'POLITICAL TERRORISM' – Economist slams police raids at THA officials' homes

“Domestic political terrorism.”

This is how Anslem Richards, technical adviser in the Division of Finance, Trade and the Economy, described the police search of the home of a former chief administrator and other THA officials over the weekend.

The search, carried out by officers of the Anti-Corruption Investigations Bureau (ACIB), is believed to be part of the probe into a controversial audio clip in which people, believed to be high-ranking government officials, can be heard planning to use THA resources to fund a political propaganda campaign.

The audio recording began circulating on social media on May 23.

Chief Secretary Farley Augustine subsequently alleged that the leaked clip was an attempt at extortion by a well-known contractor who is owed millions of dollars in outstanding payments by the THA. The ACIB and Integrity Commission are probing the matter.

Apart from the home of the former chief administrator, Newsday understands ACIB officers have since searched the home and office of a THA secretary and other THA officials. Cell phones and electronic devices were also seized.

Head of the police's White Collar Crime Division ACP Wendell Lucas, who confirmed that several searches took place over the weekend, told Newsday briefly on Tuesday, the investigation was ongoing.

Asked to confirm if the homes and offices of more THA officials had been searched, Lucas would only say, “Yes, they have been. Investigators out on the field.”

He did not give any further details.

On Tuesday, Anslem Richards alleged the government was behind the police searches, which he described as “domestic political terrorism.”

He also claimed the PNM had compiled a list of people allegedly hired by the THA to “activate this so-called propaganda machine.”

Richards claimed, “The government is weaponising the law-enforcement community against the Opposition in Tobago and I am calling on Tobagonians to signal their disgust at this.”

He added, “We need to push back and send a message to the authorities that this is not fair. You cannot weaponise and politically harass the people of Tobago and their government.

“They have elected their government. You cannot use the resources and the institutions of the State or you should not do that to harass the people of Tobago. It is unfair. It is unethical. It is wrong and we, as Tobagonians, must and should stand up and send a message to Port of Spain that we would not tolerate this.”

In light of the worsening crime situation, Richards argued, the country should use its resources wisely.

“We are in a security crisis. At this particular point in time, we have over 320 citizens who have been murdered in this country for the year and we are at the July 18. So if you take that on average we are heading for over 600 murders by the end of this year.”

He added, “We have a Commissioner of Police Erla Christopher, who is literally running from the media to account for her stewardship, to speak to the issue of murder directly and supplying the media with a 16-minute voice recording to explain what is happening with murder in this country.

“But yet we have a tonne-load of police officers over here harassing and taking away phones and electronic devices from persons who are employed by the government of Tobago on the island of Tobago.”

Richards, who is also an economist, said Tobago must never be seen as a "soft target."

Dennis: 'Foolish claim'

PNM Tobago Council political leader Ancil Dennis said he was appalled by Richards’accusation.

“These claims are so foolish and so ridiculous that I will not even dignify them with a response. So this allegation, this claim, doesn’t meet the requirement for my attention,” he said in a WhatsApp voice note.

Asked about the raids during an interview on I95.5FM's Afternoon Drive programme on Tuesday, the Prime Minister said he was not aware of the particulars but he did know that police were investigating the audio clips.

He said, "I'm not aware of police work in that way. All I do know is that there were public statements made and it generated certain kinds of follow-up... I don't know anything further.

"I haven't heard about these raids that you just talked about, but I did see the circular about the special sitting of the assembly. And the subject matter seems to be quite interesting. So I'm gonna wait and see what that means."

The ACIB is also among several entities investigating offences highlighted in the THA-commissioned audit report into five development initiatives undertaken by the former PNM-led THA administration during the period October 2019-November 2021.

At a plenary sitting on June 23, Augustine announced that copies of the report had also been sent to the Commissioner of Police, Fraud Squad, Financial Investigations Unit and Director of Public Prosecutions.

On that occasion, he made it clear that neither the Prime Minister nor THA Minority Leader Kelvon Morris would get a copy of the report. He added the report also would not be made public.

But the Minority bench has called repeatedly on Augustine to make it public, arguing he did not use his own money to commission the report.

Meanwhile, the THA has convened a special sitting on Wednesday to discuss what it says are “matters of importance to our democratic way of life in Tobago.”

It is being held at the Assembly Legislature, Scarborough, from 10am.

Speculation is rife the emergency sitting will address the police searches among other pertinent issues.

A statement from the Office of the Chief Secretary on Tuesday said the Constitution guarantees that Trinidad and Tobago “shall be a sovereign democratic state and it is in this regard that the democratically elected Tobago House of Assembly shall sit to consider certain threats to its very existence.”