00:00Deputy Commissioner of Police Suzette Martin remains, at this time, the Head of Intelligence
00:05and Investigations at the TTPS and the point person in its investigation surrounding suspended
00:11Commissioner of Police Erla Harewood-Christopher.
00:14This was confirmed this afternoon by Acting Police Commissioner Junior Benjamin during
00:18a press briefing held at the Police Administration Building in Port of Spain.
00:23The matter is still under DCP INX, so very much DCP Martin is still very much a point
00:29person in relation to this matter.
00:31At the time, the Acting Police Commissioner was responding to questions posed to him regarding
00:36stories which were published in various media outlets this weekend, including the Trinidad
00:42Express, in which allegations were made that a senior officer in 2023 attempted to pervert
00:48the course of justice.
00:50A story was also published that an officer involved in Harewood-Christopher's investigation
00:55may have been transferred.
00:56Benjamin did not confirm nor deny that an officer had been transferred, but that he
01:01did not have all the information at the time of the briefing.
01:20Acting DCP Kurt Simon said he was surprised upon seeing the article published in the Sunday
01:30Express surrounding the senior officer because, in his mind, the matter had been dealt with.
01:36Immediately when I saw the article, I knew that I was very much aware of that situation
01:42and the contents.
01:44And in my mind, that matter was dealt with.
01:48He says he recalls sending the report to two senior legal officers in the TTPS and that
01:54the advice had come back that more evidence was needed.
01:59And the advice, advising that the matter may need some more beefsteak, some more meat
02:10as you would call it, just needed some more beef, to say that this is something that we
02:15should be looking into.
02:17He noted that he had advised the officer who had made the report of the advice of the legal
02:22officers and as such, the evidence that was suggested, which would have been needed for
02:28an official investigation to be launched.
02:31He did acknowledge a receipt of my correspondence and asked for some more time that I had given
02:37him to produce the evidence.
02:41That evidence production did not and has not materialized since that time.
02:48And the matter rested there for that time, awaiting that evidence that would push anything
02:54forward.
02:55However, with the publication of the story, he said that the executives of the TTPS would
03:00be holding discussions on the issue.
03:03Alexander Broussois, TV6 News.
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