Black Immigrant Daily News

When Constable Owen Graham responded to a call while on duty in December 2019, he had no idea that his life would change forever.

As fate would have it, the vehicle in which the officer was travelling was involved in a crash, leaving his colleague dead and him being paralysed from the waist down.

The incident has left the 27-year-old devastated, in that it caused him to feel like a prisoner in his abode, where his father, two sisters and spouse also reside.

The house, which he explained was not retrofitted to address his disability needs, made it next to impossible to move without being lifted.

The Clarendon native said he now has something to look forward to after being selected for one of the 30 detached two-bedroom units at Roseneath Park Development in St Catherine under the National Housing Trust’s (NHT) Special Home Grant Allotment Policy.

The development, which is approximately one kilometres from Old Harbour town centre, has been retrofitted to improve access, functionality and comfort for the young constable.

Equipped with the installation of grab bars in the bathroom, access ramps, customised shower design and kitchen cupboards, Constable Graham said he is “looking forward for better, because this really gives me peace of mind. I am truly grateful to the NHT.”

Graham is one of the first beneficiaries of the grant, which saw an additional $2.55 million in modification, which also includes a change from drywall to reinforced concrete walls to facilitate the installation of the related accessories, as well as the construction of a reinforced concrete slab with a minimum of four feet wide around the perimeter of the unit.

The NHT has moved towards a new policy on subsidies where persons with disabilities who are beneficiaries of units, will be identified early in the construction process to facilitate personalised modifications to their units. This will be at no additional cost to the beneficiaries, and are to be in place prior to occupancy.

In addition, the Special Grant for Persons with Disabilities has been doubled to $300,000.

By doubling the grant, individuals will be more equipped to upgrade their homes to meet their special needs. The advantage to the recipient is there immediate, rather than over the term of a mortgage.

“Small things are now big. Before, I could move all 10 toes without thinking. (Now) moving just one toe right now would be almost years of accomplishment,” Graham said with a chuckle.

Though a life-altering experience, he remains positive, adding that the prospect of homeownership has been a welcomed move, which has aided with the optimistic outlook.

“I am grateful for the NHT because this incident could have caused me to have a mental breakdown… Persons who end up with a disability tend to think that life is over, but once you tell your mind everything will be fine, then things change.

“Getting this house has given me hope as I look forward to a brand new life,” he stated.

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PARAMARIBO — Suriname en Frankrijk hebben dinsdag  een overeenkomst getekend om de uitstaande schulden te herschikken. Daarvan is een deel

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Najan Christopher, director of the International Affairs Secretariat, has been charged in connection with a diplomatic note that was allegedly sent without authorisation to request diplomatic immunity for then-Premier Andrew Fahie shortly after his Miami arrest on drug and money -laundering conspiracy charges, police said.

The note — which was printed on letterhead from the Office of the Premier and carried the secretariat’s stamp — was dispatched to the United States Office of International Affairs five days after Mr. Fahie’s April 28 arrest.

The next day, Mr. Fahie’s Miami lawyer, Theresa Van Vliet, filed it in court as part of an attempt to invoke head-of government immunity. Ms. Van Vliet argued that Mr. Fahie was immune from arrest and detention in the US by virtue of his position as VI premier. The letter made a similar argument.

“The Office of the Premier of the Virgin Islands hereby further confirms that it is the official position of the government of the Virgin Islands that the Honourable Andrew A. Fahie, as the most senior member of the Cabinet, holds high ranking office in the Virgin Islands and on that basis [sic] immunity as recognised by international and domestic law, akin to heads of government immunity,” the letter stated.

It added that Mr. Fahie had such immunity at the time of his arrest and that he had not waived it. Presenting the diplomatic note and other evidence, Ms. Van Vleit requested Mr. Fahie’s “immediate return and free passage” back to the territory.

‘Rogue public officer’

The following day, however, then-acting Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley stated that the letter was sent by a “rogue public officer” without his knowledge or the knowledge of Premier’s Office Permanent Secretary Dr. Carolyn O’Neal Morton.

