TRAFFIC backed up for miles along the Solomon Hochoy Highway yesterday afternoon following a collision between a car and a maxi-taxi.

Six persons travelling in both vehicles escaped serious injury but an elderly woman, who was a passenger in the car, had to be taken to hospital where she was treated for shock. The driver of the car, whose nickname was given by investigators as “Chance,” was also treated for cuts and abrasions at San Fernando General Hospital. According to reports, “Chance,” who was driving a Mazda 626, was attempting to overtake a brown-band maxi-taxi on the south-bound lane of the highway near the Preysal flyover when he lost control of his vehicle and struck the maxi-taxi. The accident occurred around 1.30 pm while maxi driver, Bobby Ramchandra, 26, of Gonsalves Village, Point Fortin, was heading back to Point Fortin accompanied by Damien John, of Chinese Village, La Brea and Raynier Mohammed, 18, of Gonsalves Village.

Mohammed told Newsday they were returning home after buying a vehicle part for John’s maxi-taxi in Chase Village. “We were just cruising because it was only Saturday we changed the engine in the maxi. We were just taking our time coming down the road,” Mohammed said. He added that while they were travelling on the left lane, a truck was overtaking them on the right of the maxi-taxi. “The 626 tried to overtake,” he said, meaning that “Chance” intended to get between the overtaking truck and the maxi, “When he couldn’t make, he hit us from behind,” John said. Couva Traffic Branch police are continuing investigations.

FYZABAD MP Chandresh Sharma says he has no ill feelings toward the teenaged driver of the drag-racing car which struck two of his sons, who were spectators at the illegal drag-racing event on Saturday night.

As a matter of fact, Sharma believes a location to legally accommodate drag racing in South/Central Trinidad should be established as a precautionary measure to avoid future accidents and mishaps. The major drag racing venue in the country is at Wallerfield, in north-east Trinidad. Speaking to Newsday yesterday, Sharma said: “A lot of people, especially young men, are involved in drag racing. It is a global sport and government and the private sector should find a way to accommodate those involved.” The Fyzabad MP said he had not been contacted by the 19-year-old driver who lost control of his car and hit his two sons: Moonish, 13, and Devaan, 10. He said, “I am a parent with children and he (the driver) is a child. And while I am hurting for my children, I also feel hurt for him. I hope he can recover from this (accident).”

Little Devaan spent two nights at Ward 5 of the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) and was discharged yesterday. He suffered abrasions and cuts to his face. As soon as he was wheeled out of the ward, MP Sharma said, Devaan walked to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) to see his friend, Arun Ramdeen, 14. Ramdeen suffered massive head injuries and has been in a coma since the crash. Moonish was treated and discharged the night of the accident, but doctors have advised him to wear a neck brace for three weeks. Another teenaged victim of the crash, Kirt Warner, of Gasparillo, is expected to have surgery on his leg today. Sharma said he had received numerous telephone calls from both United National Congress and People’s National Movement officials who expressed their concern over the children. Investigators took an initial statement from the driver but require an extensive report from the teen, who was expected to return to the scene yesterday with police.. The driver was detained for several hours at the San Fernando Traffic Branch after the accident, but was later allowed to return to his San Fernando home. Police will also get a report on the offender’s car — a silver Honda Civic PBD 16 — after it faces inspection at the San Fernando Licensing Office.

Deputy Chief Magistrate Deborah Thomas-Felix is to appear before the Medical Board of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission after being served with a letter from Chief Magistrate Sherman McNicolls.

The dissatisfaction of Deputy Thomas-Felix with the decision of Justice Mark Mohammed led her attorney to the Court of Appeal yesterday.  Mohammed decided not to grant her leave for judicial review to challenge the decision of Mc-Nicolls to transfer her to the San Fernando Magis-trates’ Court. Following her assignment to San Fernan-do on January 8, 2003, Thomas-Felix complained that the long journey posed a threat to both her health and safety. She reportedly aggravated a serious back injury and was forced to take sick leave on more than one occasion as a result of travelling to the court. She is also saying that she considers the action of the Chief Magistrate is an abuse of power which violated her constitutional right to equality of treatment. In addition, she asked for judicial review of the Chief Magistrate due to the fact that she was assigned to the San Fernando Court which meant that McNicolls will be hearing a high-profile matter involving Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday instead of her. Attorney Douglas Mendez of Boynes and Company made an application for the matter to be “dealt with expeditiously.” The attorney was willing to proceed with the matter in the absence of McNicolls and his legal counsel.

