(Trinidad Guardian) The procurement of high-powered weapons and the training of personnel to use them were part of a possible plot by the Strategic Services Agency (SSA) to replace the Government.
These are among the alarming findings of the audit into the SSA that was launched in March after the Special Branch of the Police Service flagged several occurrences to the National Security Council (NSC) which led to the installation of new SSA leadership.
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley revealed the disturbing findings of the audit in a statement to Parliament yesterday.
“Shockingly, the audit discovered that the former SSA director initiated the procurement of high-grade military bolt-action rifles, complete with the most modern silencers and other accessories; and the SSA was engaged in training specially selected questionably hired personnel in the skill of the use of such weapons,” he said.
The audit and police probe also revealed that the use or whereabouts of 70,000 rounds of ammunition, purchased by the SSA, remains unrecorded and unaccounted for.
In addition, some people formerly employed with the SSA belonged to a “cult” that was arming itself to replace the Government, Dr Rowley revealed.
“Such persons belonged to a cult which was arming itself while preaching a doctrine for trained military and paramilitary personnel with a religious calling to be the most suitable to replace the country’s political leadership,” Dr Rowley said.
“They were exerting high levels of influence on the affairs of the agency to the detriment of National Security. Many were never polygraphed, otherwise screened, or integrity-tested.”
He said the audit found that “what was happening at the SSA rendered the entity increasingly incapable of securing public trust.”
The Prime Minister said between March 4 and April 21, 2024, planning and preliminary review activities were completed in the audit.
Dr Rowley said it was discovered that the SSA had adopted an unapproved organisational design, structure, and staffing without the required authority of a decision, either by the Cabinet, the NSC, or the Minister of National Security.
“For example, the SSA established and operated a highly trained and militarised so-called ‘Tactical Response Unit’ for operational purposes. As part of the audit review, this unit was examined and abolished in March 2024. Its operations prior to March 2024 are under review by SSA and the TTPS.”
He questioned, “Why would an intelligence-gathering organisation, with a mandate to collect and share information with operational units in other law enforcement and defence agencies, find it necessary to secretly have an operational unit of that nature and magnitude?
“For what purpose was such a unit established in an intelligence-gathering agency? What was their role? What did they actually do? These questions are still to be fully understood and answered, and form the subject of a police investigation. Meanwhile, the National Security Council views this development with great concern.”
The SSA’s then director, Roger Best, was sent on administrative leave. Former ambassador to T&T in Washington (Ret) Major Anthony Phillips-Spencer was returned to head the SSA and do an extensive internal review and an audit of the agency. Best’s services were terminated in May.
Dr Rowley said that notwithstanding the ongoing audit, SSA’s core business remained uninterrupted. He said in March, 28 employees were terminated, either for violations of the SSA Act and Regulations, anomalous recruitment, or faulty promotion processes and practices.
Self-proclaimed spy pastor Ian Brown, also among those dismissed, was placed on certain charges along with two others in May.
The audit, he said, found disturbing practices of nepotism and opportunism. For example, several family members and associates of particular people and of a particular church were found to have been surreptitiously employed in this agency.
SSA armoury–103 guns, 100,000 rounds of ammo
The audit found a clear need for improved management of the controlled equipment and supplies inventory to treat with SSA’s increased stock of firearms and ammunition.
“In 2017, the Agency purchased 8,000 rounds of 9-millimetre ammunition, but by 2022, the amount purchased during that year was 100,000 rounds!” Dr Rowley added.
“While arming itself, the agency did not disaggregate ammunition held for operational use from ammunition stored for the purpose of training, in accordance with international best practices. Similarly, whereas in 2016, the SSA held 24 firearms—consisting of pistols or revolvers—since 2021, the number of firearms held by the SSA has increased to 103, of different types and calibre, including military grade.”
He cited the purchase of 9 mm ammunition between 2017 to 2022: 2017 (8,000 rounds), 2018 (7,500 rounds), 2019 (Nil), 2020 (16,000 rounds), 2021 (52,000), and 2022 (100,000).
