Trinidad and Tobago Attorney General Proceeds with Case Against Brent Thomas Amid Barbados Liability Acceptance

Trinidad and Tobago’s Attorney General Reginald Armour says he is going ahead with the State’s case against Brent Thomas, noting that the recent decision by the Barbados government to accept liability in a lawsuit involving his removal from that island to T&T in 2022 has no impact on the case against him here.

However, Armour added, “The matter involving the State is currently before the courts of Trinidad and Tobago, is sub judicé and as such, it is prohibited from public discussion or comment.”

Armour said he also had every confidence that the Attorney General of Barbados Dale Marshall SC was acting in the best interest of Barbados, but he said he had no intention of offering his opinion on the matter.

“I have noted the statements in the media attributed to Barbados AG Hon Dale Marshall SC. I trust that his actions are based on the information at his disposal and the guidance of legal counsel,” he said.

Armour was responding to reports over the weekend that the Barbados government had accepted liability in the matter after Thomas sued over his “forced” deportation from that country. Thomas was on his way to visit his US cardiologist and stopped over in Barbados when he was detained at his hotel on October 5, 2022, handcuffed and handed over to three officers assigned to Trinidad and Tobago’s Professional Standards Bureau on the tarmac of the Grantley Adams International Airport.

According to the reports, Roger Forde KC, the attorney for Barbados AG Marshall in the lawsuit, had advised Thomas’ lawyers that the Barbados government had accepted liability based on his (Forde’s) advice.

On Monday, Forde told Barbados TODAY that Barbados is expected to broker an out-of-court settlement.

He said negotiations have not yet begun but confirmed that the government’s acknowledgement of liability is contained in a letter he wrote to Thomas.

“I have advised my client that the State of Barbados should accept liability in respect of the claim for breach of Section 18 of the Constitution of Barbados,” the correspondence stated. Section 18 of the constitution’s bill of rights guarantees the right to a fair hearing and protection of the law.

Thomas is also seeking information on who authorised the action against him on both the Barbados and T&T sides.

Thomas had sued over the Barbadian authorities’ handling of his arrest, detention and forced repatriation by the Barbados Police Service, in tandem with Caricom IMPACS (the Implementation Agency for Crime and Security) and T&T Police Service.