Company calls in former British Intelligence officers

TWO FORMER British Intelligence officers have arrived in the country and are assisting the Fraud Squad with their probe into the August 29 attempt to process unapproved wire transfers totalling $4.7 million from the Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT), sources said yesterday.

They are also said to be assisting local police with another Fraud Squad probe involving TSTT, which is reported to have been swindled of US$4.2 million (TT$27 million) in December last year through illegal wire transfers which bore what appeared to be bonafide signatures of TSTT executive members. Top ranking officials told Newsday that the two former British Intelligence officers arrived on August 30, the day after TSTT called in the Fraud Squad when the second of the wire transfer incidents occurred. Sources also said the former British Intelligence officers, who once worked for the London Integrated Security Services (ISS) are likely to be here until the investigations are over. They were called in by TSTT. TSTT’s Corporate Communications Manager, Rae Ann Harper-Walters, confirmed yesterday that they were the ones who brought in the ex-British Intelligence officers. It is not that the telephone company is dissatisfied with the work of the local police, Harper-Walters said.  “Oh no, no. They (British Intelligence officers and local police) are all working together,” she said.

Harper-Walters told Newsday that she could not comment further on the wire transfer matters since it is now engaging the attention of the courts. TSTT is reported to have sued Scotiabank for some $27 million for alleged illegal payouts made to a dummy corporation in the former Soviet Republic of Latvia. Sources told Newsday that the two former intelligence officers are expected to lend their expertise to both investigations, which are now being vigorously pursued by the Fraud Squad department, whose Head is Sr Supt Wellington Virgil. They have been at the Fraud Squad department every day since their visit, sources said. Up to late evening, no arrests had been made with respect to either of the investigations, but police sources said the Fraud Squad had detained a messenger in connection with one of the wire transfer reports. However, sources said the individual was subsequently released.  Several people have been interrogated thus far during the investigations. After the December incident, sources said TSTT beefed up its security systems and were able to pick up on the second scheme on August 29, thereby blocking three illegal wire transfers totalling US$741,000 (TT$4.7) million. On that same day, the telephone company called in the Fraud Squad to investigate the attempt to process the illegal wire transfers through its bankers. The illegal transfers were discovered by personnel in the company’s Finance Department, but TSTT said in a statement last Wednesday that the transfers were stopped before they could have been executed.