(Trinidad Express) Police officers swooped down on Gulf View and searched the residence of the children of pastor Vinworth Anthony Dayal yesterday afternoon.
The pastor’s church—the Third Exodus Assembly Church, of Depot Road, Longdenville—was reportedly searched earlier.
Officers of the Financial Investigations Branch (FIB) of the Police Service, along with six uniformed, armed police officers, spent several hours at the Gulf View house searching the premises.
The uniformed police officers carried firearms, while the officers dressed in suits wore gloves.
The house at Ocean Drive is where at least four of Dayal’s children have lived for at least 30 years.
Around 6 p.m., the officers left in four heavily tinted, marked and unmarked vehicles. One the pastor’s daughters was seen in a private vehicle behind the police vehicles.
Most of the residents in the community stayed indoors during the raid, but some of them came out of their homes upon seeing the contingent of police officers.
One of the residents said: “I only know that two of the girls used to work at Starbucks. I don’t think the others work. So when we heard about this $28 million thing, we residents were so shocked.”
The resident said she knew the pastor had nine children, several of whom are married and live elsewhere.
Residents said Dayal and his wife did not live at the premises, but visited a few times during the year.
One of the residents said the last time the pastor was seen at the house was at least six months ago.
One of the pastor’s sons named Pablo, who lived at the house in Gulf View, died earlier this year.
The resident said it was discovered he had a brain tumour and died at least three months ago.
Residents said the pastor and his wife lived in Longdenville.
“The pastor lived here for a short time, then he and his wife moved out. The pastor’s wife is a very nice lady,” the resident said.
“The children grew up in this area and played with our children in our yards. They are all grown-up now and very nice, quiet people.
“The pastor has not visited for a while, but the last time I saw him he was moving with heavily armed security officers. He was in the vehicle with a security officer and there was a security vehicle with more guards trailing them,” the resident said.
On Tuesday night, on the brink of 2020, FIB officers went before a magistrate and secured a detention court order to impound $28,046,500 from the pastor under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Dayal, described as “a minister of religion and a pastor of the Third Exodus Assembly Church of Depot Road, Longdenville”, went to the South Trunk Road, La Romaine, branch of State-run bank First Citizens on December 23 and informed officials there that he intended to redeem all the old $100 notes in his possession.
Dayal’s attempt to redeem $28,046,500 triggered the seizure and detention just before midnight on Tuesday night. The pastor had been due to meet with Central Bank officials at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, but failed to show up at the appointed time.
Sources said attempts to get the Central Bank to give an undertaking that it would redeem the money before it (the money) was brought to the bank failed.
It was not until shortly after 5 p.m. that the money was presented at the bank and FIB officials began counting to verify the amount.
The money was eventually seized by the FIB, which secured a detention order from a magistrate.
In a pre-action protocol letter dated December 29 , 2019, to the Central Bank, Dayal’s attorney, Darrell Allahar, explained the source of funds as having been derived from churchgoers who contributed their tithes.
He said Dayal “had collected over the past 19 years voluntary offerings for his personal use and benefit from members of the congregation of the church in the form of tithes”.
“These tithes have always been collected from members of the congregation in specially marked ‘Tithe’ envelopes,” the letter said.
