Former Trinidadian Prime Minister Keith Rowley reported to the nation on Monday how he was humiliated in Antigua a week ago after he was detained for secondary questioning because his name was on the list of a global policing system.
Rowley, 75, called reporters to his private home to detail how he was twice flagged as a criminal suspect while traveling to and from neighboring Montserrat, where he was attempting to resume research work as a volcano expert after retiring a few months ago.
After being questioned and interviewed by a supervisor, Rowley said he was eventually told that his detention was a mistake because his birth date was similar to someone on an international watch list.
He said he eventually learned, through contacts back home, that he had been placed on the watch list of Interpol, the France-based global policing watchdog. He blamed this development squarely on officials in the current Kamla Persad Bissessar administration.
“This is not just a mistake; it is a deliberate, calculated attempt to tarnish my name on an international stage. It is state-sponsored slander. How did I get on Interpol’s list? And it is crystal clear to me that my name could only have gone to Interpol from an entity or entities in Trinidad and Tobago.” He argued that the local police chief is the representative of Interpol in Trinidad and therefore Commissioner Allister Guevarro must have known about this development. “I call this development nothing more than a dastardly defamation fabricated, constructed, and executed by the government agencies of Trinidad and Tobago, led by a government which seems to be more interested in retribution, hate, spite, and divisiveness. And such a government will put a stain on Trinidad and Tobago. Only such a government will put this stain on Trinidad and Tobago.”
And while Rowley was briefing reporters, the police high command was making international phone calls and searching databases to conclusively assure Rowley that his name had not been placed on any Interpol list by any official in Trinidad whatsoever. Incumbent PM Persad Bissessar had even suggested that the former head of government should apologize for making false allegations.
“In light of these assertions, the TTPS, through its Interpol bureau, promptly initiated a review of internal systems. Comprehensive checks were conducted across Interpol’s secure databases, which yielded a definitive result: Dr. Rowley is not listed on any Interpol watch list or international notice. No alerts, flags, or warrants are associated with his name in Interpol’s systems. Moreover, the TTPS confirms that it has not submitted, nor caused to be submitted, any information to Interpol that would justify such a listing. There is no record, directive, or procedural action from any department within the TTPS that supports the allegation of local involvement in the matter,” the police service stated.