Shake-up in Erla's case: Cop accused of witness tampering in sniper rifle probe

A MEMBER of the police team investigating the procurement of two sniper rifles by the covert intelligence-gathering body the Strategic Services Agency (SSA) has been removed from the unit after allegedly advising a witness against signing a statement.

The officer, whose identity has been withheld, had been part of the probe investigating Commissioner of Police (CoP) Erla Harewood-Christopher and former director of the SSA retired Major Roger Best from the start.

The officer was also part of the team which had met with Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard, SC, for advice as the investigation progressed.

Reliable sources said the officer approached a potential witness in the case, who had already drafted a statement, and said such statements are voluntary. The witness subsequently refused to sign the document, police said.

Police said while the witness’s statement was “not critical” to the probe, it would have supported other evidence already gathered during the high-profile investigation. Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Intelligence and Investigations Suzette Martin, who has been leading the investigations, declined comment on this development.

On February 7, the investigative team sought further advice from Gaspard as they moved to wrap up the investigation.

Probe into CoP, ex-SSA head

On January 30, Harewood-Christopher was arrested at her office on the sixth floor of the Police Administration Building in Port of Spain. The move sent shockwaves throughout the police service.

Senior officers are divided on the move to arrest the sitting CoP, but tried to show a united front during a press briefing on January 31.

Best, who was fired as head of the SSA on May 18, 2024, was arrested on January 29 at his Arima home. Both Best and Harewood-Christopher were released on February 1, on Gaspard’s advice, pending further investigations.

The Police Service Commission suspended Harewood-Christopher on January 31, based on a report submitted by Martin, and gave the CoP seven days to respond. The response, if any, would give the commission important information
to consider as part of the rules of natural justice.

On February 5, Harewood-Christopher challenged her suspension in court. Justice Christopher Sieuchand, who heard the case, did not agree to her request to block the commission from appointing an acting CoP in her place, but allowed her to contest her suspension.

That same day, Parliament approved deputy commissioner Junior Benjamin to act as CoP and assistant commissioner Curt Simon to act as deputy commissioner. Speaking on condition of strict anonymity, police defended the investigative team’s decision to approach Harewood-Christopher before they had gathered all the information in the investigation.

One officer said the CoP was the custodian of all the files in the police service, including all those in the Firearms Section, and to access them they would have needed her permission.

As part of the investigation, police have gathered statements from National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds and Chief of Defence Staff Air Vice Marshal Darryl Daniel and have also received correspondence from Dr Rowley as chair of the National Security Council.

Focus on imported sniper rifles

The probe surrounds the purchase of two Accuracy International AX2 bolt-action sniper rifles between July 2023 and March 2024. Military sources said sniper weapons are primarily used by soldiers to “overwatch” other operators in the field from a remote location and neutralise potential threats.

A copy of the import permit, purportedly signed by Harewood-Christopher, dated October 10, 2023, which authorised gun dealer Luke Hadeed to bring in the weapons, was leaked to the media on February 5.

It showed the Customs and Excise Division approved the importation on October 20, 2023. The weapons were confiscated from Customs before they were delivered to the SSA, police said.

Under the Firearms Act, the CoP has the sole authority to approve import permits for guns as well as approve firearm user’s licences (FULs). Harewood-Christopher had been ultra-conservative in signing FULs since her appointment in February 2022, and had been taken to court by several applicants for failing to approve gun licences.

Her appointment came after several investigations under the tenure of former CoP Gary Griffith, from August 2018-August 2021, into approvals of gun licences.

SSA upheaval in 2024

The investigation, the officer said, is part of a wider probe into claims made public by the Prime Minister that SSA operatives, under Best’s leadership, were involved in a plot to overthrow the government, and linked the the alleged criminal conspiracy to the hiring of several members of the Jerusalem Bride Church of Malabar, of which Best was reportedly a member. Before being fired, Best had been suspended on March 2, 2024, and several SSA officials terminated after retired Brig Gen Anthony Phillips-Spencer, ambassador to the US, was recalled to act as director of the spy agency.

Best and three other people were arrested in May 2024 for transferring prohibited weapons which had been lent to the SSA by the now defunct Special Operations Response Team.

The three others were charged, but Best was released after police consulted with Gaspard.