The Port-of-Spain Magistrate's Court and environs will be extra busy with certain high profile cases today, which is also the 25th anniversary of the failed 1990 coup attempt by the Jamaat al Muslimeen.The 11 accused in the Dana Seetahal murder are scheduled to appear in that court today. Several of them are from the Jamaat's Eastern outpost, the Al Islamia mosque.
And ILP leader Jack Warner will also appear today in the Port-of-Spain Magistrate's Court again on charges stemming from the US' corruption and racketeering allegations against him.Warner, on bail, had appeared on July 9 in court presided over by Chief Magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar to address charges of corruption during his tenure at Fifa.
On July 1, 2015, the US submitted formal requests for Switzerland to extradite seven Fifa officials. On May 27, 2015, Warner was indicted by US officials on charges of racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering, along with 13 other people. A provisional warrant was issued for Warner's arrest and extradition in May.
The US' extradition request was received by the Government last Tuesday and Attorney General Garvin Nicholas was examining the voluminous document. State sources were unable to say yesterday if the examination was complete.Warner has hired British QC Edward Fitzgerald to advise his legal defence team on the charges. He has said he is optimistic of the case taking ten years.
Apart from the Warner case, the 11 accused in the Seetahal murder, who appear in the Port-of-Spain court also were charged on Saturday with the May 4, 2014 "hit" on Seetahal, a special state prosecutor.
She was ambushed and shot five times–twice in the head, twice to the forearm and once in the chest– while returning to her One Woodbrook Place apartment around 12.40 am. Seetahal, 59, had been turning north on to Hamilton Holder Street, Woodbrook, while en route home from Mau Pau casino.
The 11 who are charged with her murder are mainly from the Carapo Al Islamia mosque as well as locations in Arima, Cocorite, and Chagunas.Three others–including Stacy Griffith, one of the wives of one of the accused–were charged with committing an act to assist a gang.
Several streets around the court around the Central Police Station have been barricaded since last week Friday when three prisoners staged a daring high noon jailbreak.Allan "Scanny" Martin was shot dead in a gun battle with police and Hassan Atwell was shot yesterday in East Dry River. Christopher "Monster" Selby was on the run yesterday and helicopters were crossing parts of the capital in the hunt for him.
Since unsubstantiated reports circulated last Friday that two police stations were shot at, the metal barricades were erected around several stations around T&T, including north and south.Yesterday police said the barricades will remain up until further notice, assuring security will be "very tight" round the city as well as the Port-of-Spain Magistrate's Court block.
Several businesses around Edwards Street didn't open last Saturday since barricades were in place around the corner of Edwards and Queen Streets.
Meanwhile, former National Security minister Gary Griffith said the police had been apprised of threats to him on a video and he had noted that the threats, which included that the prison would be on lockdown–had come through with last Friday's jail break episode.
But Griffith said he had no regrets about doing his job and would do it all over again if he had to. He said: "The day criminals praise government officials, it means the officials aren't doing their job."
On Friday July 27, 1990, members of the Jamaat Al Muslimeen, led by Yasin Abu Bakr stormed then Red House, the location of the Parliament as well as the TTT compound on Maraval Road, taking hostages, members of the government at the former and TTT workers at the latter.
Then Prime Minister ANR Robinson, whom the Jamaat shot in the knee, called on troops to "Attack With Full Force!" The siege lasted five days with the Muslimeen surrendering to T&T's military forces. Just over 30 persons were killed in the failed coup attempt including NAR MP Leo des Vignes who died from injuries after being shot. An eternal flame was erected on the Red House Parliament grounds to mark the failed insurrectionist bid.