PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (Trinidad Express) — The fate of five Trinidadian Muslims is still up in the air almost a year after being held in Venezuela on charges of terrorism.

The Express understands that despite recent high profile political rhetoric no headway has been made in securing their release.

And, for what is being said at the diplomatic level, there’s little or no chance of political intervention in the judicial process.

It was on Tuesday that visiting Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar agreed that their relevant ministries will discuss the matter involving five Trinidadians who have been in a Caracas jail for the last 11 months on terrorism charges.

However, despite reports that “rigorous discussions” were held on Thursday between Trinidad Embassy officials and Venezuelan authorities, Ambassador for Trinidad and Tobago in Venezuela, David Edghill, Friday denied that any such talks had taken place.

He said the Embassy was not authorised to conduct such talks unless particular instructions were handed down.

Edghill told TV6 News, “It was a routine consular visit for the men. The Embassy is obligated under the Vienna Convention to secure our nationals but we cannot negotiate anything further. The matter has been passed to the respective ministries of Foreign Affairs and National Security who are to then liaise with the Venezuelan authorities here. We cannot enter into any talks of the judicial process.”

Dominic Clive Pitilal, 33, Andre Joseph Battersby, 56, Asim Luqman, 34, Charles Wade, 36, and Leslie Daisley have all been charged Edghill had confirmed this to TV6 News in November last year, despite claims by spokesperson for the men, Nafessa Mohammed.

Officials from SEBIN (Venezuela’s intelligence police) and immigration offices, who were investigating a case of illegal migration, had gone to the Plaza Grande hotel in Caracas to check the status of guests. There the officers from SEBIN searched the hotel rooms of the Trinidadians.

In the rooms, authorities allegedly discovered laptops, satellite phones, cellphones and military type clothing, which the State alleged were provided by the Venezuelan police officers Duran and Montanez to the other men.

They also confiscated US$102,000 in cash and 66 passports.

TV6 News, in an exclusive investigative series called “Jihadists Among Us,” had reported about the alleged activities of certain men, as documented in a secret intelligence document.

The men have since denied the allegations.