Justices Lionel Jones, Stanley John and Margot Warner informed the attorneys that they wished for McNicolls to be present on the adjournment date to address his attorneys on a legal point. The Justices then instructed attorneys representing Thomas-Felix to serve McNicolls with the documents relevant to the proceedings within seven days. Regarding Thomas-Felix’s appearance before the Medical Board, Justice Jones said, “The Commission will follow whatever advice the Medical Board gives.”  Mendez replied, “Long distances by car will aggravate the injury. If she decides to attend the San Fernando Court, she will be forced to take sick leave once again.” Justice Jones then informed Mendez that he didn’t share his “mistrust for the Commission.” Thomas-Felix is to appear before the Medical Board on August 5 at 9 am. The matter was then adjourned to September 22.

Do not condemn the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) because you feel it will be a “hanging court.” 

“As a matter of fact, whatever your views on the establishment of the court, do not think of yourself or your country, but of the wider community because in the long run, the CCJ will enhance the access to justice and give persons far greater protection under the law.” Those were the views of St Lucia Prime Minister, Dr Kenny Anthony, when he delivered the feature address in support of the CCJ at the first in a series of consultations on the CCJ held at the La Boucan, Hilton Trinidad. Anthony said the CCJ was an affirmation of a shared historical vision by Caribbean governments and it was vital to completing the independence of the region. He said Caricom governments felt strongly that the court would be a reflection of the needs and circumstances of the region and would enhance access to justice and provide far greater protection of the law. He said those against the court were saying it would deny justice to the poor man, but Anthony said the sheer issue of cost prevented many persons from taking their matters to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, which the CCJ seeks to replace as the Caribbean’s final appellate court.

Anthony added that justice before the Privy Council was elitist as it was available only to those who have the means and property. He asserted that the CCJ was not a creature of political expediency and was a shared dream over the years, from as early as 1901. He said it was difficult to see how some argued that the court was a creature of politics when the court was in the hearts of Caribbean people for a long time. He insisted that it was incorrect to suggest that the court was inconsistent with globalisation, saying instead that it would challenge the process of globalisation. Anthony predicted that with the CCJ, there would be a sharp increase in appellant matters because of the cheaper cost. Agreeing with that point was Sir Dennis Byron, Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. He said statistics showed that in 1998, of the 65 cases entered before the Privy Council, 46 were from Caribbean countries. He said here in Trinidad at least 60,000 cases went before the magistrate courts, 12,000 reached the Civil court and 6,000 the criminal courts. A mere 3,000 reached the Appeal Court and according to Byron, if that amount is multiplied by Caricom members, it would suggest that litigants in the region are accepting Caribbean justice.

Anthony, expressing his personal view, said the most compelling argument for the court was that it would re-shape Caribbean jurisprudence. However, he cautioned that the British training of most of the Caribbean’s attorneys and judges would continue to impede the re-shaping of the jurisprudence. But he noted that the court will offer attorneys new exposure because many of them do not have the opportunity to appear before the Privy Council. On the question of whether the court was a “hanging court,” Anthony was firm that “the court does not hang people” but it was the will of Parliaments to keep the death penalty. He said the court merely followed the law and it was unfair to attack the court on that issue when the death penalty was guaranteed not by process but by legislation. He reiterated that the court had no power to abandon the law.  He said the death penalty was a relic of the colonial past and it seems that the anger of the court detractors was not on whether the CCJ was established but on whether the death penalty should be retained. Anthony said in that regard, it was disingenuous to undermine the integrity of the court. He reiterated that the CCJ was not about Jamaica or Trinidad and Tobago but about the region, and some countries would be required to make sacrifices. He warned if there was one shred of doubt, anxiety or unwillingness in TT or Jamaica, it would cast a shadow across the region and people needed to think of their responsibility to the region.

KRISHNA SANTOKHIE, a San Juan father of two, became the country’s 109th road fatality victim for the year when his car ran off the roadway and into a light pole causing his instant death, trapping his body in the mangled wreck of the car.

