Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has confirmed that national security concerns were behind Commissioner of Police Allister Guevarro’s recent emergency leave but has declined to disclose what those concerns were, even as questions continue over his sudden departure from the country during the ongoing State of Emergency.
Responding to questions from Guardian Media via WhatsApp about why Guevarro applied for emergency leave if he had been engaged in what was described as “official business,” the Prime Minister said: “Confidential national security matters cannot be disclosed to the public.”
Persad-Bissessar also reiterated her support for the Commissioner.
“I have full confidence in CoP Guevarro,” she said.
Addressing concerns about whether proper procedures were followed, she added: “Yes, the CoP followed all protocol.”
The Prime Minister also dismissed criticism surrounding Guevarro’s absence from the country during the State of Emergency.
“That’s not objective criticism. That’s biased opinions from the same people you have been interviewing for the last 20 years who no one takes seriously,” she said.
Following his return to Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday, Guevarro said information relayed by the country’s top intelligence agencies prompted his sudden departure last week.
While the exact date of his departure has not been confirmed, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Administration) Junior Benjamin was designated to lead the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) from August 13 to 19.
In a voice note issued on Wednesday, Guevarro maintained he followed all established procedures.
“On the 10th of August, 2026, following information I received from the director of the Strategic Services Agency as well as the head of Special Branch, I applied to the Minister of Homeland Security for five days of emergency leave to travel out of the jurisdiction,” he said.
Guevarro said Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander approved the request and that the correspondence was subsequently forwarded to the Police Service Commission (PolSC).
“I followed the requirements of the established process and I breached no protocols or policies,” he stated.
Guevarro has declined to reveal the purpose of the trip, directing questions instead to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Homeland Security.
He also disclosed that upon returning to the country, he briefed Persad-Bissessar and Alexander.
Former security official questions controversy
As public debate over Guevarro’s trip continues, a former national security official has questioned the level of scrutiny being applied to the matter.
“Why is this an issue? Everybody requests leave at some point in time,” the official said.
The former official argued that excessive attention was being paid to the matter and suggested the circumstances surrounding Guevarro’s departure could have involved personal considerations.
While not ruling out national security concerns, the official speculated that personal or family matters may also have played a role.
“The CoP may have been attending to personal, private matters that might have been linked to family issues, but national security may have also played a part,” he said.
“I believe it is a high-security issue, but only he can say.”
Gonzales continues to demand answers
Meanwhile, People’s National Movement (PNM) chairman and former national security minister Marvin Gonzales has continued to press for answers regarding Guevarro’s trip.
The Arouca/Lopinot MP raised his concerns in a Facebook post yesterday, arguing that the questions being posed to the Government and Guevarro were legitimate.
He said citizens deserved an explanation and expressed hope that Guevarro was “not ascribing sinister political motives as the main reasons for asking legitimate questions.”
Gonzales maintained that questions directed at Persad-Bissessar and Alexander about the Commissioner’s absence and the arrangements made during that period remain unresolved.
He stressed that he was not questioning the competence of TTPS officers but argued that this did not negate the need to follow legal procedures regarding the appointment of an acting Commissioner of Police.
“Trinidad and Tobago is a serious country governed by the rule of law and a written Constitution. It is not a parlour!” Gonzales wrote.
Defending his right to seek answers on behalf of constituents, Gonzales pledged to continue raising difficult questions.
“I don’t care if it makes office holders uncomfortable,” he said.
He also called on the Prime Minister to explain why Parliament was not convened to appoint an acting commissioner and questioned whether Guevarro’s overseas trip was intended to remain secret.
“Was his trip overseas always intended to be a State secret never to be known to the citizens of T&T?” Gonzales asked.
