More details emerged in court yesterday about the Jamaat al Muslimeen's close relationship with the PNM-in particular the personal relationships which Imam Yasin Abu Bakr shared with Prime Minister Patrick Manning and Community Development Minister Joan Yuille-Williams.
By Darren BahawAbu Bakr made the claims during a police interview when he was confronted with a report of conspiring with other people on June 4, 2003, to murder two former members of his mosque, Salim "Small Salim" Rasheed and Zaki Aubaidah.
In fact, Abu Bakr claimed that he had information that Sgt Wayne Dick was involved in a plot to frame him for the MovieTowne shooting and that he intended to file a formal report about the officer's conduct.
The accused said that he did not want to "jeopardise" the officer's advancement in promotion but only wanted someone to speak to the officer.
He said that in early June 2003, he was working at Petrotrin and gave details about his activities for several days.
The State alleges that Abu Bakr gave the instructions to murder Salim and Zaki during a meeting convened at the home of David "Buffy" Millard, at Citrine Drive, Diamond Vale Diego Martin, around mid-morning on June 4, 2003.
That very night, gunmen opened fire at Salim and two other people while they were sitting on a bench at the MovieTowne cineplex. Jilla Bowen was killed in that attack while Salim and Bowen's husband, Adil Ghany were shot about their bodies.
In the interview, Abu Bakr said he had "a bad feeling about the situation when the girl was killed".
"Never should a Muslim kill another Muslim, both will go to hell because if he knows that he was going to be killed he would also kill," he said.
Abu Bakr boasted during the interview that the Jamaat was responsible for the PNM winning the marginal seats (during the general elections) and as a result the group was rewarded with political patronage.
These claims were contained in notes taken by acting Corporal Michael Veronique during a two-hour interview at the Homicide Bureau of Investigations, at St Vincent Street, Port of Spain on August 21, 2003.
Veronique was among four police officers who testified yesterday and will return today to be further questioned by lead defence attorney Pamela Elder SC.
In previous testimony, Brent "Big Brent" Miller, the State star witness against Abu Bakr, said that the accused promised to visit Manning and the then Commissioner of Police after Miller had complained that his name was being linked to the MovieTowne shooting.
In the interview, Abu Bakr said he had worked with former Police Commissioner Everald Snaggs for five years at Police Mounted Branch, when he was a police officer and knew Snaggs.
Veronique read the notes of the interview to the jury and admitted that he was unable to write down everything the accused had said. The officer said Abu Bakr declined to give a written statement at the end of the interview,
Veronique, who is attached to the Homicide Bureau of Investigations, said he was instructed by his senior officer ASP David Nedd to participate in an interview with the accused and Cpl Jayson Forde and he took notes of what had transpired.
The officer said the accused denied conspiring with other people to murder the two men and refused an invitation to seek an attorney.
Abu Bakr, the officer said, claimed that he had spoken to Manning and Yuille-Williams, whom he described as "a good friend", about getting the youths off the streets and into a programme.
"Senior people in the Jamaat don't have problems with the law. Things are coming on stream with the programmes which I suggested. The politicians are slow but things are working.
"The Jamaat trying to clean up it's image. Politicians aware about the ghost gangs but they think it is a way to keep the people quiet," the officer read from the notes.
Asked by lead prosecutor Sir Timothy Cassel QC what he understood the term "ghost gangs" to mean, the officer replied, "URP workers who do nothing and get paid".
According to Veronique the accused also talked about his role in helping the police in assisting the police in dealing with crime.
"A lot of people come in the Jamaat for protection and they hide under the protection of the Jamaat. It is a bad image and we are trying to address it. It had times I would help the police to get rid of some of these men.
"If something happen the ACP Crime (Oswyn) Allard will call and I would bring in the persons and deal with it. I does always cooperate with the police".
The officer said Abu Bakr also spoke about his expulsion of Salim because he (Salim) had become an embarrassment to the organisation.
He added that Salim and another man, Kazim (Rasheed) had been shot at while driving a black Mercedes Benz owned by a drug dealer from Biche and that they had enemies, one of whom he identified as a police officer.
Abu Bakr claimed that his relationship with Salim and Kazim was different to that he shared with Miller since he brought up both Salim and Kazim at the mosque.
Miller, on the other hand, later joined the mosque and became a Muslim and he understood that Miller had been charged in relation to the MovieTowne shooting.
He said Kazim was involved in the kidnapping of Anthony Sabga III and a lot of Jamaat members wanted to expel him for that but he resisted.
The Jamaat leader also told the police that then Senior Superintendent Gilbert Reyes and ASP Adam Joseph had information "which is the genesis to the problem with Brent" and that they would be able to "help in this matter".
He said he was making a "conscious effort to clean up the image of the mosque and the Council made a decision to expel them (Salim, Kazim and Zaki)" and after they were expelled they "made some serious allegations" that the Jamaat was involved (in crime).
