The Defence Council has been reprimanded by a High Court judge for its sluggishness in determining the resettlement entitlement of a retired soldier. Justice Frank Seepersad criticized the Council’s inefficiency and ordered a decision on Christopher Alibocas’s petition for another opportunity for resettlement within 35 days, labeling the delay as unreasonable and in violation of its statutory duty.
Alibocas, who retired from the TT Defence Force in December 2023, argued that he was entitled to benefit from the resettlement training policy, a program aimed at preparing military officers for civilian employment by equipping them with marketable skills. However, he was removed from the program at the Licensing Authority’s Transport Division due to alleged absenteeism, which he denied.
Despite the Council’s defense that it was overwhelmed with a high volume of matters contributing to the delay in deciding on Alibocas’s petition, the judge noted that the Council had not met for an extended period between February 2011 and May 2016. The judge found the Council’s strategy to clear the backlog of cases to be ineffective, criticizing the Council’s lack of functionality and urging the current Minister of National Security to ensure the Council fulfills its responsibilities.
Seepersad emphasized the importance of resettlement training for military officers transitioning into civilian life and condemned the Council’s failure to address Alibocas’s petition, calling it shocking and indicative of dysfunction. Alibocas’s legal team, consisting of Arden Williams, Mariah Ramrattan, and Antoinette Lucas-Andrews, represented him in the case, while attorneys Jayanti Teeluckdharry and Che Richards represented the Defence Council.
