The recent firing of several Strategic Services Agency (SSA) heads is part of a complete restructuring of the country’s security apparatus, National Security Minister Edmund Dillon said yesterday.
Dillon spoke briefly on the situation after SSA heads—Julie Brown and Kerron Ganpat—were fired.
The T&T Guardian learned that two other SSA officials, including a criminal intelligence official and a technical officer, have also been dismissed.
Brown figured in one of the first furors to hit the past PP administration in 2011 when it was reported she had been responsible for recommending that Reshmi Ramnarine be appointed interim SSA director. Ramnarine was later removed after being found to be underqualified.
At that time, then Opposition Leader (now Prime Minister) Keith Rowley said Brown was compromised by recommending Ramnarine.
Rowley questioned whether Brown had anything to do with the selection of 27 employees at the now defunct Security Intelligence Agency (SIA) who were fired by the then-Government.
He said those 27 workers were some of the most highly trained persons in the SIA. Calling for a probe of the Ramnarine appointment, Rowley claimed Brown “fabricated and embellished the qualifications of Ramnarine, in a conspiracy towards a deliberate end.”
Yesterday, Dillon was mum on whether new SSA replacement heads and officials might include some of the 27 SIA officials who were fired, or members of the past PNM government’s Special Anti Crime Unit, also disbanded by the PP.
Dillon said more information on the situation would be revealed at a year-end media briefing his ministry holds tomorrow at 4pm.
This will deal with various issues in the security sector and will feature the acting Police Commissioner and Defence Force heads alongside Dillon.
Opposition whip Ganga Singh is calling on Dillon to state if the PNM administration will be replacing fired security sector heads with former SAUTT or SIA members.