Amid high hopes by families for the release of five T&T nationals detained in Venezuela, questions have been raised by former national security minister Gary Griffith about the process for the release.
The five men—Wade Charles, Dominic Pitlal, Leslie Daisley, Asim Luqman, and Andre Battersby—have been detained by Venezuelan authorities since March 19, 2014, under suspicion of being terrorists.
They were arrested at a Caracas hotel in a group totalling 25 including women and children and three imams. They all said they went to Caracas to seek visas for the Hajj Middle East pilgrimage.
Meanwhile, there are about 19 Venezuelans detained at T&T’s Immigration Detention Centre.
“This is very unique, almost awkward. I’ve never heard of it in between two states,” Griffith said yesterday of moves at Monday’s T&T/Venezuela talks for repatriation of nationals of each country.
Griffith, under whose tenure the detentions occurred, said the expected release was the first time he had heard of detainees being exchanged this way or sent home as part of such an arrangement.
“Only prisoners of war are exchanged. In this situation we’re seeking to return persons who had been persons of interest on suspicion of terrorism...In exchange T&T’s sending back Venezuelans who overstayed their time in T&T...including lewd dancers and others? The exchange isn’t fair.”
The PP government attempted to deal with the matter via diplomatic channels and then under the supervision of Rear Admiral Richard Kelshall.
Subsequently, 22 including the women and children were freed, and the imams 60 days after. The men’s families and attorney Nafeesa Mohammed have lobbied persistently for their return, saying they’re innocent.
After Monday’s T&T/Venezuela meeting, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi said Government made significant steps concerning the men as well as concerning the two countries’ national security architecture.
He said Government expressed interest in having special talks concerning the release of “our citizens through the appropriate judicial and national security mechanisms.”
Venezuela also indicated interest in dealing with the matter. It will be tabled specially at a meeting which the National Security ministers of T&T and Venezuela will have tomorrow in Venezuela.
Government officials have indicated the situation is “promising” for resolution, but correct processes must be followed. National Security Minister Edmund Dillon, who was at a recent US anti-crime meeting, was expected back by yesterday, but calls to him weren’t immediately answered.
A November 2014 Venezuelan news report had stated the men were under suspicion of terrorism and criminal conspiracy for allegedly participating in a plot to overthrow Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
They were accused of working with a member of the Venezuelan national intelligence service (Sebin), a Venezuelan police officer and a Haitian to overthrow Maduro.
The report claimed Venezuelan security forces “seized military uniforms, videos with radical religious content, over $100,000 cash, and 66 passports.”
Also reportedly seized were cellphone images showing them using high-powered weapons on a firing range and other information. Venezuelan intelligence deemed it “pre-jihad training.” Their court hearings have mainly been postponed.
Griffith: We moved quickly
Griffith said he’d moved quickly when the issue occurred in 2014. “Within 24 hours of the group’s detention we had a mission in Venezuela dealing with it. We extracted the women and children and subsequently the three imams. But when we returned for the five men, Venezuelan authorities told me—just like this—where to get off.
“They were within their rights as I would have been out of place to make demands infringing on their sovereign rights as a country. There had been a serious report of people alleged to be involved in highly-questionable activities.
“The evidence in their intelligence report was very strong. Venezuelans said they had to do their criminal justice process.”
Griffith said: “I asked Venezuela to expedite the matter. It’s totally untrue to say government’s work somehow got them detained or caused them to be detained. Venezuela had no information from T&T. Their detention was based on their activity which the Venezuelans found, which is why they held them in the first place. Any information from the SSA in T&T came after the detention.”
Kelshall denies he told Venezuela the five had been arrested in T&T. “Anyone in our delegation would attest that my words were that the men were ‘known’ to police. I never said they were arrested.
“I pulled out stops to get the women and children and others back. We were focused on this because there’s no way any country could hold people from another territory indefinitely. The question is why they kept them indefinitely.”
Griffith said: “Now, the difference may be due to Venezuela’s volatile situation, they may be saying ‘take them back’. We have to see if they’ll simply be released if they return or if they will be handed over to T&T for possible questioning or charges.”