Caption: John Jeremie 

 

By Alicia Chamely

 

ATTORNEY General John Jeremie, SC, says the government was left with no choice but to call a State of Emergency (SoE) based on the severity of the report presented to the National Security Council on Thursday night.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday at the Office of the Attorney General, Port of Spain, Jeremie said, “Faced with information, credible information, that persons involved in the administration of justice and others were to be assassinated given certain contingencies, we were left with no choice but to take the most dramatic action that possible under the constitution.”

He added, “We have done that. We make no apologies. We have a duty to all people of Trinidad and Tobago whether they voted for us or not, to keep them safe and to protect against precisely that which took place 1990. It will not happen on our watch.”

Discussing what he could of the information provided to the government, he said, “Our intelligence reports suggest, and they suggest strongly, with a degree of high confidence that the recent murder of a state prosecutor was directly linked to a specific gang. We said that we would take decisive action against the gangs and that is exactly what we are going to do. We say enough is enough!”

 

 

 

Jeremie said, “Yesterday afternoon the government learned a plot was in the advanced stages of execution from within the Trinidad and Tobago correctional facilities. The objective of the plot was clear, it was directed towards violent attacks, targeting citizens, persons involved in the justice system at all levels and others involved in serving this country in the protective services including police officers. State facilities were also targeted.”

Saying that the government was determined to “deal with this cancer,” Jeremie stated it was the governments expectation that the law enforcement agencies of the state would continue to implement targeted interventions based on intelligence against gangs for the duration of the SOE.

He added, “These measures constitute the first phase of our multi-pronged strategy for combating crime and course correcting towards a more safe and peaceful society.”

Jeremie said the order for the SOE was signed at midnight on July 18 and will continue for as long as the country’s security services need legislative support.

Questioned about the government’s response to the previous administration’s use of an SOE for the period December 30, 2024, to April 13, 2025, Jeremie said, “We had a situation yesterday that we could not ignore, the last SOE was prompted by nothing. I don’t wish to politicise this, but I think the PM at the time was playing golf or at a party, but I can assure the PM was on the phone with me all night”

Asked if the information hinted at a plot to destabilise the country, Jeremie said he could make such “speculations”.

Assuring the population that the government was “on top of things,” he called on the citizenry to “support us in the difficult days that lie ahead”.

A declaration for a State of Emergency was signed by President Christine Kangaloo at midnight on July 18, after a report from the state’s intelligence agencies was present to the National Security Council on Thursday afternoon.

Commissioner of Police Allister Guevarro held a press conference on Friday morning at the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) headquarter, Port of Spain, explaining they had received reports of a “high organized crime syndicate” conducting business from within the prison services had been planning assassinations, kidnappings and robberies.

He said some of these actions involved the targeting of members of the justice system.

Guevarro assured citizens they have no reason to fear and this was a “SOE of pro-action.”