Sunday, November 14, 2010

AG might send SIA file to DPP; calls illegal wiretapping a blot on democracy

Attorney General Anand Ramlogan said Saturday he is considering passing the SIA file to Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard.

The SIA - the Security Intelligence Agency of the Ministry of National Security had been illegally tapping the phones and intercepting personal emails of law-abiding citizens, including the President. 

The practice had been going on for years and the SIA had a string of highly paid informants who were always paid in cash.

"I am carefully reviewing this sordid matter with a view to determining whether I should refer those responsible to the DPP for him to consider whether appropriate criminal charges should be laid so that criminal prosecution can follow," Ramlogan said in an interview with the Trinidad Express.

The victims of the wiretapping included politicians, including Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and members of the current cabinet, members of the judiciary, businessmen, artistes, journalists and other prominent citizens who have never had any trouble with the law.

Persad-Bissessar revealed details of the illegal SIA operations in Parliament Friday and her predecessor, Patrick Manning, who was head of the National Security Council, denied that he had authorised the spying.

Ramlogan said he is not buying that. And he challenged both Manning and the former acting police chief James Philbert to tell citizens what crimes the SIA helped solve.

"For the idle boast of Mr Manning and Mr Philbert that it was an important agency and that it helped solve crime, well perhaps they can tell us which crimes they would have helped solved...for the past eight years, under the PNM crime has been on the rise consistently.

He suggested that Manning might have been "creating a parallel police and private army loyal to the PNM," noting that the SIA operated without checks and balances as an invisible unit which was "off the books and off the radar".

Ramlogan added, "While that may have been understandable, if it was being properly utilised to solve kidnapping and crime, what is unforgivable is the fact that it seemed to have had a different mandate and used the cloak of secrecy for corruption and mismanagement of resources."

The AG said the former administration significantly undermined the rule of law and breached "the sacred relationship and respect" that exists between the society and the State.

"The implications and ramifications are wide-ranging and far-reaching and it is a sad day for democracy, almost as bad if not worse than the July 1990 coup attempt, and this shall forever remain a blot on our proud and rich tradition of a free and democratic society," Ramlogan said.

While Manning defended the work of the SIA his successor, Dr Keith Rowley, has condemned actions of the SIA saying citizens should not hold the People's National Movement responsible for the what Manning did while he was the party's leader and head of government.

Rowley also pledged to support the government's new wiretapping bill, which will make it illegal for eavesdropping on anyone unless it is for a valid reason and authorised by a judge.

Read related story: Spouses as spies

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Jai & Sero

Jai & Sero

Our family at home in Toronto 2008

Our family at home in Toronto 2008
Amit, Heather, Fuzz, Aj, Jiv, Shiva, Rampa, Sero, Jai