The tragic accident occurred around 10.45 am along the Churchill Roosevelt Highway in the vicinity of the WASA Waterworks in El Socorro. The body of Santokhie, 60, was left unattended in his car in pouring rain for more than two hours as police investigators were unable to contact a District Medical Officer to go to the scene of the fatal accident, which caused a massive traffic pile up. Reports revealed that Santokhie was driving his car west along the highway when he tried to avoid colliding with another car. He lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the light pole causing his head to crash into the windscreen of the car. Santokhie died on the spot. Scores of motorists and onlookers gathered at the scene to catch a glimpse of the body. Aklima Santokhie, the wife of the deceased, was led to the vehicle where the body of her husband was trapped.

In pouring rain, her son Shiva and another relative led her to the car where she tenderly stroked the face of her dead husband and then cried out in grief. She was then led away to a car and taken to her Todd Street, San Juan home. The grieving woman said that her husband was a devoted husband and father. She added that early yesterday, he dropped her off and was supposed to pick her up later. The weeping woman said that her son Shiva broke the news to her shortly after the death but she was sure that he was mistaken and her husband was just injured. She only realised the truth when she viewed the body. Santokhie was the owner of Auto Care Service, a business which he ran from his home. His daughter Savita described her father as a wonderful person and added that he will be sadly missed. PC Ramoutar is investigating.

AFTER BEING informed by the Court that he was freed of the murder charge, Junior Nicholas made an urgent call for the authorities to do more to rehabilitate prisoners at the Remand Yard since nothing is in place to help them deal with the situation.

Nicholas’ freedom came after High Court Judge Melville Baird directed the jury to return a not guilty verdict on the murder charge. The decision followed the State’s admission that they could not proceed after the judge denied their application to have two depositions by its main witnesses admitted into evidence. The two men, Ken George and Wayne Selby Peters, have since died. Nicholas, 37, of Picton Road, Laventille, appeared before Justice Baird at the Port-of-Spain First Criminal Court charged with murdering Tamarind Square resident Curtis LeBlanc, also known as “Teeths,” on February 12, 2001 at Tamarind Square, Port-of-Spain. LeBlanc, 37, was found by other homeless persons near a make-shift mattress in Tamarind Square.

In a written statement presented to the media following his release yesterday, Nicholas, also known as “Akee” and “Blackboy”, said that he spent a total of two years in prison and knew that nothing was being done to rehabilitate Remand Yard prisoners. He noted that a person could spend up to 24 months waiting for his preliminary inquiry to be heard before the magistrates’ court and another 20-30 months for the matter to be sent to the High Court and during this period, they are locked up in an overcrowded prison. Nicholas also called on the powers that be to do more than increase police patrols in the “ghetto.” He advised that developmental projects be done to improve the conditions in the area so that people could feel proud of where they lived.

At the start of the trial last Wednesday, State attorneys Althea Alexis and Angelica Teelucksingh made an application to have the depositions of both George and Peters admitted into evidence. However after three days of legal arguments, the judge informed the attorneys that to admit the depositions would be prejudicial, and would lead to an unfair trial since the State did not disclose the criminal records of the two witnesses to defence attorneys Sophia Chote and Nadia Ashraph despite several requests. Baird declared that when a witness is brought in to give evidence, the police should take their fingerprints to get the criminal records of that witness so that the information could be disclosed to the defence as soon as possible. Following the Judge’s decision, the State advised that they could not proceed any further. The judge then instructed the jury to return a not guilty verdict.

A conference on ways to eradicate crime in Laventille and environs takes place on August 11 from 9 am at the Scarlet Ibis Room of the Hilton Trinidad.

The event is being hosted by the Ad Hoc Committee for the Eradication of Crime in Laventille whose members are Archbishop Barbara Burke, Lennox Smith, Whilamena Mc Dowell, Suzan Williams and Joseph John. Co-ordinator of the Committee, Lennox Smith, said the initiative recognises that the community has the ultimate responsibility for reducing crime while Government and other stakeholders such as the business community had the role of facilitators. Smith said the conference will be attended by 50 delegates from Laventille who have demonstrated a commitment to the socio-economic improvement. They will come from the business community and “bona fide” community leaders. He said the conference is a collaborative effort and thanked the management of Hilton and several business institutions which agreed to participate.

A Morvant man was yesterday sentenced to nine years’ hard labour for the July 23 robbery of an Arouca taxi- driver.

