Mortgage Financing Company makes the final selection of the beneficiary. Joseph disclosed that currently, ads have already begun to appear in the media, showing the extent of the housing construction programme. At the beginning of its 2002 term, the PNM Government announced an extensive housing development plan. In a statement published in the press on June 4, Joseph said nothing was going to get in the way of Government’s housing plans. She responded to protests by farmers against the housing project at Ramgoolie Trace, Curepe, saying that Government believed in balanced development and had no plans to transfer prime agricultural lands into housing. “At the same time, Government is not going to allow people with their own sectoral interests and their own special agendas to interfere, as it attempts to ensure it provides affordable housing,” she said. Joseph said that Government saw the housing development as a matter of urgency to use oil and gas revenues to address the need for affordable housing. In another news report dated June 17, 2003, Planning and Develop-ment Minister Dr Keith Rowley accused the nation’s banks of lending no support to the Government’s thrust to provide housing for approximately 70,000 low and middle income families. He noted that Govern-ment estimated a 100,000 housing unit shortfall, pointing out that if there was a shortfall of 100,000 units in this country, this should tell somebody there are 100,000 families in this country who are not properly housed and are living in very dilapidated conditions.

In its mandate, the PNM promised it would ensure that every citizen has access to adequate housing, which will be achieved by implementing a Home Ownership Made Easy (HOME) programme. Among the list of incentives offered were:
95 to 97 percent loan amount including features such as recognising what they termed as “sweet equity”, six to eight percent financing, 100 percent financing for “Granny Suites”, as well as deeds to be provided by NHA for owners on housing estates. The list goes on — increase in approved Mortgage Company price limits from $350,000 to $450,000 in the East-West Corridor, preferred finance for bridging, home improvement and land loans, 100 percent financing for home improvements to qualified homeowners, mortgage interest tax deductions to be increased to $36,000 tax deductable allowance for first-time homeowners of one sixth of the purchase price of a house to a maximum of $10,000 for five years. Also included were streamlining financing and administrative arrangements, thereby reducing costs, inclusion of household appliances in mortgage loan, enhanced financial opportunities such as “open mortgages”, development of new entrepreneurs and contractors to support the housing thrust, enhanced public/private sector partnerships to support housing promotion and development, rebate of VAT to the homeowner on construction materials for housing costing up to $250,000 and housing bond to stimulate savings among young people for first-time home-ownership.

The grand plan also included other incentives:
*2,925 low-income housing units on 30 sites in 2002.
*an average of 10,000 housing units over the next 10 years
*Refurbishment of 237 NHA apartment buildings, representing 6,000 units
*Upgrading of sewage treatment plants in 19 NHA estates
*Regularisation of 5,400 squatter families on 17 sites
*Provision of housing subsidies to more than 3,000 families
*Provision of home improvement grants to 1,100 families and
*Construction of affordable apartments and townhouses for middle-income households.

On May 22, 2002, the Inter-American Develop-ment Bank announced the approval of a $32 million loan to TT to support the first phase of a $100 million national housing programme designed to benefit low-income groups. The IADB said the resources will be used to improve living conditions for 5,400 families in squatter settlements by financing basic services, communal facilities and normal tenure documents. The programme is also said to provide subsidies for both home improvements and new housing for an additional 4,100 persons in low-income groups and a modernisation process initiated at the Ministry of Housing. As new, affordable housing stock is produced, the Government will shift its role from the builder of costly public housing estates to a facilitator that encourages the private sector to take the lead in the production of affordable housing the IADB said. It will build upon the experience of the first stage of Government’s national settlements programme which was launched in 1989 with IADB support.  The housing plan appears to be very grand and to offer hope to those who desperately yearns for shelter, but where are these house apartments being built? Does the breakdown really deny the charges of house padding that favours the PNM?

CARONI (1975) Limited’s restructuring exercise, is taking on a dramatic turn with the transfer of several of its vehicles to the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment.

