SELF-proclaimed spy, pastor Ian Brown is among three people granted $500,000 bail each on Tuesday for misbehaviour in public office arising out of an investigation in the Strategic Services Agency (SSA).
Brown along with Sgt Sherwin Waldron and Susan Portell-Griffith were all charged with misbehaviour in public office.
The trio will reappear before Master Shabaana Shah on June 27. Part of their bail conditions is that they have to report to a police station every other Saturday.
A release from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) on Tuesday stated:
- Sgt Sherwin Waldron, was charged with misbehaviour in public office to wit, transferring of prohibited weapon and misbehaviour in public office to wit, transferring of ammunition;
- He was also jointly charged with Susan Portell-Griffith, for misbehaviour in public office to wit the aiding and abetting in the possession of prohibited weapon and misbehaviour in public office to wit the aiding and abetting in the possession of ammunition; and
- Brown, a former SRP officer, was also charged with misbehaviour in public office to wit, possession of prohibited weapons and misbehaviour in public office to wit, possession of ammunition.
The release stated that it is alleged that in April 2021, an officer prepared a correspondence bearing the Special Operations Response Team (SORT) letterhead, stating that he had the authorisation to reassign of a quantity of firearms and ammunition from SORT to the Guard Unit at the Special Services Agency (SSA).
The firearms and ammunition in question had been previously issued to SORTin December 2018 and recorded in their official documentation.
It is further alleged that the firearms and ammunition were later handed over to an SSA official, but were never handed over to the Guard Unit at the SSA.
An audit was subsequently conducted of the firearms and ammunition issued to the SSA and the firearms and ammunition were never accounted for or located.
A team of investigators from elite units in the TTPS, under the guidance of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, “Intelligence and Investigations” Suzette Martin, together with Legal Officer, Zaheer Ali, conducted enquiries into several reports of misbehaviour in public office arising out of the audit.
On Monday, the team of officers received advice from Director of Public Prosecutions, Roger Gaspard, SC, to lay charges against three persons in relation to the matter.
Later that day, Sgt Waldron and Portell-Griffith, were both arrested and charged with the offences while Brown was held shortly after and also charged.
Brown was a SRP but had his appointment revoked after an investigation into the SSA started.
Head of the SSA retired Major Roger Best, who was sent on administrative leave and then fired over the weekend, was among a few SSA officers held for questioning, but he was released.
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