Category: CANA News

A specialised Dutch search and rescue dog team has completed an assignment here as part of the investigation into the disappearance of local businessman and film producer Rodney Leysner.

Police spokesman, Michael Elskamp, said that although Leysner was not found, the searches produced relevant leads that investigators will pursue. The team, consisting of 15 specialists and 10 rescue dogs, arrived in Suriname on August 31 and were were deployed through September 6 at several locations connected to the investigation.

According to the police spokesman, most of the operation was concentrated in the district of Saramacca, where Leysner’s burned-out vehicle was previously discovered buried in a swampy area.

Search dogs were also deployed on property belonging to one of the three suspects who have been detained in connection with the case, as well as on an adjoining property.

On September 5, the dogs were additionally used to examine the wreckage of Leysner’s vehicle after it had been taken to a police station and lodged as evidence.

No body was recovered during the searches. Excavations at a location where the dogs had detected a scent also failed to produce human remains. However, Elskamp said the operation yielded information considered relevant to the continuing investigation. Police have declined to disclose the nature of these findings because the criminal investigation is still ongoing.

Leysner, 52, disappeared on August 15 after leaving for a work-related appointment. He had moved from the Netherlands to Suriname earlier this year and had recently joined the management of Suriname’s multinational Rudisa International N.V.

Leysner is best known as producer of the Dutch films ‘Heksen bestaan niet’ (2014) and ‘Fashion Chicks’ (2015), each of which earned a Golden Film award for attracting more than 100,000 cinema visitors. He has also been involved in the film ‘Suriname’.

His disappearance prompted an extensive criminal investigation and on August 21, investigators recovered a burned and severely crushed vehicle from a swamp in Saramacca. Subsequent examination of the chassis number established that it was the vehicle Leysner had been driving when he disappeared.

Three suspects – a Cuban couple and a Surinamese national – are assisting the policce with their investigationns. Authorities have also issued a wanted notice for another person, who is being sought in connection with several offences including murder, manslaughter, aggravated assault and unlawful deprivation of liberty.

The Dutch rescue dog operation was conducted in coordination with Surinamese police units, including the Capital Crimes Department, Forensic Investigation and the Drone Unit, under instructions from the Public Prosecution Service.

Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali has held talks with the Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, focusing on strengthening relations between the two countries, with particular emphasis on investment and expanding opportunities for bilateral cooperation, according to an official statement issued here.

It said that the Amir in welcoming President Ali expressed the hope that his visit which began on Sunday, would further broaden the prospects for cooperation between the two countries and contribute to their mutual interests.

The statement said that ‘Guyana is keen to strengthen cooperation relations and advance them toward further development and growth’ and that the two sides discussed the state of bilateral relations and explored avenues for cooperation, particularly in investment.

‘They also exchanged views on several regional and international issues of mutual interest,’ the statement said, noting that the official talks were followed by a bilateral meeting between President Ali and the Amir, during which the two leaders further exchanged perspectives on major current issues and developments.

Ali is being accompanied on the visit by a delegation that includes Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd, Guyana’s Ambassador to Qatar Safraaz Ahmad Shadood, and the Director of Presidential Affairs at the Office of the President Marcia Mezan Sharma.

Chairman of the Suriname’s National Reparations Commission, Armand Zunder, says the Dutch-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country missed a golden opportunity to have independently pursued reparations for the transatlantic slave trade.

He said that once the Netherlands had formally apologised for its role in slavery, Suriname could have seized the initiative and opened direct talks with The Hague.

But Zunder said that former president, the late Chandrikapersad Santokhi hd chosen not to, insisting instead on weaving the history of indentured labour into the broader process.

Zunder notes that within CARICOM expectations were high at the time following the Netherlands aplogy and as a result, the country essentially missed the boat.

‘Still, it would have been wise for Suriname to take the lead after the Dutch apologised. CARICOM itself expected as much, but it didn’t happen because the president at the time wanted to fold indentured labour into the equation. So yes, we let the catch slip, and we lost the game,’ Zunder said.