On August, 17, the TT Regiment swooped down on Caroni and took possession of 13 Land Rovers and Wheel Tractors. Eighteen similar type vehicles were taken from the Ste Madeleine Sugar Factory. The 13 heavy duty vehicles were taken from Caroni’s Transport and Field Engineering Department, at Woodford Lodge, Chaguanas. The transfer has sparked a furore among ex-sugar workers, top management of Caroni’s two successor companies, as well as stakeholders who have Caroni pinned on a $10 million High Court injunction. Caroni has also extended to W Connection, a football academy, a maintenance contract of its Gilbert Park Recreation Ground and Club at California. The vehicles were driven by soldiers to Camp Cumuto, Wallerfield. Capt Weekes has been placed in charge of the vehicles. An inventory of the vehicles lodged at Brechin Castle listed the vehicles and names of the soldiers. The soldiers arrived at 9.28 am and left with the vehicles at 12.17 pm, on August 17.

Caroni’s ex-Chief Executive Officer, Chandra Bobart who is one of the technocrats overseeing the restructuring process, confirmed the transfer of the vehicles to the army. But Bobart said he was not privy to any documentation authorising the transfer nor could he explain who sanctioned it. “I have no comment to make. Soon I will be out of here,” Bobart told Sunday Newsday. Former Agricultural Manager, Wayne Innis, said, “I’ve heard of the army moving out vehicles. However, I have nothing concrete.” Innis said Caroni has over $30 million worth in mobile equipment, but the manager could not say by what means the vehicles were made available to the army. Caroni’s assets are currently being held in the successor companies — Sugar Manufacturing Company Ltd and the Estate Management and Business Development Company, under the restructuring programme. The programme saw all of the company’s 9,000 employees sent home on a $800 million VSEP package. The package includes availability of lands to ex-sugar workers. Under the programme, the companies will produce a reduced 80,000 tonnes of sugar with cane supplied only by farmers. Agreement was reached in principle for farmers to be given the first option to purchase Caroni’s tractors and Land Rovers given their increased cane production.

On Friday attorney Dave Persad issued a letter to Caroni threatening to take out contempt proceedings in the High Court for alleged violation of a $10 million injunction. The letter, dated August 28, addressed to attorney Devish Maharaj stated: “Notwithstanding the Orders of Madam Justice Amrika Tiwary-Reddy on August 11, and Madam Justice Maureen Rajnauth-Lee, your clients have been parting with possession of its real and personal property. That motor vehicles, including heavy equipment, farm tractors, etc, have been removed from locations outside your client’s premises and control.” Persad stated that he acted on behalf of Caroni (Brechin Castle) Credit Union Co-operative Society Ltd and they consider the action as contempt of the orders of the court. Persad is seeking a return of the vehicles back to Caroni’s compound, within seven days of the letter (which was dated August 28).

FORMER MEMBER of the Commission of Inquiry into the Piarco Airport Development Project Peter Bynoe, was yesterday described as a “gentleman” by Anglican priest Canon Knolly Clarke, during the funeral service held for Bynoe at the Trinity Cathedral, Port-of-Spain.

Bynoe, 85, a former Chief Architect with the Ministry of Works and holder of a Humming Bird Gold Medal for his service in the field of architecture, died of cancer last Monday morning at his Maraval home. At the funeral service yesterday officiated by Anglican Bishop Calvin Best, several high profile persons including Governor General of Grenada Ewart Williams, former Chief Justice and Commissioner of the Piarco Airport Inquiry Clinton Bernard, former First Lady Zalayhar Hassanali, former President Sir Ellis Clarke, former Works Minister John Donaldson, attorney Theodore Guerra SC and other members of the Commission of Inquiry turned up to bid their final farewell to Bynoe. He is survived by his wife Dame Hilda Bynoe nee Gibbs, two sons Roland and Michael and two grandsons Olukemi and Nandi-Peta.

