Brathwaite: Senior officers were wary of tapped phones

ATTORNEY general and Minister of Home Affairs, Adriel Brathwaite says, while on the campaign trail for the 2008 election, senior police officers with whom he came into contact were wary of persons listening in on their telephone conversations.

Weighing in on the contentious debate which has led to former Commissioner of Police Darwin Dottin and former Prime Minister of Barbados Owen Arthur speaking out to clear the air on the reports of wiretapping in Barbados, Brathwaite said, “When I was up and down Barbados canvassing, there is no senior member of the RBPF who would have a conversation with you with your telephone near, or with a battery in your telephone. None whatsoever.”

“So they obviously knew something that I did not at the time, and you didn’t know… but Dottin knew. So if the senior police officers were not confident speaking to you with your telephone on, or near a telephone. Guys came and took the batteries out and said ‘we can talk now’.”
“I am telling you that this is a fact,” he exhorted. “And if they were unhappy… if they were concerned; then therefore, there is no red herring here.”

Brathwaite said while Opposition Leader Mia Mottley referred to the issue of wiretapping as a red herring which “allegedly happened in 2006”, he told the party faithful that the year in question was never mentioned.

“I would ask whoever was AG at the time in 2006, whether or not he gave the instruction for the illegal tapping of the telephones of ordinary men and women in this country who are not involved in illegal activity. Because if Mia didn’t know… then the only other person who would have known had to be the AG at the time and Mia has pointed us to 2006,” he maintained.

He therefore called on the top cop to explain why officers who were under his command did not feel comfortable speaking on their telephones.

The attorney general maintains that one of two persons would have had to have given the former top cop instructions to tap phones. (JH)