Media report claims PNM operatives provided misinformation about assassination plot

The Guardian newspaper reported on Sunday that new information has revealed that the Trinidad & Tobago Government was misled by "PNM operatives" within the Strategic Services Agency (SSA) and Trinidad & Tobago Police Service (TTPS) with respect to the alleged plot to assassinate the Prime Minister and senior cabinet ministers.

The paper said its sources have revealed that national security adviser Gary Griffith expressed concerns over the credibility of the information about the plot to kill Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Attorney General Anand Ramlogan and Housing Minister Dr Roodlal Moonilal. 

"The information stated that Griffith raised issue with respect to Government being 'set up' by the SSA, formerly the Security Intelligence Agency (SIA), as several operatives were hired under the former People’s National Movement (PNM) administration," the Guardian report said.

It quoted an unnamed government official as stating that the assassination plot has embarrassed the government since up to now the SSA cannot show what evidence or intelligence it had that this plot was credible. 

The paper said, "The official noted that he was advised that the Government was indeed set up by operatives in SSA and TTPS".

The report said the official has also warned that any move to shift the National Security Operatives Centre (NSOC) back to the Ministry of National Security "would result in the Government losing an opportunity to purge the agency of PNM operatives." 

The Sunday Guardian reported that the official's view is that the reason for the SSA's hostility to the People's Partnership government is "because it was hoped that the hundreds of PNM operatives who were in SAUTT would simply be rolled over to NSOC, such as what happened with SIA to SSA." 

The Guardian said it contacted Griffith on the matter, who denied that he had information indicating that SSA operatives allegedly “set up” the plot. 

"No, no, I have absolutely no such information. What I did was to bring the accusations that were brought to me to some people pertaining to the issue. It was all hear say, so to speak," the paper quoted Griffith as saying.

"I have not seen any credible information to verify that this was true. I would have brought to the attention of people that these claims were made but there is no information to verify the claims. 

"People claimed that the assassination plot was set up to make the Government look bad but there is no credible evidence,” Griffith stated.