In delivering the eulogy, Roland Bynoe described his father as a good man who was always willing to lend a helpful hand. Echoing Roland’s words Canon Clarke described Bynoe as a good person who contributed significantly to the social cultural development of the Caribbean, and especially to Trinidad. He also pointed out that Bynoe had made a great contribution to the church’s “Garden of Peace” when he did a basic design for the structure of the garden, which he then passed on to Home Construction. Canon Clarke said that while minor changes have been made to the design the majority of it is being used right now. He also noted that while a lot of words were used by the media to describe Bynoe, the one word that was missing and that is significant is the word “gentleman”. Following the church service, Bynoe was given a farewell in pan by Tunapuna-based Pan Maestros.

CAPTAIN Cheryl Richardson, Public Affairs Officer of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) said yesterday that a matter in which a soldier is alleged to have behaved improperly at a St James bank will be thoroughly investigated.

“It will be investigated and the bank is cooperating with the investigations,” Capt Richardson said. However, while the Army said they are investigating the matter, the St James Criminal Investigations Department (CID) said they have received no official report on the alleged incident, A TTDF soldier reportedly caused a furore at the St James arm of the First Citizens Bank (FCB) on Friday, reportedly brandishing a gun and threatening to blow up the bank. A contingent of army vehicles was seen outside the bank, which along with hurried repairs to the bank’s glass facade, indicated the disturbance. Reports are the irate soldier had banged on the door of the closed bank reportedly to query his account. As he banged, a security officer inside the bank put his hand over his firearm. The soldier allegedly went to his car and returned with his own gun.

Leader and Manager of the Exodus steel orchestra, Ainsworth Mohammed said members of the band feel humbled to be the recipient of the Chaconia Gold medal.

He said such recognition shows that Government was heading in the right direction in how it viewed the steelpan movement. Mohammed said the medal is worth all the time and effort he and his members have put in over the years. “This is definitely a step in the right direction but with the steelpan movement, Government could always do more,” he said. Mohammed said the band members were elated when they heard the news. He said they were all very appreciative and hope Government will begin to get a little more involved in the steelpan movement in the future. Giving a background to the achievements of the steelband, which has been in existence since 1981, Mohammed said Exodus has won several titles on the national level such as the World Steelpan Championships in 2002, East Zone Championship, reigning Caribbean Pan Championships in 2001, Champ of Champions title at the Dimanche Gras in 2000 and the 40th anniversary Champ 2003, Dimanche Gras Panorama.

MIA MOTTLEY, the Barbados Attorney General, is right about one thing. Very few people can afford to appeal to the judicial committee of the Privy Council. A lot more will have access to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) which will be inaugurated in Port-of-Spain on November 15. But this depends on the legislation which Government will be bringing to Parliament on Friday as well as the support, or lack of it, from the Opposition UNC.

There has been an increase in public awareness lately about the CCJ —  newspaper advertisements and public consultations — as the time draws closer for this new chapter in Caribbean history. At the present time, the Privy Council is this country’s final appellate court. The establishment of the CCJ will place a tremendous strain on the treasury of regional countries, some of whom cannot afford it. Caribbean gover-nments are not burdened at this time with appeal cases which go to the Privy Council. The British government bears the cost of these appeals. They have to pay the judges and the support staff in London. The TT government pays when condemned prisoners file their appeals against the death sentence.  The condemned prisoners appeal as “poor persons.” Therefore, the burden is on the state to pay for the appellants as well as for themselves. With the establishment of the CCJ, the individual Caribbean countries will be asked to provide funding for the court. When the agreement was signed in 2001, governments gave a commitment to provide funding.