The Dutch government offered its official apology on December 19, 2022 and King Willem-Alexander followed suit on July 1, 2023, extending his own apology on behalf of the Royal House.

According to Zunder, Suriname still lacks an autonomous, clearly articulated policy regarding the transatlantic slave trade and reparations. He said the country largely aligns itself with decisions made at the CARICCOM level rather than forging its own path.

But he said that this does not mean, however, that Suriname has permanently forfeited its chances and that the country could still decide to approach the Netherlands directly.

He said that if that approach yields no results, then Suriname should not rule of a legal challenge.

‘Suriname could still choose to engage the Netherlands head-on and, if necessary, drag the country before the International Court of Justice over the crimes connected to the transatlantic slave trade and the atrocities committed against Indigenous peoples in Suriname,’ he said.

Zunder’s comments come in response to a move by Jamaica that earlier this week formally submitted a petition in London to Britain’s King Charles to refer three legal questions to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.

The petition does not include any financial claim. Jamaica’s immediate aim is to obtain legal clarity that could shape its broader reparations strategy. The government seeks, among other things, a determination of whether the capture of Africans, their forced transport to Jamaica, and their enslavement were ever lawful under English law. It also asks whether these practices violated international law and whether the United Kingdom bears a legal obligation to provide redress to the Jamaican people.

The Jamaican government had already announced this legal course of action in June 2025. At the time, Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Minister, Olivia Grange, who delivered the petition to Buckingham Palace. told Parliament that the legal approach does not conflict with the political reparations strategy but can be pursued alongside it.

The petition draws on the possibility, under the Judicial Committee Act of 1833, to submit certain legal questions to the Privy Council for advisory opinion.

Zunder said Jamaica’s action serves as evidence that individual CARICOM countries are not obliged to wait for the regional bloc to move collectively before taking their own steps. ‘Jamaica’s approach demonstrates the freedom every CARICOM country has to form its own stance on reparations,’ he said, adding the Jamaican strategy was thoroughly discussed both within the CARICOM Reparations Commission and among the regional leaders.

He said he believes Kingston opted for an independent route because it found the joint CARICOM process too slow, while also seeing clear opportunities to approach Britain directly. Zunder insists that Jamaica’s move should not be seen as a break from collective CARICOM policy and that Jamaica kept the region informed and remains engaged with the regional reparations process.

He said Jamaica is also playing a role in the updating of CARICOM’s Ten-Point Plan for Reparatory Justice.

Zunder is of the view that Jamaica’s step simultaneously underscores what Suriname could have done after the Netherlands extended its apology.

He says Paramaribo was not bound to wait exclusively for joint CARICOM decisions and that it could have launched its own diplomatic or legal initiative toward the former colonizer.

Zunder says that possibility still exists and that the difference is that Jamaica has now actually opened a legal path of its own, while Suriname has yet to take any comparable initiative vis-à-vis the Netherlands.

The Guyana Amazon Warriors returned to winning ways with a hard-fought four-wicket victory over the St Lucia Kings at the Providence Stadium in the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League on Wednesday night.

The defeat ended the Kings’ preliminary-round campaign with eight points from four wins, leaving them in fourth place. They must now wait on results elsewhere to determine whether they can hold on to a playoff spot.

Opting to bat first, perhaps mindful of how the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons had attacked the Warriors the previous night, the Kings adopted a cautious approach during the Power Play.

Kamil Pooran provided the early impetus, but Dwaine Pretorius made the breakthrough for the Warriors by trapping Tim Seifert lbw for four.

The Kings still reached 51 for one at the end of the Power Play and appeared to have a clear plan.

However, getting through the opening phase against the Warriors’ spin attack has proved one of the toughest challenges of CPL 2026.

