SHAL­IZA HAS­SANALI

Se­nior In­ves­tiga­tive Re­porter

shal­iza.has­sanali@guardian.co.tt

Act­ing Po­lice Com­mis­sion­er Ju­nior Ben­jamin has promised to give an up­date in­volv­ing a two-year old in­ves­ti­ga­tion in­to al­le­ga­tions that “se­nior gov­ern­ment of­fi­cials” have been in­volved in hu­man traf­fick­ing.

The in­ves­ti­ga­tion was or­dered in 2023 by then po­lice com­mis­sion­er Er­la Hare­wood-Christo­pher af­ter then op­po­si­tion MP Rod­ney Charles told the Par­lia­ment that the Unit­ed States’ 2022 Traf­fick­ing in Per­sons Re­port had re­port­ed that T&T main­tained its po­si­tion on the Tier 2 Watch­list be­cause it did not take ac­tion against “se­nior gov­ern­ment of­fi­cials al­leged in 2020 to be in­volved in hu­man traf­fick­ing”.

This prompt­ed Hard­wood-Christo­pher to ap­point a spe­cial team of of­fi­cers to in­ves­ti­gate the mat­ter, stat­ing that al­le­ga­tions of hu­man traf­fick­ing would be tak­en se­ri­ous­ly.

The con­tentious para­graph in the re­port stat­ed, “Cor­rup­tion and of­fi­cial com­plic­i­ty in traf­fick­ing crimes re­mained sig­nif­i­cant con­cerns, in­hibit­ing law en­force­ment ac­tion, and the gov­ern­ment did not take ac­tion against se­nior gov­ern­ment of­fi­cials al­leged in 2020 to be in­volved in hu­man traf­fick­ing.”

In re­sponse, then prime min­is­ter Dr Kei­th Row­ley said they heard the al­le­ga­tion and, when in­ves­ti­gat­ed, found the re­port re­ferred to Op­po­si­tion MPs, while then Op­po­si­tion Leader Kam­la Per­sad-Bisses­sar point­ed fin­gers at the PNM.

In the Unit­ed States Traf­fick­ing in Per­sons 2024 Re­port, it stat­ed that in Feb­ru­ary 2023, the Com­mis­sion­er of Po­lice or­dered an in­ves­ti­ga­tion in­to se­nior gov­ern­ment of­fi­cials, al­leged in 2020 to have been in­volved in traf­fick­ing.

“In March 2023, po­lice opened an­oth­er in­ves­ti­ga­tion in­to sep­a­rate al­le­ga­tions made in 2023 against se­nior gov­ern­ment of­fi­cials,” the re­port stat­ed.

Con­tact­ed on Fri­day to pro­vide an up­date on the in­ves­ti­ga­tion, Ben­jamin said he did not have that in­for­ma­tion be­fore him. “I would have to get back to you,” he added.

Ben­jamin said he would have to en­quire from “the DCP of in­tel­li­gence and in­ves­ti­ga­tion” on this mat­ter.

How­ev­er, he said, the TTPS plans to re­vis­it some “cold cas­es” soon to pro­vide the pub­lic with a progress re­port.

“More and more I am get­ting in­for­ma­tion and in­tel­li­gence and recog­nis­ing that there is a link with both T&T na­tion­als as well as Venezue­lan na­tion­als in hu­man traf­fick­ing,” Ben­jamin said.