Trinidad radio station found in breach after degrading statements about judge
(Trinidad Express) The Telecommunications Au¬thority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT) has found that radio station Trinibashment 91.9 FM, owned by soca artist Neil “Iwer” George, had acted in breach of its concession by allowing inciteful and degrading statements to be made against a High Court judge that had the potential of bringing the Judiciary into disrepute.
The contentious statements were made by 91.9 FM announcer Juliet Davy and some members of the public during a callin programme on the station on January 30.
At the receiving end of the criticism was Justice Frank Seepersad after he deli¬vered a judgment in favour of Valsayn businessman Inshan Ishmael, in a claim for defamation he had brought against calypsonian Cro Cro (Weston Rawlins).
Justice Seepersad had directed in January that Raw¬lins pay to Ishmael $250,000 in compensation for defamation of character, stemming from the lyrics in one of his compositions titled “Another Sat is Outside Again”. The song was performed during a competition in February 2023.
In the song, Rawlins referred to Ishmael as a “thief” who was selling stolen car parts.
The Express understands that so far, Ishmael has not received any payment from Rawlins, given that he has since filed an appeal against the judge’s ruling.
On Wednesday, TATT wrote to the station informing it of its breach.
In the letter that was signed by TATT CEO Cynthia Reddock-Downes, the station was informed that it had breached conditions D9 (a) and D9 (c) of its concession by allowing statements to be made about the judge/and or the Judiciary.
The letter did not in¬di¬cate whether imme¬di¬ate action was being ta¬ken against the station, but stated that “the
breach and other breaches will be consi¬dered in the upcoming renewal of their concession”.
The Express attemp¬ted to contact George for comment yesterday, but calls to his cellphone, as well as WhatsApp messages, went unanswered.
Following the statements on the programme, sources said Justice Seepersad had also written to the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago (LATT), Chief Justice Ivor Archie, as well as the Office of the Attorney General, over his concerns.
The Judiciary responded to the judge but indicated it did not see the need to issue any statement. There were no responses to the judge’s letter from either LATT or the AG’s Office.
The Express also attemp¬ted to contact LATT president Lynette Seebaran-Suite yesterday, but calls to her cellphone also went unanswered.