Investigations

ROOTT INVESTIGATIONS

Explore Trinidad investigations and Caribbean accountability reporting from ROOTT. Our published investigations examine public spending, healthcare, education and environmental concerns through documents, interviews and official responses. Read each report in full for its evidence, responses and qualifications. Shell’s Beachfield gas-processing facility in Guayaguayare, Trinidad and TobagoShell’s Beachfield facility in Guayaguayare.INVESTIGATION 02 · ENVIRONMENTUS Engineer Requests Environmental Investigation in Guayaguayare Area After 2023 Beachfield Drilling IncidentAmerican geotechnical engineer Cary Honganen has asked the EMA to investigate environmental concerns following a July 2023 drilling incident near Shell’s Beachfield facility in Guayaguayare. ROOTT examines incident reports, monitoring records and questions about historical data in the Manatee environmental assessment.The source and extent of any contamination have not been independently established. Shell said it could not comment on the allegations because the matter is under active litigation.Read the full investigation → Christiana NarineSusan Raymond INVESTIGATION 01 · HEALTHCARE Families Seek Answers Over Cancer Surgeries and Doctor’s Gynaecological Oncology Credentials A former patient and relatives of three women treated by Dr Vishal Bahall raise concerns about surgical complications, postoperative care and deaths following hospital treatment. ROOTT examines their accounts alongside medical records, court filings, official correspondence and Dr Bahall’s response. Dr Bahall denies wrongdoing. The civil claims discussed in the report have not been determined by the court. Read the full investigation → Belfast Health and Social Care Trust certificate recording Dr Bahall’s 18-month fellowship INVESTIGATION 01 · PART TWO · HEALTHCARE Dr Vishal Bahall’s Belfast Fellowship: Medical Board Records and His Response ROOTT examines Dr Bahall’s 18-month Belfast fellowship certificate, its recording as an additional qualification by the Medical Board of Trinidad and Tobago, and questions the Board has not answered about gynaecological oncology recognition. Dr Bahall denies wrongdoing. His attorneys say the fellowship was genuine, supervised and competency-based and maintain that he may describe the field in which he trained and practises. Read Part Two →

Video Investigations: Trinidad and Tobago Schools

VIDEO REPORT · EDUCATION

Piparo Presbyterian Primary School: The Wait for a New School

ROOTT’s Joshua Seemungal visits Piparo to examine the stalled school rebuilding project and the conditions facing the Piparo Presbyterian Primary School community. Watch this on-location report from Trinidad and Tobago.

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VIDEO REPORT · EDUCATION

Penal Educational Centre: Unfinished School Projects

ROOTT visits the unfinished Penal Educational Centre and examines the school construction projects associated with Shiva Boys Hindu College and Parvati Girls Hindu College. The video brings together on-site footage and Auditor General report extracts to explore public spending and delayed classrooms.

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VIDEO REPORT · EDUCATION

Mt Hope Secondary School: Unfinished School Project

ROOTT’s Joshua Seemungal visits the new Mt Hope Secondary School in Trinidad and Tobago. Watch the full on-location report as ROOTT examines the unfinished school project and the questions surrounding its completion.

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A ROOTT envelope being passed between two people in a Caribbean home.

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