SAUTT future in hands of PM

National Security Minister, Brigadier John Sandy, has praised the work of the Special Anti-Crime Unit of Trinidad and Tobago.

However he told local media the future of the controversial security agency is in the hands of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

Sandy's comments come a day after his ministry released a report on SAUTT which showed that the government spent more than $1.6 billion on the agency since it was established by the former manning administration in 2003.

Read the story: $1.6B for SAUTT in seven years

“Well the decision is with the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. I don’t think its going to be disbanded; they are doing good work. There are some well-organised units. I cannot see it being disbanded,” Sandy told reporters who asked about the future of SAUTT.

In opposition the UNC heavily criticised SAUTT, which it said was being used by the State to conduct surveillance on Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Diego Martin West MP Dr Keith Rowley, who was at the time a pariah in the PNM.

SAUTT is yet to be made into a legal body and sandy is not certain about whether the prime minister would table legislation legislation to officially establish the SAUTT.

“Even that is the Prime Minister’s prerogative. People are saying it is not a legal entity, so once the decision is taken to retain it in any form some form of legislation must be brought to the Parliament to ensure that this is a legal entity," he said.