CANADA MAY FUND BRITISH JUDICIAL REFORM EFFORT IN TT

UNCLAS PORT OF SPAIN 000036

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR INL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL CJAN KJUS PGOV TD XL
SUBJECT: CANADA MAY FUND BRITISH JUDICIAL REFORM EFFORT IN TT


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Canada may fund a British initiative to embed an
expert in judicial reform within the GOTT as early as the first
half of 2010. Under the program developed from a 2007 assessment
visit, an official with the British Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)
would address several broad areas of judicial modernization
including forensics-based evidence, cybercrime, money laundering,
human trafficking, improved technology for gathering and recording
evidence, and recruitment of prosecutors. The CPS currently lacks
funding for this initiative, but the Government of Canada (GOC) may
fund it under a retooling of its assistance programming for the
Caribbean. The Brits may seek USG assistance to implement other
judicial and law-enforcement reform programs of common interest.
We will continue to work with both countries' Missions to Trinidad
and Tobago to flesh out these ideas, de-conflict technical
assistance programming, and leverage our engagement on security
matters. END SUMMARY.



BRITS OFFER TO EMBED JUDICIAL EXPERT IN GOTT

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2. (SBU) We met with counterparts from the High Commissions of
Britain and Canada January 11 to discuss law enforcement and
judicial reform programs in Trinidad and Tobago (TT). The Brits
have developed a proposal to embed a member of their Crown
Prosecution Service (CPS) as an adviser within the GOTT to help
modernize and professionalize judicial functions in the areas of
forensics-based evidence, cybercrime, money laundering, human
trafficking, improved technology for gathering and recording
evidence, and recruitment of prosecutors. James Dolan of the
British High Commission outlined the program that sprang from a CPS
assessment visit in 2007. Head of the CPS international office
Patrick Stephens submitted a report to Minister of National
Security Martin Joseph that included recommendations to reform and
modernize aspects of Trinidad's judicial and law enforcement
systems, and Dolan said the Prime Minister's Office sent a letter
to the High Commission agreeing to the project concept.



CANADA MAY PICK UP THE TAB

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3. (SBU) Dolan and British Deputy High Commissioner Geoff Patton
told us that the CPS currently lacks funding to implement the
program, which is essentially the cost of posting a CPS official in
Trinidad to work from the High Commission and within the GOTT
justice system. The Brits turned to others for assistance at the
end of 2009, and the Canadian High Commission expressed an interest
and willingness to seek funding.




4. (SBU) Canadian POL/ECON/PAO Counselor Stephen Doust told us at
the January 11 meeting that the Government of Canada (GOC) recently
focused new interest and funding on its Andean, Central American
and Caribbean technical assistance programming. Doust described
the Anti-Crime Capacity Building Program (ACCBP) as having USD 9.5
million available for 2009-10 and USD 14.3 million per year
thereafter. ACCBP programs, he said, address issues such as
illicit drugs, corruption, human trafficking and migrant smuggling,
money laundering and proceeds of crime, security system reform, and
crime prevention.




5. (SBU) Doust said he has applied for ACCBP funding to bring the
British expert to Trinidad after adjusting the program's parameters
to meet GOC goals, and expects an answer by the end of January.
Doust admitted that his proposal to fund a British program with
Canadian taxpayer money may be a bit of a hard sell within the GOC,
but he said the proposal has two main advantages in that it meets
the newly defined GOC priorities for the region and is immediately
ready to launch.



COMMENT: DECONFLICTING PROJECTS AND LEVERAGING RESOURCES

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6. (SBU) The Brits suggested that they may have other
implementation-ready programs that they cannot currently fund and
for which they may seek our assistance in launching cooperatively.
The USG has common interests in TT and the region with governments
such as Britain and Canada, and we will continue to work with our
counterparts from those Missions and others, both directly and via
informal channels such as the mini-Dublin Group, to avoid
redundancy in program ideas and to leverage resources and enhance
the impact of our technical assistance programming here.
Mazur