Griffith claims recall of fired SSA staff

FORMER commissioner of police and political leader of the National Transformation Alliance (NTA) Gary Griffith is claiming that nearly half the individuals terminated from the Strategic Services Agency (SSA) have been recalled to duty.

In a release from the NTA on July 21, Griffith said, if true, it will highlight the extent of the government’s hypocrisy. He said the fired SSA employees were told to reapply to the agency.

“This was the same process that they underwent when they were first hired, despite Prime Minister Rowley’s misleading statements to the country, claiming they were not qualified,” Griffith said.

Head of the SSA Brigadier Anthony Phillips-Spencer declined comment when contacted by Newsday on July 21.

However, Griffith said, “The unjust dismissal of these 24 individuals has had severe consequences.”

“Their reputations have been tarnished, potentially causing irreparable harm to their future employment prospects, including the possibility of being denied visas to the United States. These individuals now carry the stigma of being falsely labelled as terrorists and cult members, severely impacting their ability to secure employment.”

He added that the termination of the officers destroyed the intelligence heart of Trinidad and Tobago's national security, which, he claimed, contributed to a massive spike in crime.

Griffith said the government may have had no choice to recall the officers as planned legal action against the State from the officers could have led to “hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.”

Griffith continued, “These individuals were fully qualified and had passed the polygraph test at the time of their initial hiring. By asking them to return and go through the same hiring process again, it further demonstrates the unjust nature of their initial dismissals, showing that the Government’s accusations were baseless and unfounded,” Griffith said.

In March, the National Security Council met to consider a Special Branch report which warranted the removal of then SSA director Major Roger Best, who headed the agency since 2019, and recalled Phillips-Spencer to replace him and conduct an audit into the agency.

That same month, police raided the home of pastor Ian Brown, a self-professed SSA spy and intelligence officer. Phillips-Spencer also suspended the SSA deputy director of intelligence Joanne Bartholomew-Daniel and 11 other employees. He also terminated a 12-member tactical response team, an operational unit made of former commandos.

In May, Best was arrested on suspicion of transferring four high-powered automatic guns to SSA employees. He was fired while in custody on May 18.

Meanwhile, Brown, SSA’s former security supervisor Susan Portell-Griffith, and now-defunct Special Operations Response Team officer Sgt Sherwin Waldron all appeared in the High Court to face gun-related charges. They were released on $500,000 bail each.

On July 3, Dr Rowley revealed details of the audit on the SSA in Parliament, making allegations of a plot by rogue members of the elite spy agency to overthrow the Government. He said the audit found instances of dishonesty, nepotism and opportunism.

Rowley also said the SSA bought 8,000 rounds of 9mm ammunition in 2017, but, by 2022 had bought 100,000 rounds, 70,000 of which remain unrecorded and unaccounted for.