Speaking exclusively to the Express on Sunday at the Prime Minister’s Christmas treat for children at the Larry Gomes Stadium, Arima, Volney said all that is left are “empty folders”. Volney was responding to questions on the whereabouts of the SIA files.
The Sunday Express exclusively reported that Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, as head of the national security council, had possession of the files.
Volney said the files were destroyed by the Israeli men and only one person can clear the air on this entire controversy—former prime minister Patrick Manning.
“There was a group of men from Israel who were here and they were thrashing all the files so that what we came across were empty folders, that is what alerted the Prime Minister to bring the Commissioner of Police in to prevent it from continuing. So I think that most of it has been thrashed already. All the secrets of the last Government have been thrashed,“ Volney said.
Asked if any information was salvaged, he said, “A few e-mails and that sort of thing, as far as I know. This whole thing is so shrouded in secrecy that I really don’t know the extent of what is left.”
Questioned on who are these Israeli men and if they were still in the country, Volney responded, “I don’t know where they are. Their presence here at the SIA is what alerted someone to bring it to the attention of the Prime Minister and she then called in the Attorney General and Minister of National Security.” Volney said only the “end part” of the SIA files were found and the names of the people who were spied upon. On October 23, Police Commissioner Dwayne Gibbs ordered a raid on the offices of the St Vincent Street, Port of Spain, base of the SIA after Persad-Bissessar requested he look into the agency’s operations.
On November 12, Persad-Bissessar exposed the operations of the SIA, saying that this agency was illegally intercepting the phone calls, e-mails and text messages of civilians, including President George Maxwell Richards, Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley, judges, MPs, journalists and others, as well as herself.
In swift action, Government moved to bring legislation—the Interception of Communications Bill—to deal with the issue of interception. The bill was passed with unanimous support in the Parliament as well as the Senate.
Some people who were spied upon, such as Secretary General of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha Satnarayan Maharaj, have decided to take legal action.
Asked if the destruction of the files would make these cases a lost cause, Volney said he does not know, but added, “All I can say is that we have put a legal face to interception now, the country has to move on in confidence and the law will not continue to be broken and the law will ensure that criminals are placed behind bars.”
