Some Joint Services members co-opted for national security

Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr. Roger Luncheon said yesterday that government occasionally requires the services of members of the joint services for intelligence gathering, but that no communications interceptions are involved.

Some joint services members provide national security functions, he said, noting that this is in the absence of the National Intelligence Centre. His statements on the issue came as he fielded questions from the media at his weekly post-Cabinet press briefing on recent publications about joint services members being in the employ of the Office of the President and gathering intelligence.

He emphasised that OP, as the Ministry of National Security, would take on matters outside of the specific remit of law enforcement and the military.

According to Luncheon, some strong sentiments were expressed when the name of the joint service officers involved in intelligence gathering were published in a section of the press.