AFC advisor explains charge over firearm magazine in luggage at Piarco
-says opposition interests twisting facts for political mileage
Alston Stewart, the Jamaican advisor to the Alliance For Change (AFC), has said that his recent charge in Trinidad over a firearm magazine that was found in his luggage at the Piarco International Airport, while he was en route to Guyana, was as a result of an unintentional oversight on his part.
In a statement released by the AFC last evening, Stewart said he was obligated to provide the facts in light of the apparent attempt by “opposition interests” to give the impression of a sinister plot to smuggle ammunition.
According to a nationwideradiojm.com report, Stewart was taken into custody last Thursday at the Piarco International Airport after the discovery.
He was released on bail on the following day and appeared in a Trinidad court on Monday, when he was reprimanded after a submission by his lawyer, who also pleaded for leniency. His passport was returned to him and the report said that it is understood that the infringement will not reflect on his record.
In his statement yesterday, Stewart said it had come to his attention that it was being reported in sections of the Guyanese traditional, as well as, social media that he was “busted at the Piarco International Airport with ammunitions in my luggage”.
“This is an attempt to twist an unfortunate but innocent incident to give the impression that there was a sinister plot to smuggle ammunitions as I was on my [way] to Guyana for pre-arranged meetings as an “AFC election Strategist,”” he said.
“It would appear that these false and distorted reports are being promoted by Opposition interests for pure political advantage as the political silly season approaches,” he added.
Stewart said that he departed Kingston to Guyana en route through Trinidad on BW 483 and during a routine check at the in transit security point at the Piarco International Airport, it was discovered that he had inadvertently omitted to clear his carryon personal bag of a firearm magazine for his licensed firearm. He noted that both of my carry-on bags were screened at the point of embarkation in Kingston and that it remained a mystery as to the failure of the machine to detect its presence among his luggage.
“As I have explained and provided supporting evidence to the Trinidadian authorities, I am a licensed firearm holder in Jamaica and used the same personal bag to carry my firearm and ammunition for protection. When I am travelling abroad, I would remove all these elements from my bag as I believed I had done in this instance. The discovery, therefore, at the Piarco International Airport was a total surprise and embarrassment to me as it was never my intention to leave Jamaica with the items or to contravene the laws of Trinidad or any other jurisdiction,” he added.
Stewart said the matter was referred to the Magistrate’s Court in Trinidad, where it was dismissed unconditionally and that he was allowed to return to Jamaica.
He added that since then, it appeared that forces aligned to the opposition have been peddling propaganda and twisting the incident in an effort to besmirch the reputation of the AFC and to invite a negative disposition in the relation between him and the party. “My relationship with the Alliance has always been and will continue to be above board and in accordance with sound principles and in compliance with all laws,” he declared. “I, therefore, condemn in the strongest possible terms the attempts by opposition interests to extract political mileage from this incident, and also to bring to notice that this attempt to politicise the event only exposes their recklessness and irresponsibility as it is clear that they are prepared to use deceitful tactics to their advantage,” he added.