By NAN Information Editor
Information Americas, PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, July 21, 2025: A routine stopover became a diplomatic firestorm Monday after Trinidad and Tobago’s former Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Rowley, revealed that he had been briefly detained and flagged by immigration officers in Antigua and Barbuda final week, allegedly on account of his title showing on an INTERPOL watch record.
The incident, which occurred whereas Rowley was en path to Montserrat for the thirtieth anniversary of the island’s Volcano Observatory, has ignited political controversy in Port of Spain, with Rowley denouncing the scenario as a “deliberate, calculated try to tarnish my title on a world stage.”
Rowley, 75, who stepped down from workplace in April after almost a decade on the helm, claimed the incident was rooted in political persecution orchestrated by state entities in his dwelling nation.
“This isn’t only a mistake,” he informed reporters at a Monday press briefing. “It’s state-sponsored slander.”
Immigration officers in Antigua confirmed that Rowley was momentarily held for questioning on account of an alert triggered by INTERPOL programs. He was later launched with out additional incident. In accordance with Rowley, the officer concerned cited “mistaken identification” associated to a different particular person being sought by Antiguan police.
However the former chief is unconvinced.
“I discover it unusual,” he mentioned. “INTERPOL doesn’t casually flag a former head of state. Somebody put my title there – and that somebody is probably going from Trinidad and Tobago.”
The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) swiftly denied the declare. In an in depth assertion, the company mentioned its INTERPOL Bureau discovered no report of Rowley being listed or flagged in any worldwide prison database. “No alerts, flags, or warrants are related along with his title,” the TTPS mentioned, including that it had by no means submitted any such request to INTERPOL.
Nonetheless, the harm – no less than politically – could already be executed.
The opposition Folks’s Nationwide Motion (PNM), which Rowley as soon as led, demanded “speedy and full disclosure” from Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, the nationwide police commissioner, and the legal professional basic.
“This improvement raises troubling questions on political weaponization of worldwide legislation enforcement mechanisms,” the celebration mentioned in a press release. “If this could occur to a former Prime Minister, what safeguards exist for odd residents?”
Rowley, who led the nation by way of a number of crises together with the COVID-19 pandemic and main vitality reforms, is broadly revered throughout the area. His detention has prompted concern amongst Caribbean Group (CARICOM) leaders, who worry a precedent that might undermine diplomatic mobility for present and former officers.
“This isn’t nearly me,” Rowley mentioned. “It’s about democratic norms and the abuse of energy. Trinidad and Tobago should reckon with this second.”
Whereas the TTPS emphasised that INTERPOL can’t be manipulated by home politics—requiring judicial or prosecutorial oversight for any itemizing – Rowley insists that somebody inside the state equipment abused the system.
“The protocols could also be there,” he mentioned, “however so are folks keen to violate them.”
Because the controversy unfolds, the TTPS has pledged continued transparency. However critics warn that the mere look of political interference – even when unsubstantiated – erodes public belief in each native legislation enforcement and worldwide cooperation.
For now, Rowley is again in Trinidad, uncharged and unflagged. However he’s not letting the difficulty go.
“I’ve devoted my life to public service,” he mentioned. “And I can’t enable my legacy – or our democracy – to be undermined by cowardice or corruption.”
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