ARTHUR BARRINGTON’S time as the director of the Strategic Services Agency (SSA) has been short-lived, as his appointment was revoked by President Christine Kangaloo effective May 9.

A news release from the Office of the Attorney General on May 10 said he was fired based on advice from the Cabinet.

The government has appointed retired major Roger McLean as the new director. He was one of the deputy directors of the SSA.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar held her first Cabinet meeting at the Red House in Port of Spain on May 8.

The SSA, formed in 1995 is authorised to intercept communications, including phone calls, WhatsApp messages and e-mails, after obtaining court orders under the Interception of Communications Act.

Initially, the agency’s focus was on guiding national policies to combat illicit trafficking of dangerous drugs and related criminal activities.

Former prime minister Stuart Young announced Barrington as the new SSA head on March 20.

His appointment became effective on April 1 and lasted 39 days.

Barrington was a former head of the Police Service’s Special Branch. Young said Barrington was brought in to bring stability to the agency, citing his extensive experience in policing and intelligence.

The SSA director position has been one of much controversy over the years.

Former head Roger Best was placed on immediate administrative leave by former national security minister Fitzgerald Hinds on March 2, 2024.

Then-prime minister Dr Keith Rowley, as head of the NSC, cited an impending threat to national security as the reason for this decision.

In a statement to Parliament on July 3 – according to a Newsday report dated July 4 – the PM revealed for the first time details of an audit, which painted “an alarming state of affairs” at the SSA that went undetected for years under the PNM administration.

In a later statement, Rowley claimed state agencies had become one with criminal elements. On July 3, he said the audit found the agency was being run under the influence of a religious cult comprising highly-trained military operators on a treasonous mission to overthrow the Government.

In an interview with Newsday, Best insisted he was not an enemy of the State. He also said he believed his dismissal stemmed from his “resistance to political influence.”

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