PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC -Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley Sunday acknowledged that the country had been “blindsided” by the operations of the Strategic Services Agency (SSA) amid media reports that the former head of the agency, who had been on administrative leave since March 2, has been detained by police.
In March, the government said a perceived threat to national security was the rationale for its drastic intervention at the SSA. Rowley then confirmed the removal of Major Roger Best as SSA director and replaced him with Ambassador Brigadier Anthony Phillips-Spencer, who was recalled from Washington, where he served as the country’s ambassador to the United States.
But last week, the government announced that Major Best had been fired, with the Ministry of National Security in a statement saying, “The Minister of National Security advises the national community that the Cabinet met earlier…and took the decision to advise the acting President to terminate the appointment of Major (retired) Roger Best as Director of the SSA with immediate effect.”
Speaking at a news conference upon his return from official visits to Ghana and India on Sunday, Prime Minister Rowley told reporters, “This agency has blindsided us, but fortunately, the government was able to be informed at an early stage, and we approached it with vigor and commitment.
“There is an ongoing earnest investigation that is taking place, and as I said before, some of what that has been unearthed in this investigation has been quite troublesome, and there are impressions of criminal conduct which are being investigated by those in authority to do that and where it felt to the Cabinet to act and persons who were having the support of the Cabinet to do their jobs, they fell short in that way, the Cabinet did not hesitate to act.
‘We expect to rectify it and return the agency to its purpose,” Rowley said.
Major Best is among just over a dozen people fired from the SSA since the government announced that there was something amiss at the agency with the self-proclaimed spy, Pastor Ian Brown, among four men, including Best, to be detained by police last week.
Brown, who was Best’s personal adviser and pastor and a former police officer, remains in police custody. On March 19, Brown was fired as a Special Reserve Police officer. Days before his dismissal, Brown returned the four high-powered rifles, which also form part of the investigations.
Media reports said that the police investigations centered on the illegal use and transfer of high-powered weapons. The reports said that the authorities are also investigating several murders that may have been linked to the agency.
Rowley told reporters that a replacement for Best “has been taken care of a long time,” adding, “When we realized that we had a problem of his nature, the government acted swiftly, and there is an acting appointment there…and for the time being that will be satisfactory as we try to get to the bottom of what was going on in the SSA.
“I can tell you that a lot of what we have discovered is quite troubling, but it being a matter of national security, we will handle it responsibly. As you would have seen, action has been taken and will be taken along the way.
“Eventually, there may be changes in the leadership…with Brigadier Spencer right now…a good an officer we could have had to deal with this situation, and he will continue to hold it for a while.”
Rowley confirmed that an officer attached to the Trinidad embassy in the United States, who would have introduced Major Best to Pastor Browne and also had worked with the new acting head of the SSA,
‘An extensive spectrum investigation is taking place. I don’t know if you may recall, but when I first spoke about this, I said an infrastructure, personnel, and processes audit is being done. That covers everything.
“I do know of the officer that you are talking about. That officer had been on station in Washington, but given the concerns that we have had as to what has gone on in Trinidad and his connection to it, he has been returned from Washington to Trinidad and the investigations continue”.
Rowley told reporters that the person in question had been returned here a few weeks ago.
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