With the initial figure of US $100 million being quoted as the sum for the start up of the court, Trinidad and Tobago will be bearing at least 37 percent of that amount. Then, TT will be asked to provide financial support annually to the Court. So, in reality, the attempt to gain our judicial independence is coming at a price. Coming back to Mia Mottley’s statement in Port-of-Spain that very few people have had access to the Privy Council over the years, many more Caribbean people will be filing appeals to the CCJ. Over the last five years, the Privy Council has adjudicated over 302 appeals from Commonwealth countries. These are appeals fully ventilated in court, and not cases where applications for special leave were made and thrown out at the early stages. Such cases include applications which condemned prisoners filed against their death sentence, only to have the British Law Lords throw out their cases before they could be properly argued before a full court of five judges. Of the 302 cases fully argued  in the Privy Council, 55 came from Trinidad and Tobago.

In 1999, 19 TT judgments came from the 57 cases in the Privy Council. There were several cases relating to the death penalty. Darrin Thomas and Haniff Hillaire took their constitutional motion to the Law Lords as they tried their best to stop the state from hanging them. They eventually succeeded as the Privy Council ordered the State not to carry out the death sentence until these men had their petitions dealt with by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Housewife Indravani Ram-jattan also succeeded as her death sentence was later substituted to manslaughter. Dole Chadee, in a last ditch effort to block the hangman, failed when the Privy Council dismissed his constitutional motion, paving the way for him to go to the gallows along with eight members of his gang. Angela Ramdeen, found guilty of burying her two stepchildren alive in a makeshift grave in Carlsen Field, Chaguanas, was also highlighted in the Privy Council. There was also the case of Anthony Nevada Johnson, the youth who was sentenced to death for killing former Commissioner of Prisons Michael Hercules.

In 2000, nine TT cases were dealt with among 52 judgments handed down by the Law Lords. In 2001, the TT figure dropped to seven out of 61 cases. In that year, prison officer Dougnath Rajkumar won a landmark case against the Public Service Commission over his non-promotion. There were 11 TT appeals completed out of 69 before the Privy Council in 2002. Among them was the successful appeal brought by former Magistrate Felix Durity against the Judicial and Legal Service Commission over his suspension. But another magistrate Herbert Charles was not so lucky when he challenged his demotion. So far this year, nine TT cases out of 63  have been dealt with before the Law Lords. The most significant case was the appeal brought by Birmal Roy Pariag against three convictions for murder. In that incident, Paria was convicted of killing his wife, her mother and sister at Bangladesh, St Joseph. The Privy Council reduced the convictions to manslaughter and sent the appeal back to the TT Court of Appeal for sentencing.

Gaylord Kelshall, 63, curator of TT’s Military Museum, Chaguaramas, yesterday ex-pressed extreme gratitude as the recipient of a Chaconia gold medal for long and meritorious work in the public service.

“I am very honoured and extremely grateful,” said Kelshall. Aside from his most cherished museum, he can be described as a “man of many seasons,” having organised various functions and special events for the Government since the 1970s. He is also a former member of the Coast Guard. Kelshall, who resides in the museum, started it about 11 years ago when he decided to do something about his extensive collection of military artefacts. “The collections were something I started since I was a young boy and continued throughout my adult life,” he recalled, “the museum is a culmination of an entire life’s work.” Kelshall said that the museum has grown in popularity over the years. He said it usually gets about 25,000 foreign visitors every year but this has since grown by 20 percent.

HOW COULD a fairly brand new Nissan Sunny car disappear from the Santa Cruz Police Station on the night of August 26, 2001, and return to the same station three weeks later in a dilapidated condition?

