"Return the Passport," Former PM Stuart Young says he received unexpected call

Trinidad and Tobago: Former Prime Minister Stuart Young said that he has been asked to return his diplomatic passport, even though he never requested it.

In a video shared on social media on Thursday, July 2, Young said that the passport was issued to him on May 2, 2026, shortly after he left office. He said that he accepted the document after it was issued but he never applied for it himself.

As a former prime minister, you get a diplomatic passport. It was given to me on the second of May last year. I didn’t ask for it. Get a call out of the blue: return the passport, he said in the video.

Young also said that he did not identify the caller or know the reason why the passport was recalled. According to sources, he has not yet returned the passport and has asked for a formal written request. “I will deal with that. I will deal with that in accordance with the law at the appropriate time,” he said.

Young also claimed that the request is a part of what he described as ongoing political victimization against him. He said that the Government is trying to remove benefits which usually are granted to former prime ministers.

The political victimisation and political persecution that has been taking place since May 2025 is unprecedented in Trinidad and Tobago, said the former PM.

The passport issue comes after the Government’s amendment of the law last year to prevent Young from receiving a former prime minister’s pension and retirement gratuity. The change was a result of public debate regarding his 42 day term in office before the 2025 General Election.

In Trinidad and Tobago, the Minister of National Security has the right to issue, renew, or revoke passports under the immigration Act. However, there is no specific law which allows former prime ministers to retain their diplomatic passports after leaving office.

As of now, the Government had not issued a public explanation as to why Young had been asked to return the passport.