The United States Embassy Port of Spain sponsored a five-day workshop December 12-16 on “Anti-Corruption in the Public Sector.” The Office of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs (AGLA) hosted the workshop in cooperation with the U.S. Embassy’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) Unit and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Office. The Ministry of National Security and the Attorney General’s Office requested the workshop and cooperated in its development. FBI agents facilitated the workshop and shared real-world examples of different levels of public corruption to representatives from the AGLA, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, the integrity Commission, and the Police Complaints Authority. The training aimed to enhance Trinidad and Tobago’s national authorities’ and other stakeholders’ capacity to effectively prevent and investigate public corruption, with the full endorsement of Attorney General Reginald Armour and Minister of National Security Fitzgerald Hinds.
U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Shante Moore in his remarks at the opening session of the workshop said, “It is sad but true that every day there are
agencies around the world who are called upon to investigate violations of the public’s trust when government officials abuse their positions by seeking personal financial gain for doing their duties. This type of corruption causes people to question the integrity of their government institutions, and if seen on a wide scale, it can cause the public to question the government’s very ability to govern.” He said workshops like this “provide investigators, prosecutors, and oversight committees a format to exchange ideas and discuss best practices as they jointly evaluate public corruption cases.” Moore thanked the participants, noting that investigating public corruption is not an easy task and is often a thankless endeavor.