Answer: Because the car that was returned was not the one that was removed from the station.  In short, a car in good condition was switched for one that was old and battered. The mystery has sparked a full scale investigation now being conducted by Insp Christopher Lewis of the Barataria Police Station. His investigations so far have revealed that a car, PAS 2455, was removed from the station on the pretext that it was being taken to the Forensic Science Centre for inspection. Apart from the fact that Forensic does not open on Sundays, director of the Trinidad and Tobago Forensic Science Centre, Yolanda Thompson has stated categorically that their records indicate that no vehicle bearing registration number PAS 2455 was ever submitted to the Centre in 2001. Her letter was dated November 29, 2001, and addressed to Sgt Mongal Hazarie, one of the investigators. It was also discovered that a police Corporal arrived at the Morvant Police Station with a black Nissan Sunny, registration number unknown, from Forensic on the evening of August 27, the day after the Nissan Sunny vehicle was moved from the Santa Cruz Station.
The known facts are as follows:
(1) A black Nissan Sunny PAS 2455, in good condition, was removed from the Santa Cruz Police Station on August 26, 2001.
(2) On September 15, 2001, a black Nissan Sunny in dilapidated condition, registration number unknown, was removed from the Morvant Police Station by a wrecking service vehicle accompanied by a police Constable.  Its destination was the Santa Cruz Police Station, where it was lodged.

The wrecking service used is allegedly owned by the same policeman who had removed the Nissan from the Santa Cruz Station in the first place. Investigators believe that the Nissan Sunny which was removed from the Santa Cruz Police Station in August was switched and replaced with an older one with the same registration number, and that an older one purporting to be the same vehicle, was returned to the Santa Cruz Station three weeks later. They also believe that the car was used to carry out several illegal activities. Several police officers have given statements as to what transpired. They said they were told to write wrong information in the station diaries and also to say that Sgt Hazarie was the one who gave instructions for the removal of the vehicle.  But Sgt Hazarie’s statement totally contradicts this. A file on investigations into the car was submitted sometime ago to Snr Supt Maurice Piggott, head of the Anti Corruption Investigations Bureau (ACIB). The file, according to top police officers, was handed back by Piggott for certain things to be “cleared up.”  However the file could not be traced and senior officers told Sunday Newsday that a decision will be taken soon. It implicates at least three police officers in what appears to be a major cover up of misbehaviour in public office.

According to records from the Licensing Department, a policeman is the last owner of the wrecker which towed away the car. He is alleged to be the main man behind the car-switching racket, police said. The wrecker employee, according to Insp Lewis, seems to have “gone underground” and has not given a statement to the police although he had promised to do so. The Constable at the centre of the investigations has not yet given a statement to Insp Lewis, who wrote a report to a Senior Superintendent in the North Eastern Division.  His letter was dated August 12, 2002. The report concerning the car begins when a vehicle was taken to the Santa Cruz Police Station on September 23, 2000, by Sgt Hazarie after it was found abandoned at Susconosco No 1. Insp Lewis said in his statement to the Snr Supt that in May 2001, he was transferred to the Santa Cruz Police Station from the San Juan Police Station. He stated that on arrival at the Santa Cruz Police station, he observed the black Nissan Sunny, registration number, PAS 2455, among several vehicles which appeared to be in different stages of disrepair. He said he enquired about the black vehicle which was parked on the roadway between the station building and the Second Division Officer’s (SDO’s) Quarters, and was told that the vehicle was one of those recovered vehicles that was brought to the station in the year 2000. He found the inside and the outside of this vehicle in good condition. He said on Saturday August 25, 2001, he visited the Santa Cruz Police Station and when he left, vehicle PAS 2455 was parked as usual. However, he said, when he arrived at the station on August 27, 2001, the vehicle was not there.

Insp Lewis said he observed an entry in the station diary which stated that at 9.45pm on Sunday August 26, 2001, a certain individual (name called) driving a wrecker (number called) left the station with one black Nissan Sunny for the Forensic Science Centre.“I found it strange that a vehicle would be taken to the Forensic Science Centre at 9.45 pm on a Sunday, and no police officer escorted this vehicle (exhibit) to the Forensic Science Centre,” Insp Lewis said. On Monday September 17, 2001, Insp Lewis said, he arrived at the station and on checking the station diary observed entries at paragraphs 35 and 36 of Saturday September 15, 2001, indicating that: A Constable arrived at station in wrecker (number given) driven by a man towing vehicle PAS 2455, which was without battery, stereo, and other minor accessories; and that a Constable left the station in the wrecker after lodging vehicle PAS 2455 at the station. “I again found it unusual that a vehicle (exhibit) was brought in from the Forensic Science Centre on a Saturday,” Insp Lewis said, adding he immediately went out in the station yard to look for this vehicle and observed a black vehicle parked on the far eastern side of the yard.