With Mohammad Nabi out of the attack, new player Mehidy Hasan Miraz joined Imran Tahir, and the transition was seamless.

Miraz, making his CPL debut for the Warriors, picked up where Nabi had left off, finishing with 3-13, while Tahir produced a brilliant spell of 5-17.

Miraz dismissed John Campbell for 12 in his first CPL over for the Warriors before Tahir went on a tear, claiming the prized wickets of Kamil Pooran for a topscore of 43, and Roston Chase for just one.

Overs from nine to 12 produced a wicket for either Miraz or Tahir as the Kings’ innings unravelled to bits at 73 for eight.

Obus Pienaar offered late resistance with 35 before falling to Romario Shepherd as the final wicket. The Kings were bowled out for just 119.

In reply, the Warriors were determined to take their time and avoid the demons of the pitch. Having been undone by a brilliant bowling display from the Falcons the previous night, they adopted a cautious approach and reached just 23 for one at the end of the Power Play.

The plan appeared to be working as the Warriors patiently paced their chase after the strategic timeout. But the Kings found a way back when Maheesh Theekshana and Charith Asalanka combined to dismiss Glenn Phillips (37) and Shai Hope (21) in consecutive overs.

Roston Chase then struck again, removing Mehidy Hasan for one and Shimron Hetmyer for 14, leaving the Warriors five wickets down and needing 22 runs from the final three overs.

A nervous tension swept through Providence Stadium as the Kings sensed a remarkable fightback. But Quentin Sampson had other ideas.

The young batter exploded into action, launching Chase for two sixes and a four from three consecutive deliveries to release the pressure and swing the momentum back in the Warriors’ favour.

His astonishing unbeaten 37 from just 11 balls completed the Warriors’ comeback and secured a crucial four-wicket victory at 122 for six in 18.3 overs.

The result sends the Warriors back to the top of the CPL standings with two matches still in hand, while the Kings must now watch the remaining results closely and hope they fall their way.

The Jamaica government says it remains committed to implementing the demerit points system that was initially scheduled to take effect on October 1 this year.

Energy, Transport and Telecommunications Minister, Daryl Vaz, said following consultations with stakeholders, the Andrew Holness government has taken the decision to delay its implementation.

Vaz said that a Task Force, headed by State Minister in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Marissa Dalrymple Philibert, has been established to review the demerit points system.

The Task Force comprised representatives from key ministries and government agencies, the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), and industry stakeholders, including public transport associations.

Vaz said the working group has been mandated to address the issues associated with the backlog of traffic tickets and find a practical, workable solution, while implementing a new system that will hold all road users accountable in a timely manner.

‘Following a series of meetings and consultations with the Road Traffic Act Task Force and public passenger transport stakeholders, the Government has decided to review the October 1, 2026, implementation deadline for the Demerit Points System, extending the compliance period to facilitate more motorists being given the opportunity to pay their outstanding tickets in order to have a clean slate,’ he said.

Vaz noted that the holistic review is intended to enable the government and stakeholders to carefully consider and address the recommendations emerging from the consultations, while ensuring that the necessary legislative and regulatory amendments, as well as public-awareness measures, are fully in place to support a smooth, orderly and effective transition to the new system.

‘Let me be clear, this review does not mean that the Government is stepping back from its commitment to greater accountability and safer behaviour on our roads. The objective remains firmly the same – to reduce traffic violations, deter dangerous and repeat offenders, and ultimately save lives,’ he said.

‘I urge motorists to continue to regularise their outstanding violations and observe all Road Traffic Regulations under the (Road Traffic) Act. The carnage on our roads cannot be allowed to continue, and responsible road use must become the new standard.’

Vaz said he is awaiting the final draft report and recommendations, which are expected to be submitted to the Ministry in September for immediate review, ahead of their submission to Cabinet for consideration and approval.

‘I’m, therefore, making a national appeal to all motorists to disregard the noise, misinformation, misleading and disingenuous posts being circulated, especially on social media, and await the Government’s formal announcement on this matter,’ he said.

