Police Commissioner Erla Christopher and Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley are denying allegations levelled against them by THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine.

This morning at a Special Plenary Sitting of the Assembly, Mr Augustine presented videos recorded secretly as he met with a former PDP colleague.

The whistleblower claimed to have been paid as part of a plot to discredit and embarrass Mr Augustine and others in his executive.

The whistleblower also alleged the involvement of the Prime Minister and the Top Cop, who he claims were in direct contact with each other.

Mr Augustine also presented images of search warrants recently executed at the homes of several THA officials, including his.

He called for an independent investigation of the matter and says he will be writing to international agencies.

He has also instructed his attorneys to write to several local officeholders, including the President, DPP and Police Complaints Authority, advising of the evidence that he has to support the allegations.

THE PRIME MINISTER RESPONDS

In a statement, Dr Keith Rowley insisted that he had “absolutely nothing to do with any of that story or action as described by the Chief Secretary”.

The PM also denied having been in communication with any of the officers involved in the execution of the warrants, or participating in a meeting where he is alleged to have directed the Police Commissioner to take certain action.

The following is his full statement.

At a Special sitting of the Tobago House of Assembly, Chief Secretary Farley Augustine today (July 19, 2023) presented serious allegations against me on the floor of the Assembly.

The Chief Secretary caused to be played into the Assembly’s records, a recording, which he said he secretly made, with one Akil Abdullah, the Membership and Mobilisation Officer of the Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP).

In today’s proceedings it was alleged that I have been in contact with Mr Abdullah and other persons in furtherance of interfering and directing police work.
Let me firmly place on the record the following:

• With respect to Mr Akil Abdullah,
I do not know any person by that name.
I have never met with any such person.
I have never spoken to him (Akil Abdullah) in any form or fashion.
I have never communicated with him in any way.
I had absolutely nothing to do with any of that story or action as described by the Chief Secretary and the said Mr Abdullah.

• Additionally I categorically deny that I know Inspector Weaver- Ali.
I do not know this officer.
I have never met her.
I have never spoken to her.
To the best of my knowledge I have never been in her presence.
I have never been in any meeting of any kind with her, alone or in the presence of any other person, as presented by the Chief Secretary to the Tobago House of Assembly.

• Further I categorically deny that I was in any meeting with persons named as described by the Chief Secretary, that is, Officer Weaver-Ali, Attorney-at-Law Gilbert Peterson and Ancil Dennis.

• I state, without fear of contradiction, that this purported meeting wherein I supposedly directed the Commissioner of Police to take certain action, never occurred. As far as I am concerned it is a pure fanciful fabrication by person/s for their own nefarious purpose.

Prime Minister
Dr the Hon. Keith Rowley

THE POLICE COMMISSIONER DENIES ALLEGATION

The allegations were also denied by Commissioner Erla Christopher during a brief media conference this afternoon.

The Top Cop also insisted that the TTPS will resist any attempts for it to be motivated or intimidated by political considerations.