THE BRENT THOMAS AFFAIR

 This whole affair raises more questions than answers - which, I suppose, is par for the course. The first question is how could the police effectively commandeer a coast guard plane WITHOUT anybody in the National Security Council, which is headed by the Prime Minister and whose members INCLUDE both the Minister of National Security (NSC)  AND the Attorney General, knowing about it? Assuming that the reports in the newspapers are correct, neither the Attorney General nor the Minister of National Security knew about this matter. We haven't heard yet from the Prime Minister as to whether or not he knew about it. Indeed, it would be very, very worrying if he didn't for reasons that ought to be obvious. He is the head of the NSC, for crying out loud!

But, assuming that he joins with his two Ministers on the NSC and says that he too knew nothing about it, then we have a serious problem. It would mean that somebody in the National Security apparatus is operating outside of his/her legal authority. It would mean that the NSC, the ultimate authority for the defence of the Republic, can plot a coup and the NSC would never know about it until it was too late. It is inconceivable that the Prime Minister didn't know about it ... and yet here we are with two members of the NSC saying that they had no idea that a Trinidad &Tobago aircraft had been dispatched to Barbados to collect an alleged fugitive and there is/was no Court Order or other authority given by anyone who should have known about this, as having a clue as to what was going on.

As if that wasn't serious enough, we haven't been told why Mr. Thomas was targeted in this fashion. Was it because somebody high up had a grudge against him? Was it because there was (or is) some kind of evidence that for security reasons hasn't been produced? If so, what kind of evidence? And why was the Judge not told about this in camera?

Then we have the rather unusual statement from the Attorney General of Barbados that he knew nothing about it. But, we haven't heard yet from the Prime Minister of Barbados. Did she know something about it? If so, that could be an explanation for her rather curious silence as she might not want to embarrass her Trinidad counterpart. But if so, then it would mean that the Trinis are lying. Why are they lying (if indeed they are)?

Look, this whole affair raises more questions than answers. A national of Trinidad & Tobago is arrested and held by Barbadian police, presumably at the request of the Trinidadian police. There is no Court Order either from Barbados or Trinidad authorizing the detention and extradition of the Trinidadian and when the Trinidadian sues in the Trinidadian Court for his arrest, extradition and detention there is absolutely no credible defence proffered on the part of any person in authority. All we have got so far is "Not me! I didn't even know about it!" So? Who does? Or, who did?

This matter is dangerous and the issues that it raise need to be fully ventilated. To just let it pass without the story coming out does not augur well for anybody, much less our democracy.