Dr. Wheatley added that the letter did not represent the VI government’s official position, and he said that Dr. O’Neal Morton was working with Deputy Governor David Archer to investigate the matter. The following week, however, Dr. Wheatley confirmed on May 13 that the “rogue” public officer and Dr. O’Neal Morton had both been sent on leave.

Monday arrest

Police Information Officer Diane Drayton announced Tuesday that Ms. Christopher was arrested on Monday and charged with breach of trust by a public officer and false assumption of authority. She was granted bail of $5,000 to appear before Magistrates’ Court on Nov. 30, Ms. Drayton stated.
Ms. Christopher’s charges stemmed from the diplomatic note, according to the information officer.

Pending trial

Mr. Fahie, along with former BVI Ports Authority Managing Director Oleanvine Maynard and her son Kadeem Maynard, are set to go on trial in January. The trio were indicted by a Florida grand jury on May 10 for conspiracy to import a controlled substance, conspiracy to engage in money laundering, and attempted money laundering. They are accused of conspiring to import cocaine into the United States.

Mr. Fahie is currently on house arrest in his daughters’ rented apartment in Florida, where he has been since he was released on bail after spending approximately six weeks in custody at the Federal Detention Center in Miami.
His lawyer secured a $1 million bond offer following a month-long battle with prosecutors. He was released on June 13 after his childhood friend and prominent VI businessman Albion “Bobby” Hodge posted a $500,000 bond and satisfied a Nebbia requirement by proving that the money was not the proceeds of crime.

Besides the bond posted by Mr. Hodge, Mr. Fahie was required to post a $500,000 personal surety bond, which was co-signed by himself, his daughters and his friend Devon Osborne. The Maynards were denied bail and remain in custody.

Hours of recordings

The US currently has more than 133 hours of video and audio recordings included in its evidence against the trio, according to a document filed last month in the Southern District Court of Florida. If played back-to-back, without interruption, those recordings would last for more than five full days

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File photo: Psychiatrist Dr Varma Deyalsingh.

Independent Senator Dr Varma Deyalsingh said the 2022/2023 budget had the potential of further fuelling a mental health crisis in TT, following the covid19 pandemic. He appealed to government to increase the allocation to mental health in the allocation to the Health Ministry.

He said the Health Minister had understood that the pandemic had created a mental heath crisis and given additional clinics and greater access to medications and resources. He said the pre-pandemic cost of living crisis would be exacerbated by the budget measures.

Deyalsingh said crime had become an additional stress factor and suggested several strategies which could be used to combat this.

“A caring government would allow people to get firearms users licences and give them access to firearms with the relevant licenses and training, especially farmers and fisherfolk. They would give tax rebates on cameras, remove VAT on steel, get YTEPP students to put up burglar-proofing for those who could not afford it, give people access to pepper spray, and deploy army personnel to help municipal police.”

He said he had seen a public relations exercise where the National Security Minister destroyed guns and wondered why they had not been given to farmers and fisherfolk to protect themselves, or sold to other Caricom countries for their defence.

He said the ballistics should have been given to Interpol to see if they had been used to commit crimes elsewhere, and suggested the government ask the US Drug Enforcement Agency for training and assistance since the most recent US travel advisory had embarrassed us.

Deyalsingh called for increased surgeries for common problems such as prostate surgery, cataracts, hernias, etc. He said there needed to be more social workers and mental health counsellors available to reach out to people on the verge of starvation.

He said as TT is an ageing population, and the National Housing Authority should address this by designating areas where elderly people can pay to live or their relatives can pay for them.

“Right now people are looking for hole-in-the-wall places to put their parents and grandparents. They’re always calling me to ask for advice, where can I put mummy and daddy. These places could have pool therapy, mental stimulation etc. The elderly will soon be 30 per cent of the population, an excellent voting bloc if you think of these things.”

He also suggested some retirees could be hired as translators for clinics and to train younger people in various fields.

Deyalsingh said an effort must be made at having public-sector workers work from home where applicable or have staggered working hours, as this would help against wasting fuel, pollution, and traffic. He said traffic is a major problem as medical journals said it increases the risk of diabetes and stroke, and the treatment of these is a major cost to the country.

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