SIA robbed
By Irene Medina - May 20th 2012 12:00 PM
Spy Chief: Newly appointed Director of the Strategic Service Agency Bisnath Maharaj
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… $2m surveillance equipment stolen, files missing THE country’s leading intelligence gathering agency, the Strategic Intelligence Services’ Arima facility, located at the O’Meara Industrial Estate, was broken into last weekend and all of its records, including surveillance equipment and computers totalling $2 million, were stolen. The stolen equipment is said read more…
… $2m surveillance equipment stolen, files missing
THE country’s leading intelligence gathering agency, the Strategic Intelligence Services’ Arima facility, located at the O’Meara Industrial Estate, was broken into last weekend and all of its records, including surveillance equipment and computers totalling $2 million, were stolen.
The stolen equipment is said to contain highly sensitive and confidential data on a number of intelligence investigations, spanning over a four-year period, that have targeted a number of high crime operatives such as persons involved in narco-trafficking, terrorism activities, human trafficking and other types of crime, including white-collar crime.
Mirror learnt that the break-in occurred over the last weekend, and is being passed off as a random robbery by an unknown petty thief since $15,000 in cash was also stolen from the facility. According to informed sources, the matter was not reported to the police up to press time Friday.
Among the files stolen is a folder which contains records on Works Minister and chairman of the United National Congress, Jack Warner, Mirror has learnt.
Mirror contacted newly appointed Director of the Strategic Services Agency (SSA) Bisnath Maharaj who did not deny the report. Maharaj, a former police officer, turned lawyer told Mirror he was at a meeting and could not speak.
“I really cannot talk now…. Please call me back,” he said before hanging up the phone.
The SSA is a merger between the SIA, the disbanded Special Anti-Crime Unit (SAUTT) and the SSA, and is expected to be replaced by the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) when legislation goes before the Parliament.
Insiders claim that Deputy Director of the SIA Julie Browne and her assistant Carlton Dennie, two whistle blowers, whose actions led, in part, to the re-organising of the spy agency, which had been established under the Patrick Manning-led administration following the 1990 attempted coup on the country’s Parliament by the Jamaat al Muslimeen, have been keeping the break-in hush-hush, in an effort to prevent the information becoming public.
According to one highly credible source, “this is really shameful. A break-in at a highly sensitive facility that is supposed to contain files on a number of surveillance targets, and everybody is passing it off as is it was the work of petty thieves and pipers.”
The source added that the building, which contained such high-tech equipment and sensitive data, was being protected by a watchman.
“Both Browne and Dennie are trying to keep it quiet, but somewhere out there are hundreds of highly classisfied files on surveillance targets out in the public domain…. “This is going to severely compromise this country’s national security,” the source added.
Another well placed security official confirmed that among the items stolen were three laptops, desktop computers, cameras, and other surveillance items, which could now find themselves in the hands of the highest bidder.
Mirror learnt that the SIA Arima facility was acquired about four years ago, under the PNM administration and was used as a warehouse to store and carry out maintenance works on vehicles which were being used for surveillance purposes. The building was also outfitted with a handful of technicians and millions of dollars worth of specialised spyware to monitor the activities of known criminals and other persons of interests including politicians.
In fact one informed source said that it became necessary for the Intelligence Agency to have a fleet of vehicles under its control, instead of using the services of auto rental shops, whose number plates became known to bandits and criminals and who would in turn target these businesses unfairly.
“The decision was taken to acquire a property where these vehicles could be housed, maintained and distributed to which ever government agency required their use.
“The property was well secured, complete with indoor and outdoor cameras, which made it very difficult for anyone, whether piper or criminals or other operatives, who had an interest in getting the information into their hands,” the source said.
He further explained that the data acquired focused on surveillance targets which were organised in four categories, namely – Counter Narcotics; Counter Terrorism; Human Trafficking and Human Crime.
He added that there was also a counter intelligence section which focused on politicians, activities considered subversive.
