(Trinidad Express) Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard yesterday said he has not yet been consulted by the police in connection with an alleged plot to destabilise the country and assassinate Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and three Government Ministers.
An ex-US soldier is among 16 men who were served detention notices which were signed by National Security Minister Brig John Sandy earlier this week. They are in custody at the Remand Yard Facility of the Golden Grove Prison, Arouca. Two other men — one an alleged Laventille gang leader and the other the son of a Freeport businessman—remain in custody.
Some detainees are being held in connection with their alleged involvement in a plot to destabilise the country and cause major panic while some are held for allegedly conspiring to assassinate Persad-Bissessar and Attorney General Anand Ramlogan, Minister of Housing and the Environment Dr Roodal Moonilal and Minister of Local Government, Chandresh Sharma.
Contacted on whether he or his Office has been in contact with the police with their probe, Gaspard said no.
“Sir, to date, the police have not contacted me in relation to the prospect of them bringing criminal charges in that matter,” Gaspard said in the text message in which he responded.
It is the norm in high profile matters for the police to consult the DPP during and sometimes after their investigations to ensure that the intended criminal prosecutions could stand up in court.
However, the police could and in the past have gone ahead and laid charges in high profile matters without consulting the DPP but when the matters go before the court the file still has to be sent to the DPP’s office for review so a State attorney could be appointed to prosecute the case.
This was evident with the recent cases filed under the Anti-Gang legislation where the police went ahead and charged 243 alleged gang members without consulting the DPP.
This resulted in the DPP offering no evidence and discontinuing all the cases before the courts.
Meanwhile, police probing the incident said they had completed their investigations and were reviewing all the statements.
Yesterday, officers were expected to go to the Remand Yard facility of the Golden Grove, in Arouca to interview one of the suspects a second time.
No indication has been given on whether they intend to approach Gaspard before the State of Emergency expires on Monday.
However, a source close to the investigation said no, when questioned on the likelihood of criminal charges being laid against the accused.
The State of Emergency ends on Monday and the police will either have to lay charges against the detainees or release them, if the Government does not extend it.
