Claiming that Commodore Davy Rolle is victimizing him, a senior Defence Force officer says he was ordered to stay away from the Coral Harbour Base after he gave damaging testimony in the Lorequin Commission of Inquiry late last month.
He reportedly plans to sue the Commodore over the matter.
On April 26, Staff Security and Intelligence Officer Lieutenant Commander Edison Rolle told the Commission of Inquiry investigating drugs that went missing 12 years ago, that the Defence Force is ﾓcorrupt and contaminated.ﾔ
He went on to say that many officers believe that in order to be promoted one has to be corrupt.
In a written statement to Lead Counsel Dennis Morrison dated May 1, Mr. Rolle claims that the Commodore tried to force him on vacation leave and when he inquired about it, he told him, ﾓI want you to go on leave and donﾴt come back to base until the commission is over.ﾔ
Mr. Rolle added, ﾓHe also asked me for the keys to my office, which I gave him, but refused to give him the combination to the iron safe where confidential files are kept.ﾔ
He went on to say that Commodore Rolle told him, ﾓI do not want you in the office, you can take the month of May off and attend the Commission of Inquiry and after that you can go on vacation.ﾔ
Mr. Rolle, the intelligence officer, added, ﾓI became very suspicious and espionage was definitely planned, because this is the first time that Commodore Rolle had ever asked me for keys to my office and filing Cabinet. I suspected that he wanted to remove or destroy files.
ﾓI said to Commodore Rolle ﾑSir, I have not committed a criminal offence and I am not interdicted for any crime that should prevent me from entering HMBS Coral Harbour Base.ﾔ
He said the Commodore repeated his order for him to take May off.
ﾓHe gave me the vacation form to fill in and sign for vacation starting June 1st. I filled it in and signed for 54 days,ﾔ he stated. ﾓOn Friday 30 April, 2004 at 12:20 p.m. a member from the Intelligence Department called me by telephone and said that Commodore Rolle came to the Intelligence Department and took the remaining keys for my office and searched my desk looking for reports.ﾔ
Mr. Rolle was reportedly ﾓshockedﾔ at the decision.
According to a source, Mr. Rolle feels he has been victimized and that the suspension is unlawful.
ﾓYou canﾴt speak out against Davy,ﾔ said the source. ﾓHe believes Rolle supplied the commission with too much information.ﾔ
The commission that began in March is expected to last three to four months.
This matter is the latest turn of events in the bombshells emanating from the commission, which was appointed by the government to investigate the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of packages of cocaine following a seizure by HMBS Inagua crew on June 20, 1992.
Although Mr. Rolle said during his testimony that he welcomes the commission, he added that he is ﾓdisappointedﾔ that the commission is dealing with the Lorequin incident in isolation.
ﾓI think the commission should have been mandated to deal with the whole Defence Force,ﾔ he said. ﾓThe reason I say that is because to deal with one matter still means that contamination will still remain.ﾔ
While testifying, Mr. Rolle went on to say that he doesnﾴt feel he is able to function properly as Staff Intelligence Officer because of ﾓrestrictions imposed by the present command.ﾔ
Opposition Leader Alvin Smith brought the suspension to the attention of parliamentarians on Thursday. Mr. Smith was seeking information on the matter from the Minister of National Security Cynthia Pratt.
ﾓIt is my understanding that he was suspended and that he was requested not only to leave the property, but to turn in keys to his office; his office I understand which contains very, very confidential information,ﾔ Mr. Smith said.
Minister Pratt told Mr. Smith that the sensitive matter is being investigated.
ﾓI believe that we all know that thereﾴs a commission of inquiry taking place right now,ﾔ she reminded. ﾓThere is a report being made about the matter involving Officer Rolle. I would be more than happy to discuss it off camera because itﾴs very delicate,ﾔ Minister Pratt said.
She refused to confirm or deny whether Mr. Rolle was suspended.
Mr. Rolle joined the Defence Force in 1980. The former police officer started out as a Marine Seaman and worked himself up to Staff Intelligence Officer within five years. He has held the post for the past 19 years.
He was at the commission Thursday.
During those proceedings, both Detective Constable Mario Murphy and Acting Assistant Superintendent Basil Collie defended the policeﾴs handling of the drugs in question.
The police were in possession of the drugs between the Coral Harbour base and the drug storage room, Oakes Field.
Mr. Morrison questioned Mr. Collie about reports that police left the base ﾓlike bats out of hell.ﾔ Mr. Collie said the convoy of four vehicles made no diversions.
ﾓNot so,ﾔ he said, ﾓas safely and as quickly, but not like bats out of hell. Definitely not.ﾔ
Mr. Murphy added that the assertion of the police speeding to the drug storage was ﾓnonsense.ﾔ
He said there was no excess speed by the convoy that took between 25 to 30 minutes to arrive at the drug storage room.
Asked by Attorney Wayne Munroe whether officers were on the lookout for an ambush, Mr. Murphy said safety was a major concern in the transfer of the drugs.
Mr. Collie added that nothing untoward occurred between the base and the drug storage room.
Mr. Murphy said they drove from the base ﾓsafely and as quickly as possible.ﾔ
Hadassah Hall, The Bahama Journal
