Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, has brushed aside questions raised surrounding the saga of Mehul Choski, who was allegedly kidnapped from Antigua and brought to Dominica, saying the island has no more business with him and it was only a minor matter.
Skerrit was pressed on the incident at a press conference on Wednesday.
“The issue of Mr Choski…the charges of illegal entry into Dominica were dropped and Mr Choski was allowed to leave Dominica,” Skerrit responded. “So as far as Dominica is concerned, we have no more business with Mr Choski.”
He went on to say that he doesn’t get involved in ‘minor matters’ when it comes to crime or law enforcement in Dominica.
“And the Choksi matter is a minor thing,” he said. “We have investigations all the time, who coming in illegally and others. So, that’s a minor thing as far as we are concerned.”
But the President of the United Workers Party (UWP), Lennox Linton, has a different take on the matter. Speaking on local radio station Q95, Linton said the decision to drop the illegal entry charge against Choski was “nothing but a Skerrit-regime move to extricate itself from the scandal.”
According to Linton, the matter is nothing but minor, describing it as a “big thing.”
“While Mr Skerrit is claiming that they have no more further business with Mehul Choski, Mehul Choski have further business with the government of Dominica because of a claim that has been filed in the High Court of Dominica on the seventh of March, 2023,” he stated.
Linton said he was surprised that the Prime Minister appeared not to know about the filing because it “is a claim about officers of the state.”
“Mehul Choski, in that court filing, was asking the court to rule that he was unlawfully detained, he was wrongfully arrested, falsely imprisoned, assaulted and battered by law enforcement officers in Dominica after he was kidnapped, tortured, ill-treated, forcibly removed from Antigua and Barbuda against his will and ferried to Dominica…” he stated.
Linton pointed out that four Dominican public officers are named as defendants in the filing to include the Attorney General, who is the chief legal advisor to the government.
“The second defendant is the Chief of Police who is responsible for the acts and omission of the officers of the police force,” he stated. “You will recall Lincoln Corbett, the then Chief of Police, met with Mehul Choski at the Cabrits’ Ferry Terminal on the 24th of May, 2021, and authorized the arrest of Mehul Choksi when he knew, or ought to have known, according to the filings in the court, that the arrest was not justified, the arrest was not lawful.”
The third defendant in the filing, according to Linton, is the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
“The DPP, Sherma Dalrymple, swore to an affidavit that Mr Choksi entered Dominica illegally when she knew, or ought to have known, that this was not true and the arrest and charge of Mr Choksi was neither justifiable nor were they lawful,” he said.
The fourth defendant, Linton said, is Sergeant Allyne Maximea who is the investigating officer with respect to the charges brought against Choski.
“Sergeant Maximea arrested Mr Choski on the 24th of May, 2021, claiming he met him at Toucari Bay, which is not an official port of entry, when he knew, or he had ought to have known, that Mr Choski entered Dominica under police escort at the Cabrits’ Cruise Ship Berth after his kidnappers who were aboard the vessel they traveled [on] from Antigua, handed him over to officers on the Dominica Coast Guard vessel, the PB Lugay,” he said.
Linton stated that Choski’s High Court filing is claiming “malicious prosecution, unlawful arrest, false imprisonment, breach of constitutional rights, assault and battery and injury.”
“He is asking the court to award special damages in the amount of $4,260,332 .64,” Linton remarked. “In addition to those special damages, he is asking for the court’s discretion in the awards of damages for malicious prosecution, damages including aggravated and exemplary damages, damages for the breach of his constitutional rights.”
He said the impression given to the people of Dominica is that the matter is over and done with, which is not the case.
“You get the impression that listening to this, that Mr Skerrit didn’t know anything about this? The Attorney General?” he noted. “The main defendant in the suit by Mr Choksi did not bother to tell the Prime Minister that a matter against the state was filed on the 7th of March, 2023?”
Linton said as far as Skerrit is concerned Choksi has legal issues only in Antigua.
“He has a major legal matter dealing with in Dominica which Mr Skerrit conveniently seems not to know anything about,” he stated.
Expect the DPP, Sherma Dalrymple to rule a nolly pros on this court filing. In other words it holds no merit for a successful prosecution. After all, she has experience of this and been directed likewise in a previous case, not all that long ago.
As far as the Minion Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit is concerned, the whole governance of Dominica and the management of Dominica’s economy is a minor thing, which is why Dominica has now become the minor country in the Caribbean under his authoritarian rule!
Yes Dominicans! Look at the bigger picture. The puppet strikes again. I really hope that the ones who are guilty get punished. Minor matters says the PM, but that is a serious matter. Things would be much easier If he just Said he was wrong, the actions tasken were wrong, We made a mistake. But No, he is in change ! Skerrit, all good things come to an end.
