Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissesssar cannot give any guarantee that all the information collected by the Security Intelligence Agency (SIA) is safe because much of it was done before she took office.
The illegal operation was shut down on October 23.
The illegal operation was shut down on October 23.
"I cannot vouch for what happened prior to that. I do not know what happened prior to that; we were not even in Government at that point in time so whatever happens prior to that, the SIA, as you know, was operating not as a legal unit and, therefore, I cannot say what happened prior to that," Persad-Bissessar said.
She added that at the time of the lock down in October the information would have been in safe custody. But she insisted that she cannot speak for the period preceding her taking office on May 24.
The Prime Minister spoke with reporters Tuesday who wanted to know about the files that would be in the Government's possession. Persad-Bissessar said, "If you look at the law, the law says what is to become of it...it talks about the custody of those documents and the destruction of those."
She added, "The Office of the Commissioner of Police will be in charge of it in accordance with law...People were asking what was I waving in the Parliament. I was waving empty files...I said it was empty folders which were discovered.
"The actual numbers, telephone numbers, we had given to the experts who were here; we had given those numbers and they ran those numbers through the computer database, and that was how we came up with those politicians that you saw and persons in public life," she said.
Persad-Bissessar noted that Parliament unanimously passed a new law to govern wiretapping "so we would comply with that piece of legislation in terms of how this unit will operate and who will have the powers for interception."
She said since the legislation came into effect she has "not received any information from the police as to whether they have destroyed any files or not destroyed any files".
She added that at the time of the lock down in October the information would have been in safe custody. But she insisted that she cannot speak for the period preceding her taking office on May 24.
The Prime Minister spoke with reporters Tuesday who wanted to know about the files that would be in the Government's possession. Persad-Bissessar said, "If you look at the law, the law says what is to become of it...it talks about the custody of those documents and the destruction of those."
She added, "The Office of the Commissioner of Police will be in charge of it in accordance with law...People were asking what was I waving in the Parliament. I was waving empty files...I said it was empty folders which were discovered.
"The actual numbers, telephone numbers, we had given to the experts who were here; we had given those numbers and they ran those numbers through the computer database, and that was how we came up with those politicians that you saw and persons in public life," she said.
Persad-Bissessar noted that Parliament unanimously passed a new law to govern wiretapping "so we would comply with that piece of legislation in terms of how this unit will operate and who will have the powers for interception."
She said since the legislation came into effect she has "not received any information from the police as to whether they have destroyed any files or not destroyed any files".
Persad-Bissessar also stated that the information gathered by the Special Anti-Crime Unit (SAUTT) prior to the shutdown is also not guaranteed to be safe.
"Well, whatever was there from the day of the shutdown, we can deal with that; prior to the shutdown, it was not within our knowledge. They were operating illegally," she stated.
"Well, whatever was there from the day of the shutdown, we can deal with that; prior to the shutdown, it was not within our knowledge. They were operating illegally," she stated.
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