It would not be difficult to bring Venezuelan men back to SVG – DPP

It would not be difficult to bring back to St Vincent the five Venezuelans against whom charges were dropped on September 19, Director of Public Prosecutions Colin Williams told SEARCHLIGHT.{{more}}

Williams said he did not see why it would be difficult to bring the men back after the coroner’s inquest, if needs be, because there had been instances where witnesses had been brought back from Venezuela to testify.

“There’s a Venezuelan embassy here and they have assisted in getting Venezuelans over before. So, I don’t see why they shouldn’t be able to assist once we make a request for them to assist us again,” Williams told SEARCHLIGHT.

The DPP said the coroner’s inquest was about everybody who died.

“The coroner’s inquest touches members of their (Venezuelans) family, so it is not a coroner’s inquest for Whyte only, but for the three men as well,” the DPP explained.

Williams also responded to comments by Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves at a press conference last Monday that there should have been “prior communication” with the family of the deceased about his decision to discontinue the case against the Venezuelans before it was made public.

“That was not in my place to do … it is my place to make sure that the law is carried out,” Williams said.

The five men who survived the June 3 incident, in which three others were killed, were charged with attempting to murder and kidnap police officer Rohan de Shong.

The captain of the Venezuelan vessel — “El Amigo Fay” — was also charged with failing to notify the Comptroller of Customs of the expected time of arrival of the vessel on June 3.

The five men left St Vincent on September 19, hours after learning that the DPP had discontinued the matter after applying the full court test. (DD)