Mottley rejects Trinidad PM’s ‘kidnapping’ claim in 2022 Barbados arrest

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley has strongly rejected remarks made by her Trinidad and Tobago counterpart, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, regarding the 2022 arrest and return of a Trinidad and Tobago national in Barbados, calling the statement “a scurrilous lie and defamatory in the extreme.”

Persad-Bissessar, speaking at the Caricom Summit in St Kitts, described the incident as a “kidnapping” coordinated by the then-Trinidad government, alleging that the individual was handcuffed, transported to the airport, and returned to Trinidad via a Regional Security System (RSS) plane.

Mottley, in an interview with CBC TV, clarified that the Barbados authorities acted solely on valid arrest warrants presented by Trinidad and Tobago police. She said Barbados had no prior knowledge of the operation and that no government officials were involved in any unlawful activity.

“To describe it as a kidnapping … is defamatory in the extreme,” Mottley said. She acknowledged, however, that the case highlighted gaps in regional legal procedures for executing arrest warrants among Caricom member states.

The matter in question involved the arrest of Brent Thomas at a Barbados hotel in 2022. No formal extradition proceedings were initiated, and a Trinidad and Tobago High Court later ruled the return an “unlawful abduction,” prompting an apology from the Trinidad government. Both countries accepted responsibility for constitutional breaches.

Mottley emphasized the importance of formalizing regional procedures through the Caricom Arrest Warrant Treaty, which came into force in 2018 but requires domestic legislation in each member state to be operational. So far, Guyana, St Lucia, and Antigua and Barbuda have enacted local laws, while Trinidad and Tobago has ratified the treaty but not passed domestic legislation.

Responding to Mottley’s comments, Persad-Bissessar told the Trinidad Guardian that she understood Mottley was explaining her government’s perspective and said she “simply explained her position from her government’s side in a clear and cogent manner.”

The incident has renewed focus on the need for legally binding extradition and arrest procedures within Caricom, a move regional leaders say is necessary to avoid misunderstandings and protect citizens’ rights.