Government is reviewing the operations of the multi-million dollar blimp (airship) which is used in the fight against crime by the Special Anti-crime Unit of T&T (SAUTT).
Attorney General Anand Ramlogan revealed that in an interview with reporters during yesterday's lunch break of the Senate debate on the 2010/11 national budget. The blimp, a crime surveillance vessel was first used in T&T in 2005. It was later bought by the Government for US$15 million. Politicians have questioned the benefits to the State from use of the airship. Ramlogan was asked to comment on the Government's decision to terminate the services of the first director of SAUTT, Brigadier Peter Joseph. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar confirmed Joseph's dismissal when she read out a statement to reporters at Piarco International Airport minutes before she left for New York on Monday.
The statement was made following claims by Persad-Bissessar her phone was tapped by SAUTT. Joseph subsequently denied that claim, saying it was not true. Ramlogan, in responding to questions on the issue yesterday, said: "Wire-tapping and interception (of calls) is in fact illegal. There is no legislative support for such activity. That is why we have decided to restructure and reorganise SAUTT." Ramlogan said if it became necessary legislation would be brought to ensure that was done. "That is a matter that has not been discussed by the Cabinet and is a matter that we will have to deliberate on in due course," he added.
Ramlogan said Joseph's dismissal was done to "facilitate the re-engineering and reorganisation of SAUTT." He said it also was done to investigate "financial accountability. A lot of money has been invested into SAUTT and one would have to look at it to see if we got value for money." Ramlogan said a probe was to be undertaken by a Cabinet-appointed steering committee to determine whether equipment acquired by SAUTT was done in a transparent manner and in the interest of the national community. He then raised the issue of the blimp.
He asked: "Has it been effectively deployed and utilised in the fight against crime? Was it value for money? Was it just another eye or pie in the sky that is parked up somewhere that we don't know about." Asked if the Government planned to retain the blimp, AG Ramlogan responded: "No, that's what the steering committee will have to advise us on." He said the committee "will be looking to streamline and harmonise the various units (in national security) that seem to be competing for turf and competing against each other." Ramlogan said what was needed was "a more co-ordinated approach to intelligence-gathering and a more co-ordinated and focussed approach in the fight against crime."
He added: "You can't have SAUTT as a parallel police para-military unit, then you have the Police Service with legislative power to conduct criminal investigations and you have intelligence units scattered for a tiny country like this." Ramlogan said the existing situation was indicative of illusions of grandeur that seemed to be consistent with the skyscrapers and mega projects the Government had been scrapping since assuming office.
Meanwhile, Independent Senator Rolph Balgobin said in the budget debate yesterday he was aware of calls being monitored. He said it was not true to say that calls were not being monitored in T&T. He said there existed the capability to monitor calls in T&T.
Peter Joseph Speaks
Former director of the Special Anti-crime Unit of T&T (SAUTT) Brigadier Peter Joseph says he was still trying to understand why he was fired.
Joseph said he deemed the termination of his contract as a public dismissal. His dismissal was revealed in a statement from the Office of the Prime Minister on Monday. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar also read that statement to reporters shortly before she left for New York. Joseph said he would issue a statement in due course.