Michael Williams, 32, of Sixth Avenue, Morvant, was charged with one count of robbery with the use violence. Taxi driver Gilbert Garcia was reportedly driving along the Priority Bus Route in the vicinity of Seventh Avenue, Barataria, when one of his passengers attacked him with a cutlass and robbed him of $200. Police officers attached to the Barataria Police Station happened to be passing in the other direction when they saw the altercation and arrested Williams. The charge was laid by PC Russel Maharaj. Garcia was treated for lacerations to both arms and discharged. Senior Magistrate Lianne Lee Kim read his list of 14 previous convictions which included robbery, breaking and entering and possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. Lee Kim then sentenced the man, who was released from prison last month, to nine years’ hard labour.

Over $6 million will be spent annually by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education to train persons who can contribute to the country’s economic development via the On-the-Job Training Programme (OJT).

This was revealed by Acting Permanent Secretary, Myrna Thompson, yesterday as she addressed graduates at RBTT ROYTEC’s Introduction to Business and Computer Technology (IBCT) Programme  at the Cascadia Hotel and Conference Centre. Thompson stated that the Ministry was “in the process of transforming its Re-training Programme to allow the flexibility that is required to deal with the rapidly transforming labour scenario.” She revealed that the re-training programme will focus on retrenched workers in 15 different areas including heavy industry, building construction technology, light and heavy manufacturing skills, agro-industry, small animal husbandry and information technology. The programmes’ objectives include providing eligible individuals with skills training that would offer them access to viable and lucrative employment, and self-employment opportunities. Other objectives include facilitating improved self-respect, self-esteem and confidence among trainees, as well as building up a cadre of trained and efficient workers.

CEO and Managing Director of RBTT Bank Limited, Suresh Sookoo, advised the graduates to take charge of their career while continuously enhancing their educational achievements. President of RBTT/ ROYTEC, Bruce Aanensen, requested persons to devote “time, thought and action to managing themselves in the most effective way possible.” Aanensen stressed to the graduates that great importance should be placed on teamwork, whilst cautioning them to be more tolerant of others. Stating that “No one is born a leader,” he concluded that the decision to improve their skills, competencies and knowledge was a step towards “assuming the mantle of leadership in some value-adding sphere of endeavour.” In delivering the feature address, Marketing Manager and Film Buyer at Movietowne, Louanna Borde, also a  former graduate of the IBCT Programme, urged the graduates to seize the opportunity to set goals, as well as working towards accomplishing those goals. Enlightening the gathering with her own experience with the programme, Borde stated, “Success can be earned only by those who are willing to make sacrifices and by those who face challenges head on.” The award for Top Computer Student went to Sangeeta Ramdass, who also copped the Operation Enterprise Award. She was the Top Overall Student in this programme. Ramdass will attend a 10-day camp in the US titled “Operation Enterprise” as a scholarship.

UNC SENATOR Arnim Smith announced he was surrendering his gun to Ag Police Commissioner Everald Snaggs, but warned that he would retaliate against any police officer who chooses to harass him.

Addressing a news conference at Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday’s Port-of-Spain office yesterday, Smith said contrary to media reports, he complied fully with police officers when he was stopped at a road block in Curepe on Friday night and passed through two roadblocks earlier that night without incident. The UNC Senator told lawmen he had a licensed firearm in his car and showed them the license. “After this press conference, I am going across to the Commissioner of Police (COP) and hand over my gun. I am going to hand it in, thanks to the media who chose to set up my life,” he declared. Smith revealed that on Saturday he pleaded to no avail with one daily newspaper (not Newsday) not to run a picture of him handing over his gun to policemen because it would threaten his family’s safety. “You all (media) just like kidnappers. All you study is to sell your papers for a dollar. You don’t care about people’s lives. I feel that I am being set up by the press. I have a gun almost ten years, nobody knows that. Now the whole of TT know and by extent the outside world because people read the Internet. I think I am safer without the gun now because without the gun nobody will come at me. We live in a society where the media who are speaking about crime, help promote it. They are irresponsible,” he said.

Smith warned he would not tolerate harassment from any police officer.  “I will defend myself by any means necessary. They will have to kill me. I will retaliate,” the Senator declared. Smith also alleged that in “no part of the world will anybody search a Member of Parliament unless they have him under surveillance for some kind of crime” and all parliamentarians were now targets for criminals. Smith also called for Snaggs to be confirmed as CoP. “We need a CoP. We don’t need somebody who is uncertain about the future and cannot take decisions,” he declared. UNC chairman Wade Mark wondered whether Smith was viewed as some type of criminal, and claimed that Smith’s missing car keys could be used to set-up the UNC Senator.  “This is not a police state,” Mark said.