T&T: Who knew!?!?!

Director of Public Prosecution Geoffrey Henderson said yesterday that organised crime in this country is being supported by many legitimate businesses.

He said because of this, legitimate and criminal interests have become “so entangled that large segments of society depend upon the perpetuation of criminal activity for their livelihood.”

The DPP made the statement in his opening address to participants at a five-day workshop on money laundering.

This story, which ran in the Trinidad Guardian (the link can no longer be followed), speaks for itself, but nobody in T&T is really surprised. Once one gets into communities in T&T, residents can point to known drug dealers; even more, they can tell you who began what business after he became involved in the drug trade, for instance. Just look at the proliferation of huge mansions and business expansions in many areas; how can some of these be accounted for, especially when the businessman had no history of business or is some youth-man who had no legitimate income source funding his endeavors? How could these things happen without the complicity of many in the system in T&T? It can't. As DPP Henderson notes,

although eight Magistrates’ Courts and six High Courts sit daily in Port-of-Spain, only one money confiscation was made in the last two years.

Thus, this revelation by DPP Henderson is likely to generate no more than a shrug amongst the populace, especially since the judiciary doesn't seem to give a damn. After all, money talks whether or not it's powdered with coke dust.

If T&T wants to get serious and put an end to the criminal depredations of many in the business class, all DPP Henderson would have to do is follow the money. All the judiciary would have to do is wake up and start upholding the law.