Ex-cop admits: Holding a bank job while in Police Service

A FORMER policeman said yesterday he did not get the permission of either the Commissioner of Police or the Police Service Commission to take up another job while he was still earning a salary in the Police Service. Under cross-examination by Gillian Lucky, Evans Small said he applied for the job of Manager of Investigations at Scotiabank. He said he was aware that the bank was looking for someone and he applied in writing. English Queen’s Counsel Edward Jenkins, a member of the prosecution team, intervened, “How is this important to this case? This is a fishing expedition.” Lucky responded, “This is not a fishing expedition. This witness was working in both jobs at the same time.

He was working in the bank and the Police Service at the same time, without the permission of the Commissioner of Police and the Police Service Commission. This goes to the credibility of the witness.” After the objection was overruled, Lucky continued, “Did someone recommend you for this job?” Small believed someone did, but he could not say who. The witness did admit that when he started at Scotiabank, he was still attached to the Anti-Corruption Investigations Bureau (ACIB). Small said he was on leave from the Police Service when he started at the bank in November 2003. He could not say when he resigned from the Police Service, but he believed his last salary payment was March 2004.

LUCKY: Did you write a letter saying you resigned, that you were no longer working at the Anti-Corruption Investigations Bureau?
SMALL: No, I did not write any letter, but I did give oral notice to members of the unit.
LUCKY: Did you go and say bye bye, bye bye, bye bye?
SMALL: No.
Small said he dropped his letter of resignation for the sentry at the Bureau.
LUCKY: Did you have bad memories at the Bureau? Was it something you wanted to forget?
SMALL: No.
LUCKY: Whom did you address the letter - the Attorney General, the Prime Minister Mr Patrick Manning? Your letter of resignation effected what date?
SMALL: There is no date.
LUCKY: Did you have permission from anyone to have two jobs simultaneously?
SMALL: I did not feel it necessary to inform any senior person of holding two jobs.
The issue of pocket diaries arose again. This time, Small said he could not find his diary which would have had notes of his involvement in the Piarco inquiry. He said the last place he remembered leaving his pocket diary was in his desk at the ACIB.
He said he checked on Tuesday afternoon and again yesterday morning, but could not find it. “When the drawer was opened this morning, there were documents belonging to acting Corporal Burnett, but not my diary.
LUCKY: Do you know if it was stolen?
SMALL: I don’t know if it was stolen. It is missing. I did not give anyone consent to take my diaries.
LUCKY: Is there going to be a Commission of Inquiry into your diaries? I am very serious.
SMALL: Not to my knowledge.

Jenkins questioned the line of cross-examination, saying “This is not the floor of Parliament.” “I am concerned at this stage about the irrelevant cross-examination. We are into day two and I would need justification of what is going on. I am waiting to hear something like this witness planted an exhibit, lost an exhibit, this is not the floor of Parliament. This is a court of law. They have been running for an extensive period of time. This is running out of control. It is unfair to the defendants who are spending a lot of money.” Lucky replied, “In Parliament, there is a specified time for someone to speak. I am not trespassing on any areas. I am not going to compromise my client. This witness was working at Scotiabank and going to the Anti Corruption Investigations Bureau to speak to Mr Piggott. There is the issue of the missing pocket diaries. I hope that Mr Jenkins has no other schedule, but we spend a lot of time in these courts with our Caribbean stamina.”

Hearing continues this morning. Eight persons and three companies are charged with a total of 21 offences relating to the new Terminal Development Project at Piarco Airport. They are Brian Kuei Tung and Russell Huggins, former government ministers; Ish Galbaransingh, CEO of Northern Construction Limited (NCL); Amrith Maharaj, financial comptroller of NCL; John Henry Smith, CEO of Maritime General Insurance Company; Steve Ferguson, chairman of Maritime Group of Companies; Barbara Gomes, company secretary; businesswoman Renee Pierre; Maritime General Insurance Company, NCL, and Fidelity Insurance and Leasing Company Limited.