Event Activity

External

The Presidency Elections and You

April 2002

Public Consultations on the powers of the President, the constitution and the role citizens play in the reform process. Held in Port-of- Spain and Arima

Initial, Second and third Periodic Report: Trinidad and Tobago. Consideration of Reports of State parties on the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women.

January 29, 2002

UN Headquaters in New York

The delegation which was lead by Mr. George Mc Kenzie Ambassador of T&T to the UN and included Ms. Debbie Sirjusingh, Director of Human Rights, Ministry of the Attorney General and Ms. Deborah Mc Fee Project Execution Officer, Ministry of Community Development and Gender Affairs presented its replies to the Committee’s questions in writing and orally.

Fourth OAS Meeting of Ministers of Justice or of Ministers or Attorneys General of the Americas REMJA IV

March 10-13, 2002

Trinidad Hilton and Conference Centre POS

Recommendations Coming out of the conference:

Legal and judicial cooperation in fighting organized crime and terrorism.

Information exchange Network for Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters.

Improving the administration of Justice.

Cyber-crime.

Justice Studies Centre of the Americas

Reporting Session on the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, Co-hosted by the Ministry of Attorney General and the Ministry of Community Development and Gender Affairs

May 14, 2002

Trinidad Hilton and Conference Centre

The aim of this session was to report on the Government’s presentation to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on its joint initial, second and third periodic reports  under the convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against women and discuss the way forward for the implementation of the recommendations.

Workshop on Refugee Protection “ Refugee Protection: The International Framework: Procedures and Criteria for Refugee Status Determination and Domestic Arrangements  in Trinidad and Tobago.

March 19-20, 2002

Cabildo Chambers

The aim of the workshop was to sensitize government officials dealing with refugees about the 1951 Convention and its 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees.  Trinidad and Tobago acceded to this instrument in November 2000.

Educational Workshop for Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and Haiti on the Caribbean Court of Justice

July 23-24, 2002

Crowne Plaza Hotel

The workshop examined the CCJ in its role as a final Appellate Court for member states of the Caribbean Community and Adjudicator in disputes surrounding the CARICOM single market.

Topics discussed:

The Municipal Court

Dispute Settlement

People in the Process

Trinidad and Tobago ratified the Agreement Establishing the Caribbean Court of Justice.

Training Session for Bailiffs

September 19-20, 2002

Ministry of the Attorney General

Training and certification of over 350 of bailiffs for Trinidad and Tobago.

Establishment of the Special Security and Facilities Management Unit at the Ministry of the Attorney General

July 30, 2002

Ministry of the Attorney General

Graduates completed basic training in areas of basic security, access control, protective security, communication skills introduction to criminal law and powers of arrest.  The Unit provides special security and facilities management services to the Ministry of the Attorney General and the Ministry of Legal Affairs.

Handing over of Restored Cabildo Building to The National Trust

October 2, 2002

The AG’s office completed the restoration work on the Cabildo building at #6 Sackville Street POS. to the National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago.  It is one of the oldest  brick building in POS having been constructed towards the end of the eighteenth century.  It is the only virtually unaltered surviving architectural monument to our Spanish Colonial Heritage.

Internal

Carnival Wednesday Lime

The Ag hosted all members of her staff to a lime of bake and shark and corn soup

Indian Arrival Day Celebrations

May 27-30, 2002

Mini Exhibition of Traditional East Indian artifacts, literature, clothing

Employee Appreciation Week

Administrative Professional’s Week

Secretaries were treated to a one-day seminar on personal etiquette , a make up demonstration and luncheon

Emancipation Day Celebrations

August 29-30, 2002

Exhibition, fashion show and performances

Sport’s and Cultural Club

Christmas Party for Kistow Home for Children

December 21, 2002

The Attorney General and the Ministry’s Sports and Cultural Club hosted the children of the Margaret Kistow home to a Christmas party.  The Home was also presented with a hamper of food, clothing , toys, books and toiletries..

Conferences attended by AG and/or Senior Officers Senior

Meetings of Council of Legal Education-St. Kitts and Nevis

Special Meeting of Executive Committee

Thirty-fourth Meeting of the Council of Legal Education

September 5, 2002

Of particular interest to Trinidad and Tobago is the topic of the increase in intake of students at the Hugh Wooding Law School. The AG was successful in having the Council agree to offer 30 places to non UWI LLB at the Eugene Dupuch Law School in the Bahamas.

First Meeting of the assembly of State Parties of the International Criminal Court- New York

September 3-10, 2003

The Attorney General on behalf of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago signed the Agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of the International Criminal Court.