Dr Rowley added, “Why would an intelligence-gathering agency need 103 firearms of different types, and calibre; and why would the agency in 2022, need 100,000 rounds of ammunition?”
The PM said there was never a budget in the SSA to purchase military-grade weapons, nor was the NSC ever informed of any such activities or that such capabilities were being developed within the SSA. “This didn’t prevent the SSA from making part payment for military-grade weapons with suppression capabilities,” he added.
He said it was only on November 1, 2023, upon request from the then SSA director for the agency to bear arms in certain restricted circumstances “and persuasive reasons offered,” that Cabinet approved and Parliament authorised SSA staffers to keep and carry concealable pistols, whether on duty or not.
Dr Rowley noted, “This matter is gaining the attention of the police as we speak … the matters relating to the two bolt-action sniper rifles, of which I spoke earlier, are indeed under further police investigation. “
The PM also said arms and ammunition belonging to the TTPS were transferred to the SSA without authority.
Dr Rowley said several SSA members and former members are the subject of ongoing TTPS investigations, in respect of certain motor vehicles, currently and previously assigned to SSA.
TTPS arms, ammo transferred to SSA minus authority
Arms and ammunition belonging to the TTPS were transferred to the SSA without authority, according to Prime Minister Keith Rowley.
Rowley said among the firearms and ammunition coming into the SSA’s possession in the period under review, several were issued from the TTPS Armoury to the Special Operations Response Team (SORT).
“ The necessary record keeping and statements of issue are quite muddled or in some instances even non-existent. These firearms were chronicled in the SORT Team’s Firearm register. This SORT has since been disbanded because it became entangled in allegations of serious human rights abuses and exposed the Government to United States sanctions flowing from the assumed violation of the United States, Leahy Act. “
“This involved the killings where it was said by a Commissioner of Police, and subordinates that persons in police custody actually died when they ‘fell off a chair’. Only recently this sick joke was repeated by a former Commissioner of Police who used the said explanation to assure the public that the unfortunates who fell off the chair ‘could never rape anybody again’,”Rowley added.
“The upshot is that arms and ammunition belonging to the TTPS were transferred to the SSA without authority, ostensibly for official use, by the Guard Unit of the SSA, located at Camp Cumuto, a TT Defence Force facility, where the SSA also has a presence That issuance, was in clear breach of the Firearms Act resulting in police personnel being charged for certain criminal offenses in relation to it.”
In addition, a former SSA employee of the SSA, who was party to that transaction was also charged in relation to it.
Rowley said,” Police investigations have since revealed that the ‘Guard Unit’ at the SSA, never received the firearms and ammunition, as was declared to be the case, in the relevant documents. An audit conducted in respect of firearms and ammunition, issued to the SSA, didn’t reveal the presence of those firearms and ammunition.
“However, on the March 5 a self-described ‘spy’, who was also appointed a Special Reserve Police Officer, by the then Commissioner appeared at the Cumuto Barracks and voluntarily handed over a cache of firearms and ammunition, to a member of the National Operations Task Force, at the same camp. Subsequent investigations confirmed that these weapons came from the TTPS by way of transfer to the SSA before it was authorised to have any such weapons.”
“These firearms were submitted to the relevant national security agency for analysis; and were confirmed to be automatic weapons. Arising out of these related matters, the Police personnel and former SSA employees were all arrested and charged for several criminal offenses. It’s still to be determined where these weapons were stashed, whether they were ever fired and if so, in what operations, for what purpose and under whose authority and direct control.”
The audit into the SSA also found instances of dishonesty and deep deception. For example, the composition of a SSA delegation, was authorised to travel abroad on official business, after which, a non-employee of the agency was inexplicably inserted into the delegation, in the place of an employee who was approved for the delegation.
Rowley said the primary objective is now to retool the SSA and regain the public trust and the confidence of all stakeholders, both national and international, “ Suffice it to say that there’s much more investigative work to be done as the requisite policing agencies continue to follow the evidence….”