Pastor Ian Albert Ezekiel Brown, who claims he is a spy employed by the Strategic Services Agency (SSA) has been working as an adviser at the agency, according to intelligence sources.
Sources claimed that while Brown professed himself to be a spy, their recollection of him was actually as an adviser to Major Roger Best who was sent on administrative leave on March 2.
The sources said that for the past three years, Brown was commonly called Best’s “prophetic adviser” in the agency and had free rein throughout the organisation.
His employment at the agency bound him to the SSA Act.
According to Section 5 (1) of the SSA Act, the Agency can employ staff as it considers necessary for the due performance of its duties and functions and provide for the remuneration and other terms and conditions of their employment.
However, Section 5 (2) of the Act said that, “Every employee of the Agency shall, at the commencement of his duties with the Agency, take the oath of allegiance and secrecy stated in the Schedule.”
Intelligence sources told Guardian Media that Brown was not vetted for the job but earned a consulting fee from the agency of about $25,000 per month.
For the period he was assigned, five years with a stipend and another as an adviser, sources calculated that Brown would have accrued close to $1 million in earnings if he did not pay taxes.
In the SSA books, he is a “service provider”.
Brown, in a published report, said he was a pastor at the Jerusalem Bride (JB Church) in Arima, and the Eden Restored Church in Caratal.
Guardian Media understands that Brown was also sent on trips funded by the SSA, one of them to Israel.
One intelligence source said that Best’s removal from the top had opened a Pandora’s box about what was happening at the Agency.
“The Government has to take some responsibility because they only dealt with it when it came to a boiling point. It’s clear the issue was simmering for awhile and now all hell has broken loose,” the source said.
The source alleged that Pastor Brown had a hold on Best and controlled him.
The source also claimed that Brown has tentacles—his followers at the church—in other agencies of National Security.
A document obtained by Guardian Media showed that Brown retained his status as a Special Reserve Police Officer.
The document with a letterhead from the TTPS, was dated November 23, 2022. It stated that Brown was as a SRP at the SSA for four consecutive six-month periods beginning from November 28, 2022. It means that Brown is still an SRP until November this year, unless dismissed.
Last week, during the PM’s questions in Parliament, Dr Keith Rowley, who is chair of the National Security Council, refused to engage queries on why the Government sent Best on administrative leave.
“I am not prepared to engage in any debate in this matter, as a responsible Prime Minister of a responsible Government these matters will take their course and will eventually end up where they are supposed to,” he said.