World whistle-blower website WikiLeaks has suggested there was “internal corruption” in the Barbados Coast Guard (BCG), and that a new commander was drafted in two years ago to “clean house”.
According to a WikiLeaks December 2009 confidential document purported to originate from the United States Embassy in Barbados, the commanding officer of the Coast Guard, Commander Sean Reece (then Lieutenant Commander) had confirmed, in a meeting with then Charge d’Affaires Dr Brent Hardt, that he had been brought in to “weed out internal corruption” within the maritime arm of the Barbados Defence Force.
The document added that, in Reece’s effort to identify and isolate potentially corrupt officers and seamen, he had mandated all officers to pass a polygraph examination, and some officers had been moved to non-sensitive slots because of their polygraph results.
But Reece told the MIDWEEK NATION yesterday that while he had in fact had an informal discussion with Hardt after a tour of the new embassy building in Wildey, he informed Hardt that he had been offered and had accepted the command post despite his infantry background in the Regiment because the former Coast Guard commander, had served his time and had been given a new appointment while the next officer in line was somewhat junior.
Adding that the matter of corruption was raised, Reece said: “There were some rumours floating about then. I indicated that I intended to ensure that BCG operated as an efficient and professional organization, that the majority of BCG personnel were dedicated and committed to the service, and that I would weed out any corruption that I found.”
He also recalled agreeing with Hardt “that no military forces, whether Barbadian or American, were immune to corruption, and that sometimes there were stories of corruption in other agencies like the police or customs”.
On the matter of polygraphing, the commander admitted that “one or two junior persons who had unsatisfactory results had been moved from sensitive positions”.
In the WikiLeaks report, Hardt noted that Reece had “defended the Coast Guard, noting that there were corruption issues in both the Police Force and Customs, as well as a need among Barbadian agencies to share information and coordinate more closely”.
The document, mentioning national concerns about corruption which “the Prime Minister had even expressed publicly”, added that such concerns had limited the ability of United States law enforcement agencies to work as closely as they would have liked with the Coast Guard.
WikiLeaks also reported that the former charge d’affaires commended Reece’s strong support for expanded regional cooperation and emphasis on training.
“Commander Reece is a key supporter of US objectives in the region, a close ally, and an effective military leader. He comes from the land forces of the BDF, and was brought in to the Coast Guard with the specific goal of cleaning house. Embassy agencies will support and track his efforts to combat corruption in the ranks,” Hardt commented.
Reece also told the MIDWEEK NATION that he made no comments on any inferences on matters outside his purview.
