ONE of the men held in connection with last week’s robbery of Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh in St Joseph has been released.
Attorneys for two of several men held for questioning intervened over the weekend after their clients had been in custody for almost five days and were not yet charged.
At 7 p.m. on Sunday, after discussions with the legal teams for the men, instructions were given for one of them to be released.
Attorneys Aaron Lewis and Criston J Williams were part of a team that represented the interests of the man.
The attorneys had written to Adita Ramdular, a legal officer attached to the Police Service Legal Unit, noting the length of time their client had been detained without charge, and that there was precedent which explicitly stated that individuals ought to only be detained “for long as it is reasonably necessary to conduct or complete an investigation”.
“We contend that the detention and continuous detention of our client is unlawful, arbitrary and unreasonable,” Lewis stated.
He submitted that the continued detention of his client despite his denial of any wrongdoing, and the availability of witness statements which placed him at another location at the time of the robbery, was against the man’s constitutional rights.
As such, they warned that should the man not be released, the attorneys would be seeking to file a habeas corpus to secure his release.
Ramdular asked Lewis not to file the habeas corpus as she sought instructions on how to proceed.
The attorneys were informed last night that instructions had been given to release their client.
On September 17, Deyalsingh, 66, was sitting outside the Nyabinghi Bar at the corner of Abercromby and King streets in St Joseph, near his constituency office, when at about 4.55 p.m. he was confronted by two men.
One of the men pointed a gun at Deyalsingh’s head and robbed him of his gold bracelet.
Not long after, a video of him speaking to someone on his cellphone about what happened was posted to social media.
Deyalsingh said to the person on the phone: “I am in St Joseph in my constituency. Five o’clock, hot sun, bright sun, sitting outside Nyabinghi Bar opposite the church (St Joseph RC Church) with a constituent. Two fellas walk up to me, put a gun to my head, and robbed me of my bracelet.”
He then tells the unidentified person on the other end: “Just letting you know where crime has reached…The police are here… you don’t have to get (involved)…I’m just letting you know,’ he said, following which the video stopped.
Later that night, officers of the Port of Spain Division as well as the Inter-Agency Task Force led by Snr Supt Maharaj and Supt Spence, acting on intelligence received, made their way to St Paul Street in Port of Spain where they intercepted a blue Hyundai Elantra car which matched the description of the getaway vehicle used in the robbery.
Two men were in the car at the time.
The suspects were detained and questioned.
Police could not confirm if the gold bracelet which was stolen, and said to have a value of $10,000, had been retrieved.
Sgt John is continuing enquiries.
On September 18, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Intelligence and Investigations) Suzette Martin condemned the robbery and warned all involved to surrender to law enforcement.
“I wish to reassure the public that a thorough investigation is already underway and all efforts are being made to swiftly apprehend those responsible,” Martin said.