FORMER commissioner of police Gary Griffith on July 4 scoffed at the Prime Minister's claim of Strategic Services Agency (SSA) members planning a coup against the Government.

Dr Rowley, head of the National Security Council (NSC), had read a statement in the House of Representatives on July 3 based on the findings of a probe into the spy agency by Brig Gen Anthony Phillips-Spencer.

He said the audit found the SSA was being run under the influence of a religious cult comprising highly-trained military operators, armed to the teeth with the latest weaponry, on a treasonous mission to overthrow the Government.

The SSA is authorised to intercept communications, phone calls, WhatsApp, e-mails and other modes after obtaining court orders under the Interception of Communication Act. It was first established in 1995 primarily "to guide the formulation and implementation of national policies on illicit trafficking of dangerous drugs and related criminal activities."

The role and function were expanded in 2016, under the PNM, "to act as an office for centralising information that could facilitate the detection and prevention of serious crime, for co-ordinating operations for the suppression of serious crime and for co-operating with the services or the corresponding services of other countries."

On July 3, the PM had said individuals in the SSA had bought 100 guns and 100,000 bullets, of which 70,000 now remained unaccounted for. He also alleged a diversion of police firearms to the SSA. Rowley had said the SSA had neither the budget nor authorisation to buy firearms and asked why the acquisition was made.

Griffith served as CoP from August 18, 2018 to August 17, 2021.

In a telephone interview on July 4 on Radio 95.5 FM with hosts Tony Lee and Dale Enoch, Griffith seemed bemused by Rowley's narrative and distanced himself from it.

"The Prime Minister is gearing up for an election," Griffith said.

He said the ministry would be clueless if it did not know about a coup happening under its nose.

"This is a red herring, expecting that Gary Griffith was involved. I have nothing to do with it, as you would have seen, based on all the reports.

"If you are stating these individuals are in a Jim Jones cult, call their names and call their names outside of Parliament.

"You have eight persons who belong to an organisation, out of 400 employees and you turn that into a 'cult.'"

He said Rowley should not discredit nor demonise individuals for being god-fearing.

"If you are stating that, go out on your political platforms and say they are involved in cult behaviour.

"State the names of the persons who are involved in terrorist activities. State the names of the persons who were involved in forming a plot to destabilise and overthrow the Government."

Saying this was an allegation of a mutiny or a coup, he marvelled that not one person was arrested.

"That is madness. How could a Prime Minister tell a country that there was a virtual coup to overthrow the Government and no one has been arrested?"

Hinds: G

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