For months we've been reporting on the case of a senior police officer - and former commander of the Gang Suppression Unit who was suspended after a recorded conversation with a confidential informant suggested that he had compromised a source.
That's one of the most serious ethical violations any police officer - particularly an intelligence specialist - can be accused of.
So this Assistant Superintendent spent close to a year on administrative leave while his case was being reviewed. But, he was recently quietly re-instated to a senior post in charge of personnel.
We pressed the Commissioner for answers today:
Jules Vasquez
"You have made excessive boast about all the police officers you've gotten rid of, but we have not heard anything of Mr. Lorenzo, your good friend, who we now know was placed on interdiction, but then has now re-emerged, has been taken off interdiction and we know that the allegation was a very gross violation of confidentiality for a criminal informant."
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"When it comes to discipline of senior officers and when I say senior officers, I mean from inspector and above, that is not within the purview of the commissioner of police. That falls with the security services commission. As the commissioner of police, I can discipline and dismiss police officers from constable to sergeant. When it comes to senior officers, it goes to the services commission and they are the ones who after having reviewed evidence if there is any, would come to that determination after a trial is conducted. In the case of Mr. Lorenzo, the person in question with whom it was allege that he was speaking to, in fact if it was him, because I'm not a voice expert, did not cooperate with the investigation, she had no interest in giving any statement at all and in the absence of that, the services commission would not be in a position to hear a matter where he is concerned and the services commission again would suspend and having not gotten anything tangible to proceed with a trial, they lifted the interdiction or suspension and so he had to return to duty."
Jules Vasquez
"But in a latter to you, he more or less explained what he was doing. He is a lifetime intelligence officer and he explained the various techniques used and the type of technique that was used in that event. He also reminded you that he is a man who knows all the secrets. Did that letter and what I interpret as a sort of vailed threat in there, did that letter have a bearing on the fact that boy we cant send this man home, we better find a way to bring him back."
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"Everything we had in respect of that matter was sent to the commission for a determination and let me say that if a person gives a statement, the statement given by that person is not sufficient to convict that person for something. And again, things might seem certain way to you and to other people, but when you have an understanding of how the law works, it is not as fancy or as glamourous as you may want to see it as a layman and the services commission certainly act based on law and not based on what people may think or based on assumptions."
Jules Vasquez
"The former prime minister schooled us all in the difference in what we saw as factual guilt and legal guilt. Its a famous shading or an elision and a shading of meaning, but I'm saying that based on the facts as we know them, is someone who did what he did, don't go into the legalistic part, just based on the facts - if somebody who did what he did using a technique that he explained to you in a letter, but if someone did what he did are they fit to be police, sir?"
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"The truth is and you can perhaps check with other persons who are working in intelligence field, there is indeed a technique in gathering intelligence, as you would know I have worked special branch many years as well and there is indeed a technique where in order for you to get more from a source, you may feed the source with certain information and see how the source is going to respond to those information and based on what Mr. Lorenzo as you said which I don't understand how you get a hold of what he wrote, because you ought not to, he explained the process of what may have transpired. Now, as an intelligence officer, I may not have gone as far as he went. I am being truthful and honest; he went a bit too far. But again, like I said it is not a matter for me to determine as the commissioner."
Jules Vasquez
"So does your personal friendship factor at all into him being kept on as a policer officer in a senior post?"
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"Have I not said to you Mr. Vasquez, I am not the one who have control."
Jules Vasquez
"But you have influence, sir."
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"I don't have control, Jules Vasquez and again, if the services commission lift the interdiction and says that the man is to return to work, I have no legal authority to say to the commission, I'm not taking him back at work."
