By Sue-Ann Wayow
STARTLING revelations have been made allegedly involving Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, Commissioner of Police Erla Christopher, attorney Gilbert Peterson, SC, and other high-ranking persons in relation to the Tobago House of Assembly (THA).
They come from Chief Secretary of THA Farley Augustine in a statement during a special plenary sitting of the THA executive on Wednesday.
He said it was an urgent matter that could not wait and dealt specifically with reports of THA employees’ homes being raided and searched by members of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) over the weekend claiming political influence from the People’s National Movement (PNM).
Political influence in the police service, Augustine said, “forces prospective leaders to kiss the royal behinds of the sitting prime minister.”
At the beginning of his address, he alleged, “We have had public promises of collaboration while in the dark they quietly plot and execute plans to disrupt and destroy the government and its institutions in Tobago.”
According to a whistleblower and a former political colleague from the Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP), PNM high-ranking members paid him to discredit the THA led by Augustine which was won under a PDP banner.
Augustine said he opted the only place he felt safe speaking about those serious matters and will be writing to international agencies including CARICOM and the United Nations on the matter.
The chief secretary said he would also be pressing for an independent enquiry that did not involve those implicated.
Augustine said he has also given directives to his attorneys that letters be written to the Commissioner of Police, Police Complaints Authority (PCA), the President, the Director of Public Prosecutions and any other agency responsible for justice.
The issue Augustine addressed was tied in mainly to the leaked audio tape shared on social media in which the discussion was held concerning political propaganda as well as an audit conducted by the THA.
He showed four photos of the search warrants executed over the weekend.
Eight short videos that were recorded by him were also shown, with Augustine admitting that it was done without the individual’s knowledge.
The showing of the videos and photos were pre-approved by THA presiding officer Abby Taylor.
“I again checked with lawyers and there was nothing illegal in those actions,” Augustine said.
He said in bringing the matter to the house, he was hoping that it will force honesty and independent enquiry.
The showing of the videos were initially objected to by PNM Minority Leader Kelvon Morris and during its showings had more than one objection.
PDP political leader Watson Duke also objected to the videos.
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Augustine admitted that earlier this month, the whistleblower kept trying to meet with him saying that he had information in relation to the leaked audio tape.
He blanked him on several occasions but Augustine eventually met with him on July 7.
He said startling revelations were made in the first meeting that lasted almost an hour which at first he chose not to believe.
Another meeting was held on July 12.
“I did due diligence and now the matters that I am about to raise is before any court in the land and therefore is very much permissible in this House,” Augustine said.
In one of the recordings, the whistleblower allegedly confessed, “I behaved irresponsibly, irrational and I am now trying to correct the wrong that was done.”
He continued, “They (PNM) are trying to get me to go to Trinidad to do that final thing. They call it a statutory declaration by JP. Now whether you are found guilty or not, that is not the objective. They want to embarrass you nationally and other THA officials, drag this thing in court up until and even beyond the next THA elections from now until then.”
In another video clip he told Augustine, “I am the key to sending you to a lifetime of embarrassment.”
A payment, a total of $270,000 was being done in $10,000 tranches he alleges by PNM persons as well as an additional payment of $60,000 which he said was now owed back to them because he did not complete the tasks.
“I took the money and did what I had to do with it, ” the whistleblower said.
After the first meeting, Augustine said he offered him forgiveness and advice to see a lawyer.
In the second meeting, the whistleblower claimed to have met with Dr Rowley twice in Tobago, carried to the meeting by former THA chief secretary Ancil Dennis and alleged that there was a network involving Harewood-Christopher who gets directives from Dr Rowley.
The network is to gain information to be used against the THA executive.
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Augustine said, “It is worrying that so-called independent public officers can be courted to be part of a network, a network to target and destroy political opponents.”
That last video clip was the most worrisome and warranted a criminal investigation.
He emphasised that the information was brought to him even before searches were carried out at the homes.
“It was only after seeing the warrants that I began to believe there must be some truth to what the gentleman was saying,” Augustine said.
As he ended his address, he read from parts of the drafted letter to be sent to the Commissioner of Police and others.
