US Overseas Prosecutorial Dept. Pays Courtesy Call on AG
US OVERSEAS PROSECUTORIAL DEPARTMENT PAYS COURTESY CALL ON AG RAMLOGAN
Attorney General Anand Ramlogan met with Mr. Major Coleman, CBSI Regional Legal Advisor for the Caribbean Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT) last Friday as part of ongoing efforts under the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) to forge effective partnerships to improve public safety throughout the hemisphere.
The CBSI is a US security strategy designed to encourage joint collaboration between the US and the Caribbean for the purpose of strengthening regional security and improving citizen safety.
Coleman was accompanied by Mr. Damian Fagon, Program Assistant and an official from the United States Embassy, Ms. Juanita Aguiree, Security Assistance Coordinator.
Coleman recently visited Trinidad in order to meet with representatives of the various local criminal justice sector institutions during which time he paid a courtesy call on the Attorney General. The main objective of the visit was to identify areas for improvement within the judicial and legal systems in Trinidad and Tobago in order to develop US funded programs to encourage progress and reform.
Possible areas for reform highlighted by the Attorney General included the amendment of the Bail Act in order to substitute a new list of offences for which a person will not be entitled to bail if it is found that the person was previously convicted for any such offence during the last ten years.
The Attorney General indicated that he was in the process of finalizing the new law for the introduction of a new Motor Vehicles Authority that will see the use of speed guns, photo enforcement laws and a computerized licencing database. He complimented the US system and sought their assistance in this important area.
He paid tribute to the excellent partnership which exists between the United States of America and Trinidad and Tobago and pledged to continue the collaborative efforts towards a safer and peaceful society.
The Attorney General also discussed the modernization of the judicial system by introducing technology to accelerate the judicial process thereby creating a more efficient and speedier process.
Date:25th November 2013
Ministry of the Attorney General
Republic of Trinidad and Tobago