Sixth Ordinary Meeting of the Legal Affairs Committee of CARICOM

November 14-16, 2002

Items that were discussed includes but is not limited:

1.The consideration of Legal Instruments-

Anti-Dumping Duties Bill

Fair Competition Protection Bill

2.The Status of Legal Instruments relating to the Caribbean Court of Justice.

3.Justice and Security Issues

The Commonwealth Law Ministers Meeting

November  18-21, 2002

Topics discussed:

Strategies for enhancing democracy by eliminating legal barriers to development

Freedom of information

Terrorism

International Co-operation to Combat crime

The Attorney General also use the opportunity to introduce Mr. Karl Hudson-Phillips QC, Trinidad and Tobago candidate for nomination as a judge of the International Criminal Court

Legislative Drafting Department

August 26-September 29, 2002. Tokyo Japan

Mrs. Claire Blake, Chief Parliamentary Counsel attended as Group Training Course-“Antimonopoly Act and Competition Policy” The course is targeted for administrators in authorities responsible for drafting competition laws

Central Authority-Mutual Legal Assistance

In 2002, 33% of the Mutual Assistance requests received by Trinidad and Tobago and 27% that were made were drug related particularly from the United States of American and the United Kingdom.  Extradition request made by Trinidad and Tobago amounted to 15% that were drug related while steady figures for request received amounted to 1% in 2001 and continue onto 2002.  However, the majority of requests that have so far come into the Central Authority Department are from the United Kingdom, United States of America, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Israel, Singapore, Norway, Spain and several Caribbean Countries.

April 2002

Mr. West, Senior Legal Executive to the Central Authority Department attended the Second Round of Negotiations on a Draft Agreement regarding Co-operation in Suppressing Illicit Maritime and Aeronautical Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances in the Caribbean Area that was held in Aruba, Kingdom of the Netherlands.  Discussions during the meeting focused on the provisions concerning the definitions, verification of nationality, shipboarding, operations in national waters, jurisdiction over stateless vessels and aircraft operations.  At this meeting there was agreement on the provisions placed forth and finalization of the regional agreement prior to which series of consultations and preparatory meetings were held in 2001.

Mr. West diligently represented Trinidad and Tobago at the Commonwealth Secretariat, 2002 Oxford Conference in Christ Church, Oxford, United Kingdom.  The Conference, titled, ‘The Changing Face of International Co-operation in Criminal Matters in the 21st Century’, addressed matters such as the effectiveness of the multilateral treaties, the use of sanctions in the development of international policy and achieving a balance between effective co-operation and the protection of human rights; a review of international co-operation practice with a view to what is working and what is not i.e. the best practices, pitfalls, challenges; identifying the common threads amongst the various subject areas to allow for a cost and resource effective approach to tackling international crime.

Mr. West’s active involvement included a presentation on the establishment, challenges and benefits of having Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties in Trinidad and Tobago and the importance of the Central Authority Department to the country.  He emphasized on the fact that countries need to achieve a more efficient system in the fight against trans- national organized crime on not only an international level but a national one as well.    

The Central Authority has been invited to attend and participate in many international seminars and Work Shops that address the issue of trans-national organized crime. Mr. West participated at the Expert Group Meeting on the Development of Legislative and Implementation Tools against Terrorism hosted in Siracusa.  At this Meeting, held by The Centre for International Crime Prevention and the International Institute of Higher Study in Criminal Sciences (ISISC), international legal instruments that relate to terrorism were discussed and comments were given by the participating members. The Meeting greatly improved the awareness and knowledge of the Central Authority with regard to offences related to the Financing of Terrorism, aviation, protected persons, dangerous material, terrorist bombing and hostage taking.

Mr. West was in Fort-de-France attending a Seminar held by the United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention on ‘Strengthening International Legal Cooperation in the Caribbean’. The speakers addressed the challenges that the Caribbean faced from the growth of drug trafficking, increase in transnational organized crime and the threat of terrorism.  The need for further action to minimize obstacles to effective international legal cooperation was the foundation for holding such a seminar.

The seminar in Martinique provided the ideal platform for Mr. West to address the issue of backing of warrants and the need for such legislation to be applied within the CARICOM nations. He intends to pioneer an Extradition Treaty within the CARICOM nations to eliminate obstacles that may hinder an extradition process.  Such a Treaty will be modeled on the Backing of Warrants legislation that exists in United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland and have proven to be very effective.  The first draft of the Treaty is expected to be completed by the end of January 2003.

The Group reviewed the existing treaty cooperation frameworks such as the Harare Scheme, the OAS Conventions and the United Nations treaties on Mutual Legal Assistance, Transnational Organized Crime and a proposed Caribbean Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty.