By ANDRE BAGOO Monday, June 25 2012

RETIRED Brigadier John Sandy, who will today be replaced by Jack Warner as National Security Minister, has accepted a diplomatic posting to Geneva, Switzerland sources said yesterday.

On Friday, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar told reporters that Sandy has accepted a diplomatic posting but she did not say where Sandy would be assigned to. However, sources yesterday said Sandy has accepted a post at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago to the United Nations Office at Geneva, located at Rue de Vermont, not far from scenic Lake Geneva.

Sandy’s nearly two-year tenure as Security Minister has seen a reported drop in serious crime. His tenure also saw the imposition of a state of emergency, scandal over the appointment of a junior officer Reshmi Ramnarine, to a top intelligence post, and the merging of several security agencies, including what was formerly known as

the Special Anti-Crime Unit (SAUTT).

Sandy sat ex officio on the National Security Council, chaired by the Prime Minister.

Sandy’s new posting would possibly mean the revocation of the appointment of former Health Minister Therese Baptise-Cornelis who was dropped from Cabinet less than a year ago and then appointed to the Geneva post in October 2011.

The Geneva office holder is normally also ambassador to Austria and Italy and is accredited to several international organisations and agencies in Geneva, Berne, Paris, Rome and Vienna.

Sandy, whose appointment to the Senate is expected to be revoked today, could not be reached yesterday and calls and messages left on his phone were not immediately returned. Baptiste-Cornelis too, could not be reached. Sources also said yesterday that the Congress of the People’s Nicole Dyer-Griffith, who has been a Minister in the Ministry of Communications, will no longer retain the post in the People’s Partnership Cabinet.

Newsday understands Dyer-Griffith’s appointment as a senator is also to be revoked today, among four other revocations, in order to make way for four new incoming faces to the Parliament. It is unclear what role, if any, Dyer-Griffith could take up in lieu of the revocation. Dyer-Griffth joined the Government Senate line-up about a year ago in the last Cabinet reshuffle.

The four new senators will replace Sandy, Dyer-Griffith, Verna St Rose-Greaves, the outgoing Gender, Youth and Child Development Minister, and Danny Maharaj, an outgoing UNC Senator.

The new Minister of Foreign Affairs has been announced as Winston Dookeran, who is the outgoing Minister of Finance. Dookeran remained low-profile yesterday, celebrating his 69th birthday with his family and declining calls.