WITNESS PROTECTION PLAN
Editorial
Guyana Chronicle
August 31, 2003
THE shocking and mysterious death some ten days ago of a key witness in a kidnapping case in Trinidad and Tobago, has served as a good reminder to ask: Whatever happened to that much publicised "Criminal Justice Protection Programme" that held such promise five years ago?
First, however, to the dead witness in Trinidad and Tobago, Kevin Richards, whose body was found on August 21 wrapped in plastic and weighted down with rocks in a pond in Longdenville, Chaguanas.
The 25-year-old Richards, had been granted immunity from prosecution in the preliminary inquiry into the kidnapping case of businessman Sarran `Billy’ Kissoondan, abducted on February 23 and released after TT$1 million in ransom was paid (TT$6=US$1).
Facing trial for the kidnapping offence are Selwyn 'Robo Cop' Alexis and three conspirators - Brian Cole, Rooplall Harricharan and Kevin Simpson
Richards had earlier testified briefly in the case, after granted immunity from prosecution, and was supposed to be under the protection of the police.
He was due to reappear in court on August 25. Instead, the magistrate learnt of the shocking news of the discovery of the body of this key witness.
The disturbing question, one for more than the family and friends of Richards, indeed more than the people of Trinidad and Tobago, is: If the police cannot protect a key witness of the prosecution, then who would be bold enough to come forward to testify in similar serious cases. It was not the first time a key witness supposedly in a "protective" programme, was murdered.
Guyanese would have their own experiences of how key witnesses in various cases have either been scared off from coming forward to testify or, worse, suffered at the hands of killers, kidnappers and robbers.
Update Needed
An effective witness protection programme is vital to the regional anti-crime strategy to which Caribbean Community Governments have committed themselves, including the administrations in Georgetown and Port-of-Spain.
Not only had preliminary proposals for a witness protection scheme been submitted for consideration during the second term of the previous United National Congress administration in Port-of-Spain by then Attorney General Ramesh Maharaj.
Attorneys General and Ministers of Justice of CARICOM had actually advanced the issue significantly for it to be on the agenda for the historic May 1997 USA-Caribbean Summit with then President Bill Clinton that took place in Barbados.
That summit meeting agreed that a witness protection programme was most appropriate to meet the rising threat to the criminal justice systems in the Caribbean region to combat the intimidation and elimination of witnesses, jurors, judicial and law enforcement personnel - among them judges, magistrates and police - as well as family members.
Follow-up meetings at technical and ministerial levels to that summit in Barbados kept alive the promise of arrangements being pursued for the implementation of the witness protection programme.
But where is it really in operation today and proving effective in the fight against crime? Time for some enlightenment from the region's governments. Perhaps the CARICOM Secretariat can help with an update.