Cops search THA official’s home, TPP condemns move

The Tobago’s People Party (TPP) led by Chief Secretary Farley Augustine has accused the PNM Administration of using its political powers to “frustrate the people of Tobago and distract public officials in the discharge of their duties.”

The TPP issued a statement on Friday, one day after police executed a search warrant for the electronic devices of Tobago House of Assembly Infrastructure Secretary Trevor James.

A copy of the warrant, being widely circulated in the public domain noted that police had “reasonable grounds” that James’ devices had evidence that could possibly be linked to misbehaviour in public office.

According to the statement from the TPP however, the exercise was a “feature of fascist governments around the world.”

The TPP statement said: “The public has borne witness to the white shirt invasion, timed to endure maximum disruption to the Tobago economy, the thuggish searches on the homes of Assemblymen, and most recently, the confiscation of Assemblyman Trevor James’s devices at his residence on Thursday, September 5.”

The statement further alleged that the search was designed to disrupt the governance of the island:

“As blood crimes increase across Trinidad and Tobago, with billions missing from the country’s coffers, and schools across the nation failing to open because of maladministration and disrepair, the Central Government has centered its attack, not on crime-fighting, school building, or economic stimulus, but on foolish attempts to disrupt the governance of Tobago, and Tobago’s people.”