UNC MPs wish public could get ‘swift justice’ like Deyalsingh

JENSEN LA VENDE

Senior Reporter

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Three days after Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh was robbed of his gold bera and two men were held in connection with the crime, two Opposition MPs say they wish every citizen could be afforded such swift justice.

Speaking outside Parliament yesterday, Davendranath Tancoo, MP for Oropouche West, recalled the response received in 2018 when Adrian Imbert, the son of Finance Minister Colm Imbert, had his phone stolen and recovered shortly after.

At the time, the Finance Minister rubbished claims that the police acted swiftly because of who the victim was or related to.

Tancoo, who is the shadow Minister of Finance, said, “There seems to be a special type of response that is given to crimes when it comes to PNM officials and their friends and families. That is unfortunate.”

Point-a-Pierre MP David Lee agreed.

“We wonder if the normal citizenry could get that swift action that ministers seem to get?”

Both men expressed their sympathies towards Deyalsingh and thanked the police for their response but asked for the same alacrity for all citizens.

Deyalsingh, 66, was sitting outside Nyabinghi Bar, at the corner of Abercromby and King Streets, St Joseph, at 4.55 pm on Tuesday, when two men walked up. One of them placed a gun to his head and demanded that he hand over his gold bera.

A day after the bera was stolen, DCP Suzette Martin warned the culprits, “We’re coming for you.”

“Those who were involved in this crime, my best advice to you is to turn yourself in with your attorney, relative, or friend: rest assured, we are coming after you,” she added.

However, Laventille East/Morvant MP Adrian Leonce said there was no preferential treatment.

He added that the police would have received information in this case.

“I don’t want to join the bandwagon in terms of saying because it’s the minister or anything. I just feel that being a public person, you have more people saying things. That way information is easier shared. Sometimes something will happen in the constituency and nobody not saying anything but because of who whatever happened to, it is a negative and it is a positive in both ways,” Leonce said.

Earlier, when asked, MP for Toco/Sangre Grande Roger Monroe said he had no comment, while National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds and Minister in the Ministry of National Security Keith Scotland both did not respond.