Chief Sec denies forcing 'whistleblower's' bribery, conspiracy claims

CHIEF Secretary Farley Augustine has fired back at fresh claims allegedly being made by "whistleblower" Akil Abdullah that he, or aides, upon his instruction, forced him to confess to bribery and conspiracy in relation to the police investigation into an audio recording involving members of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA).

Abdullah, who was allegedly secretly recorded during a private meeting with Augustine, had claimed that he, along with high-ranking government and police officials, were part of a conspiracy to debstabilise the THA executive.

The Prime Ministers and others have since distanced themselves from any plot to undermine the THA.

On Wednesday, a voice recording puported to be of Abdullah alleging he was forced to confess to bribery and conspiracy made the rounds on social media.

“I did tell them some stuff but other stuff they prompted me to say, like the things that were actually not true,” a voice was heard saying in the audio clip.

“I never met with the Prime Minister. They promoted (sic) me to say those things...When I was there I was surprised that they wanted me to say those things.”

The speaker also claimed he was physically abused.

“Some guys boxed me up in my face.”

He added on another occasion he was run off the road and told to comply.

“I was threatened twice verbally then physically. When I went to Trinidad they did ask if my life was threatened and I did give the police that information. So they knew that I was threatened and they did offer to put me in witness protection.

“The way how they described witness protection to me it was not favourable. They sent someone to check on my phone so whenever the person come, I had to give them my phone for them to go through.”

But in a statement from the Office of the Chief Secretary on Wednesday, Augustine vehemently denied forcing Abdullah to confess to bribery and conspiracy.

“There is irrefutable evidence of the several attempts made by Mr Abdullah to have a meeting with the Chief Secretary. These requests came via WhatsApp messages, text messages and calls to the Office of the Chief Secretary, making the requests weeks before a meeting was eventually granted," he was quoted as saying.

“In fact, those requests for meetings started since April 2023 and the Chief Secretary only agreed to a meeting in July 2023. Further, how would one explain the occasions that Mr Abdullah visited Victor E Bruce Complex uninvited, and demanded to see the Chief Secretary?”

Augustine recalled Abdullah showed up at Victor E Bruce Complex on July 3, 2023 seeking a meeting and was not facilitated. He was not present at the office.

He said Abdullah again visited his office on July 7, 2023 at 11.16 am, seeking an urgent meeting.

“Only then did the Chief Secretary, who was out of office, agree to meet with him for the very first time for 30 minutes at the residence.”

Augustine said he also has the records of Abdullah’s requests for a follow-up meeting, which eventually took place on July 12, 2023.

“The Chief Secretary confidently attests that there is more than sufficient evidence to refute any claim that Mr Abdullah was forced to meet with him. This supposed audio recording currently in circulation, comes subsequent to newspaper articles where Mr Abdullah has said he felt threatened after his statements to the Chief Secretary were revealed in the House of Assembly.”

He continued, “Moreover, this back and forth and inconsistencies, forces one to ask the most important question: How is it that the TTPS predicate their case on this witness? Since the revelations made in the House of Assembly on July 19, 2023, and the revelation by the Prime Minister on July 20, 2023 that Mr Abdullah was in fact the State Witness, the Chief Secretary has refused all attempts by Mr Abdullah and his agents, for meetings or phone conversations.”

Augustine said he has also has instructed his staff to not respond to any of Abdullah’s electronic messages or his phone calls.

“The Chief Secretary is deeply concerned that, to date, no independent inquiry into Abdullah’s claims have been made and that there may be several individuals seeking to tamper with a potential state witness.”

He regarded the current state of affairs as “yet another political attempt to create mischief and distraction to the work of the Tobago House of Assembly.”