He said that the persistently high and unacceptable number of road fatalities and serious crashes in recent years are directly linked to repeat traffic offenders who have accumulated hundreds of thousands of unpaid tickets without facing sanctions, including penalties for breaches of the demerit points provisions of the Road Traffic Act.

‘This is non-negotiable and zero tolerance, going forward. Once again, I appeal for patience, while this process continues and a formal announcement is communicated on this urgent matter by the government,’ Vaz said.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar who Wednesday said she expects to meet with Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez later this month has expressed her ‘love ‘ for the South American leader.

In October last year, the Venezuelan National Assembly declared Persad-Bissessar, persona non grata, banning her from entering the country. Caracas had accused her of supporting United States military aggression against the Bolivarian Republic that led to the removal of President Nicolas Maduro form office. He along with his wife are now in a United States jail on several charges including illegal drug smuggling,

Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar, a Senior Counsel who attended the ceremonial opening of the new law term here on Wednesday, told reporters that the meeting with Rodriquez could most likely take place in New York during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) slated for September 22-26.

Last week, Foreign Affairs Minister Sean Sobers led a delegation to Caracas and Persad-Bissessar was asked by reporters if she was hopeful that may bridge the relationship between the two countries at this present time given that she is still persona non grata and that could hamper a meeting with Rodriguez.

‘I will meet with anyone who wishes to meet me,’ she said, adding that Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago have enjoyed a close relationship and that members of her own family are Venezuelan nationals.

‘Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela, we have very very close ties so whatever has to be done we will do in the best interest of Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela,’ she said, noting that her message to the acring Venezuelan leader now is ‘I love her, I look forward to meeting her and in fact I think we’re hoping to meet …when we go up to the UN.

‘Yes, I think there is a plan that we will both meet at the end of September,’ she said, informing reporters that ‘there is a plan. If it doesn’t happen, I’ll let you know, but that is a plan.

‘Minister Sobers is working on it. If it works out, it happens. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll let you know,’ she said, adding that she also remains optimistic that natural gas from Venezuela could soon be coming across to Trinidad and Tobago.

‘I have absolutely no doubt that gas from Venezuela will come to Trinidad and Tobago.It is the only channel, the only place it can pass. We are seven miles away and it will come. We have already signed agreements with BP.

‘We hope to conclude agreements with Shell and …many other companies. I have absolutely no doubt that in the next year we will see natural gas coming to Trinidad and Tobago, and part of it has to do with rapprochement with Venezuela.

‘We are neighbours, well we’re in fact family, as I just shared with you,’ she added.

Last week, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela said they had agreed on a roadmap to deepen cooperation in trade, energy, agriculture, environmental protection, culture and collective security.

The agreement follows a meeting between Sobers, and his Venezuelan counterpart and in the joint statement the two governments said the visit marks ‘a new chapter’ in diplomatic relations between the neighbouring countries.

The working agenda is intended to facilitate what the governments described as ‘a new era’ in relations, and that the agenda will serve as a roadmap for increased cooperation in several priority areas.

The Saint Lucia Kings post 119 in 18.5 overs batting first against the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the 31st match of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League at Providence Stadium here on Wednesday.

ST LUCIA KINGS 119 in 18.5 overs (Kamil Pooran 43, Obus Pienaar 35, John Campbell 12; Imran Tahir 5-17, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 3-13)

Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett, has been appointed co-chair of World Economic Forum Tourism Day 2026 that will be held in Geneva on September 26.

‘I am deeply honored to serve as co-chair of World Economic Forum Tourism Day. Tourism is no longer just a leisure sector, it is economic infrastructure, cultural infrastructure, and resilience infrastructure for nations everywhere.

‘At a time of climate shocks, geopolitical uncertainty and rapid technological change, our industry must move from simply managing crises to building systems that prevent them and help communities thrive in their aftermath,’ said Bartlett.

