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T&T AG’s Refusal to Release the John Report Bodes Ill for Transparency

As the public awaits the release of Justice Stanley John’s report into the troubling episode that led to a $20 million default judgment against the state, the AG’s continued withholding of its findings raises serious questions.
While reforms may be in the works, Justice John was tasked first and foremost with uncovering the truth about how such a catastrophic error could occur.
By declining to reveal the facts uncovered in his investigation, the AG undermines accountability and betrays the public interest.

We all want a justice system grounded in integrity, with procedures thoroughly reviewed to prevent future lapses.
However, meaningful change cannot be built upon an undisclosed foundation.
How can we have faith that identified problems will genuinely be remedied, if we are denied insight into their nature and origins?
If no wrongdoing is uncovered, officials have nothing to hide.
But silence often speaks volumes, breeding suspicion of concealment where transparency should prevail.

Taxpayers rightfully demand oversight when forced to shoulder multimillion-dollar burdens due to institutional failures.
They deserve more than vague assurances that lessons are being learned behind closed doors.
The public has a fundamental interest in knowing whether the missing file was a one-off administrative error, or symptomatic of deeper-rooted dysfunction.
Did it result from negligence, malfeasance, underfunding, or some combination thereof?
Without the facts, we are left to speculation.

Reform stands to benefit from public input and scrutiny and loses credibility without it.
Secrecy may shield embarrassment but does little to regain trust after such a colossal blunder.
A democracy cannot function with an opacity of this magnitude within its justice ministry.
The AG must reconsider a withholding stance that does more harm than good to the credibility of our legal system and its promise of accountability.

The release of the John Report in full is imperative for the integrity of ongoing reforms and upholding the principles of transparency our government purports to uphold.
The time has come for answers, not avoidance—the public deserves nothing less after shouldering $20 million in losses due to failures within the AG’s department and more as the legal process continues...

Sarge

This AG was part of a team and Legal Firm representing T&T that a Florida judge threw out owing to numerous conflicts of interest !!!
He noted he was just a note taker in the case collecting millions
Brilliant Rowley then appointed him as Attorney general.

Then the above occurred, where his Lawyers appeared in court without files. He claimed they were lost?

Concerned citizens asked Justice Stanley John to shed light on the alarming decisions made.
For months the public awaited the results of the independent investigation they funded with their tax dollars, only to be met with silence and secrecy.
When news broke that John compiled a report with sensitive findings, AG refused its release, citing vague privacy concerns.

But whose privacy merits protecting - that of corrupt officials or the taxpayers who paid Justice John to serve the interests of transparency and justice?
AG stonewalling and lack of accountability raises serious red flags about his willingness to cover for others' wrongdoings rather than uphold his duty to the citizens.
If the report truly posed no risk to national security or innocent parties, what is the administration hiding that bears scrutiny?

Until citizens are provided the full findings and given satisfactory answers, this troubling saga will continue fueling allegations of negligence, misconduct and an justice system that serves the well-connected rather than victims seeking the truth.
In a democratic nation, the people deserve honesty from their leaders and access to information that affects the public interest.
The time for delays and denials must end.
Justice demands the light of transparency.

Sarge

$20m for 9 freed of Vindra Naipaul kidnapping/murder:
Attorney files FOI request for report into missing file

AN attorney representing nine men charged with the kidnap and murder of businesswoman Vindra Naipaul-Coolman, has submitted a freedom of information (FOI) request to Attorney General Reginald Armour with respect to a report by former justice Stanley John into a missing file related to a malicious prosecution case involving nine men who were charged for the kidnapping and murder of businesswoman Vindra Naipaul Coolman in 2007.

In a signed FOI request document dated September 17, attorney Ganesh Saroop said he represented Shervon Peters, Devon Peters, Anthony Gloster, Joel Fraser, Ronald Armstrong, Keida Garcia, Jameel Garcia, Marlon Trimmingham and Antonio Charles. These men, along with Earl Tremmingham, Raphael William, Allan “Scanny” Martin, and Lyndon James were charged for Naipaul-Coolman's kidnapping and murder.

Saroop said after a full trial on May 30, 2016, a jury returned a not guilty for all his clients.Saroop concluded the request, by saying that if the information being sought is not provided within 30 days, "an application for judicial review will be made pursuant to section 39 of the Freedom of Information Act."

In reply to sgtdjones

Is T&T a first world country or are they really a Banana Republic,TTs government is untouchable and it's plain to see.Rowley the big leader nobody bigger than he.