[UPDATED] PM TAKES CHARGE OF DSS PROBE

CLEARLY unhappy at the pace of investigations into the $22 million “Drugs Sou-Sou” (DSS) scandal, Prime Minister Dr Rowley – in his capacity as chairman of the National Security Council – has taken charge of the probe, calling for expert help from both the United Kingdom and Barbados.

So far, four policemen have been suspended and another 11 policemen were transferred as a result of investigations into the scandal. Speaking on Thursday night at a PNM post-budget public meeting, Rowley declared the DSS to be no sou-sou but rather a “cancer which if left unchecked can eat the soul of the nation.”

A sou-sou is a legitimate, age-old system, usually done at community level, where a group of people pool their savings by making regular contributions — weekly, biweekly, or monthly — to a fund which is then paid out to each member according to an agreed upon schedule. On September 22, police raided a house at Kathleen Warner Drive in La Horquetta where they found huge wads of mainly hundred-dollar bills in the ceiling, in water tanks and elsewhere in the house. The money was taken to the La Horquetta police station where it was counted and amounted to $22 million. Hours later, under the cover of night, the money was quietly removed from the station and returned to the administrator of the DSS.

Who gave the instruction and why, to release the vast sum of cash; who gave the instruction and why, to release nine people from custody and why were these decisions not first cleared with investigators and Police Commissioner Gary Griffith, are among several questions investigators are hoping to find answers for.

Rowley did not mince words on Thursday night. He said the matter of the DSS scheme and $22 million being found in a house are matters of national security. “The role of the police in that matter, the role of the Defence Force in that matter, the role of criminal gangs in that matter, completely unknown to the people of TT.

“And I can tell you that as head of the National Security Council I have not had the simplest of answers in that matter. All I can say to you, that as head of the NSC, I am disturbed,” Rowley said.

“And because I am disturbed and because of what it means, (what it is) pointing to and fingering unacceptable levels of corruption in the TT police service, immediately I approached the British government, with whom we have a memorandum of understanding dated 2018, to co-operate on matters of national security, for help. And we are awaiting British police officers in TT on that matter of the Drugs Sou Sou.”

He said that on the same matter, he approached Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley for help and two senior Barbados police officers are en route to TT and will form part of a team that will comprehensively investigate the matter.

Rowley added that the combined foreign and local team will investigate how $22 million could be found by police, reach a police station only to subsequently disappear after, “And nobody could tell the country what happened!”

“And a member of the Defence Force could stand up on the front page of newspapers and tell the county, ‘I am the one organising that’ (the DSS). Let me tell you all something – that is not a sou-sou! That is a threat to the national security of Trinidad and Tobago. And if we don’t investigate it properly it will be a cancer that will eat the soul of this nation,” the Prime Minister said.

While the Prime Minister only announced the calls made to overseas jurisdictions for help, Sunday Newsday reported on October 4 that officers from the UK would be brought in to assist in the DSS investigations.

He later explained that when the British and Barbados officers arrive, they will be inducted into the TTPS as SRPs (Special Reserve Police) by Commissioner Griffith, which will give them a legal mandate to commence investigations.

He said this is being done because the last attempt made by Scotland Yard (UK police) to investigate corruption in the police service (in the 1990s) had failed.

“Because they were not made officers in the TT police service, Scotland Yard’s effort was undermined because local police refused to co-operate and surrender themselves because Scotland Yard was not TT police. So we learned from that,” Rowley said.

This story was originally published with the title "PM: British, Bajans needed to investigate police, DSS 'cancer'" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

THE PRIME Minister has announced that the Government has called on the British police for assistance to investigate the Drugs Sou Sou (DSS) scandal, which points to major levels of police corruption.

He was speaking on Thursday night at the PNM virtual post-budget meet-up, mere hours after Police Commissioner Gary Griffith announced that 15 officers, including two of senior rank, had been sanctioned for their role in the scandal. Four of the 15 were suspended and the rest transferred.

The PM said Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal was seeking to distract and prevent Government from getting help to go after white-collar crime.

He said the police's conduct in the DSS matter, as well as the fact that $22 million was found in a house the source of which could not be ascertained, was a matter of security.

"The role of the police in that matter, the role of the Defence Force in that matter, the role of criminal gangs in that matter – completely unknown to the people of TT. And I can tell you, as head of the National Security Council (NSC), I have not had the simplest of answers in that matter. All I can say to you that as head of NSC, I am disturbed.

"And because I am disturbed and because of what it means, pointing to and fingering unacceptable levels of corruption in the TT police service, immediately I approached the British government, with whom we have a memorandum of understanding dated 2018 to co-operate on matters of national security, for help. And we are awaiting British police officers in TT on the matter of the Drug Sou-Sou," Rowley said.

He said on the same matter, he approached the Barbados Prime Minister and two senior Barbados police investigating officers were en route to TT and will form part of a team that will comprehensively investigate.

He added they will find how $22 million could be found by police, enter a police station and then disappear after and nobody could tell the country what happened.

"And a member of the Defence Force could stand up on the front page of newspapers and tell the country, 'I am the one organising that.'

"Let me tell you all something – that is not a sou-sou! That is a threat to the national security of TT. And if we don't investigate it properly it will be a cancer that will eat the soul of this nation."