World Economic Forum Tourism Day brings together heads of state, chief executive officers and the world’s foremost tourism leaders to set the international agenda for travel and hospitality.

The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) said that Bartlett’s appointment to co-chair the 2026 edition affirms Jamaica’s standing not merely as a destination, but as an architect of the ideas now guiding the sector worldwide.

‘The appointment builds on nearly a decade of thought leadership from the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC), which Bartlett established as the world’s first center dedicated to tourism resilience, training, research and crisis response,’ the JTB said.

The Jamaica-based GTRCMC works across more than 30 countries and institutions, it has become a global reference point for building capacity and reducing vulnerability in tourism-dependent economies-from small island states to major world markets.

‘Jamaica and the GTRCMC stand ready to work with the World Economic Forum and partners across the globe to advance resilient, inclusive and innovative tourism for people and planet,’ added Bartlett.

Defence attorneys for three of the accused in the October 2025 deadly gas station bombing case Wednesday made no-case submissions on behalf of their clients arguing that the prosecution had failed to establish its case.

The attorneys – Mikel Puran, Tifaine Rutherford and Melvin Duke – who appeared on behalf of the accused Jhonny Boodram, Krystal La Cruz and Alexander Bettencourt, told Magistrate Faith McGusty in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court that the prosecution led by Mandel Moore, had failed to establish a case against them.

The three accused along with Daniel Alexander Ramirez Peodemo, whom the prosecution prosecution has described as the alleged mastermind of the attack, are facing a terrorism charge in connection with the October 26, 2025 bombing, which resulted in the death of six-year-old Soraya Bourne and left several members of her family seriously injured.

Attorney Shelton Boyce, who is representing the Venezuelan Ramirez Peodemo told the court that no submissions would be filed on his behalf and that her client would abide by the court’s ruling.

In March and April, Ramirez Peodemo told the court that he was solely responsible for the deadly bombing and asked that the other three accused be released. However, after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) instructed the prosecution to proceed with the terrorism charges against the three other Venezuelan nationals, Ramirez Peodemo withdrew his guilty plea.

Two other accused men, Ramesh Pramdeo and Wayne Correia, who were charged in a separate magisterial district, were freed in April after the court upheld a no-case submission in their favour.

In July, the prosecution completed the tendering of evidence with more than 225 statements tendered into evidence during the paper committal proceedings.

Under the paper-committal process, the defence may argue that the evidence is insufficient to justify a trial. If the magistrate finds that there is no sufficient case against an accused, that person/s may be discharged. If the court is satisfied that a prima facie case has been established, the accused may be committed to stand trial in the High Court.

The evidence also included a DNA analysis report from the Center of Excellence in DNA Forensic in India, the post-mortem report on Bourne’s death, medical certificates for the other victims who survived the attack, and immigration records for four of the accused.

At the conclusion of the submissions, Magistrate Mc Gusty will review the statements, reports and documentary evidence tendered in court before deciding whether there is sufficient evidence for the three accused to be committed to stand trial.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar who Wednesday said she expects to meet with Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez later this month has her ‘love’ for the South American leader.

In October last year, the Venezuelan National Assembly declared Persad-Bissessar, persona non grata, banning her from entering the country. Caracas had accused her of supporting United States military aggression against the Bolivarian Republic that led to the removal of President Nicolas Maduro form office. He along with his wife are now in a United States jail on several charges including illegal drug smuggling,

Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar, a Senior Counsel who attended the ceremonial opening of the new law term here on Wednesday, told reporters that the meeting with Rodriquez could most likely take place in New York during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) slated for September 22-26.

Last week, Foreign Affairs Minister Sean Sobers led a delegation to Caracas and Persad-Bissessar was asked by reporters if she was hopeful that may bridge the relationship between the two countries at this present time given that she is still persona non grata and that could hamper a meeting with Rodriguez.