“This vehicle was placed there recently since based on my observations of the vehicles that were lodged in the yard, that black vehicle was not there the previous Friday,” he said. He added he went to the vehicle which was also a black Sunny motorcar with a number plate PAS 2455 placed on the inside dashboard. This vehicle, Lewis said, looked shiny on the outside as if it was recently painted.  However, he said, the vehicle was in a very dilapidated condition and the bonnet was partially opened and did not look like it could close properly. “All the windows were open and did not appear as if they could wind up.  The inside of this vehicle was in a state of decomposition and looked like it was exposed to the weather for a long time. “The seats were tattered and mouldy, the floor was covered with fungi, the inner portion of the doors (upholstery) appeared to be freshly painted in black and there was black paint on the inside of the vehicle (including the fungus-laden seats and floor,” Insp Lewis said. He said he then formed the opinion that this vehicle was not the one he saw on the compound just three weeks ago. Lewis said he found several inconsistencies with respect to entries made in the respective station diaries, such as there is no mention of a Constable arriving or leaving the Santa Cruz Police Station at 9.32 pm on Saturday August 26, 2001, although there are reports from other officers that the Constable accompanied a man to the station.

Insp Lewis’ statement states further that a report from acting Insp Lennard Gay, head of the Stolen Vehicles Department, indicates that on November 17, 2000, he (Gay) checked a black Sunny motorcar bearing registration number PAS 2455 at the Santa Cruz Police Station and discovered this vehicle’s chassis number to be HB11B37358 and its engine number to be EI1514055 and both were intact. However,  on October 2, 2001, Insp Gay, checked another vehicle (black Sunny) with the number plate PAS 2455 inside the vehicle at the said station.  This vehicle’s chassis number, ac-cording to Gay was HB11B37368 and its engine number was EI390861A. “On completion of the check I compared the numbers of this vehicle with the numbers of the other vehicle which I had previously checked and the numbers were different. I also discovered that the chassis number was tampered with and not intact,” a part of Gay’s statement read. Insp Lewis also said further enquiries revealed that chassis number HB11B373-68 was traced to vehicle registration number PAR 6017, a white Nissan Sunny motorcar; chassis number HB11B37358 was traced to vehicle registration number PAR 4388, a white Nissan Sunny motorcar, and registration number PAS 2455 was checked and was not found. However, in-vestigations found a vehicle, HAS 2455 was registered as a Toyota Coaster 21-seater bus. Insp Lewis said efforts to communicate with the registered owners of vehicles PAR 6017, PAR 4388 and HAS 2455 have been unsuccessful.

Apart from categorically denying that he had ever given permission to anyone to remove the black Nissan Sunny, Sgt Hazarie’s letter dated August 27, 2001, and addressed to Insp Lewis, said after Insp Gay carried out the two separate tests, he was convinced there had been a switch. “This cemented my position that a Constable had switch-ed this vehicle for the vehicle that I had brought to the Santa Cruz Police Station in good working condition. “Many other officers who have information of this nature are either too scared to speak out or just feel it is not their business, some simply don’t care what happens to our police service. I feel obligated to do my part in ridding the service of delinquent persons, hence the reason for my actions in this matter,” Sgt Hazarie said. In other statements, a constable indicated that another Consta-ble took off the licence plates of PAS 2455, while a third constable said a fourth constable in-structed him to write false information on September 15, 2001. Senior officers are anxious to locate the file so that this matter can be concluded, since they are convinced that a police Constable switched cars removing one in good condition and replacing it with an old and battered car.