Proposed local CIA is a dangerous development - Corbin

Proposed local CIA is a dangerous development – Corbin

Feb 12, 2010 News

Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform, Robert Corbin, yesterday told media operatives that the setting up of a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) by the State must arouse suspicion and serious concern not only on the part of the party, but of all Guyanese.
Corbin said that while much information is not currently available on the proposed CIA, “it is a dangerous development.”
He referred to it as a mind-boggling exercise which is engaging the attention of the party at the moment, in relation to what are the precise functions, “this Central Intelligence Agency will be carrying out…is it a Gestapo body.”
He was referring to the secret state police in Nazi Germany, known for its terrorist methods.
The notorious Gestapo operated without any legal restrictions. They were authorized to make arrests without any legal restraints. They also were authorized to use torture and even execute those arrested without trial. Many arrested by the Gestapo simply disappeared in concentration camps.
According to Corbin, the establishment of the local CIA is inconceivable given the fact that, “we have security forces in Guyana under the law and the constitution that are tasked with the security of the nation, preserving and promoting law and order.”
He said that the Guyana Police Force is adequately equipped to run its own intelligence service, “they have a special branch as happens in all police forces.”
He drew reference also to the Criminal Investigation Department, which “performs certain specialised duties in terms of criminal intelligence in order for them to intercept crime.”
The PNCR Leader also pointed to, “the military intelligence already in existence albeit it was dismembered by the PPP when it was discovered that the military intelligence was doing their job and they intercepted Roger Khan with the laptop and the vehicle with special weapons and they disbanded the military intelligence unit – a political intelligence unit in the Guyana Defence Force now masquerading as a military intelligence unit.”
“ With all these intelligence units in existence and the already special intelligence unit functioning out of Ogle that reports directly to Dr Roger Luncheon one wonders what this new CIA will be doing,” Corbin asked.
The revelation of the establishment of a local CIA was disclosed by Head of the Presidential Secretariat and Cabinet Secretary Dr. Roger Luncheon recently at a press briefing. According to Luncheon, the agency would be responsible for “the intelligence of the administration.” He confirmed that the technical aspects of wiretapping legislation would not be administered at the agency, but elsewhere.
Dr. Luncheon stated that the setting up of the new agency is not intended to close the intelligence units of agencies such as the Police, Army, Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit, the Guyana Energy Agency or the Guyana Revenue Authority.
“They would preserve their intelligence work and resources,” he stated.
He said what the government intelligence agency would do is pool all of those resources together, assume oversight and act as a body “coordinating the collection and use of that information.”
Dr. Luncheon could not say who would be in charge of the intelligence agency, but speculated that it could be either the Office of the President or the Ministry of Home Affairs. A decision has not been made on who would manage the agency, noting that that is not as important as what the agency is intended to do.
Dr Luncheon is the current chair of the Central Intelligence Committee, and he suggested that the work of that Committee may have a lesser role to play or could have its work reconfigured in the operation of the new intelligence agency.

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Proposed local CIA is a dangerous development – Corbin

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