Skerritt must know that the Scotland Yard is investigating the Choksi kidnapping matter. He might be able with assistance from his “brain” Tony A**-ta-phan, to influence the infantile judiciary in the region , but he cannot buy off or bribe Scotland Yard. The thinking might be that money ‘ain’t no problem, no wonder he’s about to waste millions of dollars on Melville Hall airport after he promised completion of his international airport in 2025. Between him and Gaston coming up with just over $4 million dollars to pay off Choksi is like throwing peanuts to pigs. Therefore he sees this as a small matter. No proper accounting for the finances of the country has been going on for over twenty years and it’s not about to stop. $2 million dollars would be a big thing in America and most other countries but on “animal farm” , “I’m-the-people” leader just keeps spending like a drunken sailor.
So in Dominica these days, a transnational case involving Interpol (International Criminal Police Organization) and alleging kidnapping and torture, conspiracy, assault and battery (among others) is labelled by the Honourable Prime Minister of Dominica as a “minor case.” Makes one wonder what is a “major case” in Dominica.?
Remember, no law and no constitution… Does this answer your question?
When he finally ends up in Stockfarm. He will come from his high horse very soon!
“And the Choksi matter is a minor thing,” he said.
Reading this brings to mind what Humpty Dumpty told Alice in “Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass”: “When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, “It means just what I choose it to mean – neither more nor less.” When Alice replied, “the question is whether you can make words mean so many different things,” Humpty Dumpty replied,” The question in …. which is to be Master… that’s all. Methinks that unless we can master our own learning beginning with simple words and their meanings – to name a few: reset, productive, condone, gravitate, generosity, minor and major, we are all going to “gravitate outwards” to join Humpty Dumpty on that wall.
Linton stated that Choski’s High Court filing is claiming “malicious prosecution, unlawful arrest, false imprisonment, breach of constitutional rights, assault and battery and injury.”
Mr. Linton i think they forgot kidnapping and human trafficking.
“Fools rush in where Angeles fear to tread”(Alexander Pope: Published 1711).
If every Dominican was stupid as a certain man in Dominica they say is prime minister, by now the majority of stupid people would simply plant dynamite under Dominica and blow it into oblivion.
Here we have a situation where Mehul Choski, said he was kidnapped from Antigua and brought to Dominica; that cannot be a simple allegation, because the man was in Dominica; how did he get to Dominica, if he was not brought there by air or sea?
I am sure he could not accomplish that by swimming from Antigua to Dominica?
I expect a United State Navy Seal to perhaps accomplish that; or maybe Melisa and Roosevelt Navy Seals Melisa said the have in Dominica can!
But any prime minister of a country who would suggest the Choski matter is minor; must be a fool!
Somebody in Dominica is involved with Gaston Brown, I wonder if it is Roosevelt, in any event the comments Roosevelt made are very, very stupid indeed!
This story made international headlines. It sucked up all the oxygen in the local, regional and some international media space for weeks.
How can a ‘leader’ of any country just flippant dismissed an act of kidnapping with the explicit involvement of three governments? Investigations are currently going on. Mr. Choski is presently awaiting justice in a court of law.
If anyone doubted the degree of depravity of Roosevelt, his nonsensical utterance about Mr. Mehul Choski’s kidnapping should send shivers through your body.
– Spectators at kipinski
– Police commissioner like an Asstronaut at Cabrits identify himself
– Jet chattered from India to Dominica
– Dominica coast guard involved
– False statement by police
– contradictory information
– DPP signing false evidence
This is the kinds of actions that indicate the Dominican public has lost control of their governance
– commissioner of police involved in facilitation of violations of rights of an individual and breaking the law.
Yet, emperor sticky fingers the 1st think it is minor. So my question is if it is that minor why all these state resources involved and why the lies about something
so minor? If you lie about minor things we do not ever expect to hear anything truthful coming from the con man in chief. Lincoln Corbett needs to do the state a favor and resign/retire. There will be a time when the tables will turn and this will come back to bit hard. These men are a disgrace to the office the occupy and need to…
I don’t care how minor it is or appears to be, fact of the matter is when the names of top government ministers and top police officials of any country is mentioned in an alleged abduction case, that to me is very frightening and begs to wonder how many successful cases and serious crimes that may have gone unreported
Your Government and jurisdiction are caught up in a legal matter involving kidnapping, abduction, trafficking, assault of an individual and you Prime Minister Skerrit dismisses it as a “minor matter”!?
Prime Minister Skerrit, it is no wonder that you left the little girl, Kernisha Etienne in the bush to die, for you she was a minor matter.
It is no wonder that the French Government is concerned about the human trafficking of Hatians to their islands from Dominica via the backdoor, for you it is a minor matter.
It is no wonder that you never developed any economy in Dominica and believe that CBI and NEP can go on forever, for you it is a minor matter.
It is no wonder that you held the general elections without the electoral reform that you promised, for you it is a minor matter.
It is no wonder Dominica is the only CARICOM country without an international airport, for you it is a minor matter.
It is not a minor matter but you are the minor simpleton who does not know any…
Gason, Satan is a very bad liar and deceiver and when mister can open his mouth to say it’s a minor problem know it’s a major problem that has the man frustrated and sleepless at nights. You remember Skerrit told Dominicans on the eve of hurricane Marina that it was a small category 3 hurricane that we didn’t have to prepare fore, only to find out it was a monster category 4 storm that destroyed us? So when he says the Choksi matter is minor expect real trouble