Former national security minister Gary Griffith says it is unfortunate that sensitive information involving police investigations has found its way on the political platform.
He said so yesterday when asked to respond to claims that conversations at the DPP’s office were being monitored by laser spying equipment, adding that Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley’s comments were “accurate.”
The issue again resurfaced when Rowley raised it during a PNM meeting in Malabar last Thursday.
Rowley had said the police discovered a sophisticated laser spying device at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
But his statement had contradicted that of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar who told Parliament last Wednesday that no spying devices had ever been found at the DPP’s office.
She dismissed the contents of the e-mails read by Rowley in May 2013, which referred to spying on the DPP’s office, among other criminal acts in the Emailgate affair.
Asked about that yesterday Griffith said both political leaders were correct in their comments.
He said when he took over the National Security Ministry from Emmanuel George the file was passed on to him.
On examining the contents he said no “bugging device” was actually discovered.
But Griffith added that Rowley was also accurate in statements.
“There was infrared radiation found which the police could not verify whether or not it was in line of sight from the conference room,” Griffith said.
However, Griffith said there was the possibility that sensitive conversations and matters being discussed with the DPP could have been intercepted.
The T&T Guardian had exclusively reported on May 24, 2013, that a sophisticated laser spying device was discovered in Gaspard’s office at the height of the Section 34 controversy.
T&T Guardian investigations had revealed the device was detected in November 2012 inside the conference room of the DPP’s office at the Winsure Building, Richmond Street, Port-of-Spain.
“This is a prima facie case where the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions was subject to somebody’s interest and all of that was happening when the DPP was handling the matter of businessmen Ishwar Galbaransingh and Steve Ferguson.
‘They wanted to know what the DPP was doing with his staff and decisions he was making,” Rowley had said during the meeting.
He also accused Persad-Bissessar of misleading T&T when she said no bugging devices were found.