A man has been detained in connection with reported attempted sabotage at the Ministry of Finance.
In a statement on Sunday morning, the Ministry said on April 30, 2024, an individual gained unauthorised access to the top floor of its head office building at the Eric Williams Financial Complex by pretending to be a member of an exterior building cleaning team.
It said suspicion arose later in the day when CCTV technicians and maintenance staff detected serious water leakage at the top levels of the Ministry of Finance building, leading to interception and detention of the individual.
It explained that when searched, a gauge and valve taken from a pump line were found on his person, together with other items of a suspicious nature.
The individual was subsequently charged by the Police with malicious damage and remanded into custody.
The Ministry said an assessment conducted by its technical staff and its specialist contractors revealed significant risks due the actions of this individual.
“If he had not been caught, and the effects of his actions not detected early enough, the result would have included:
Water tanks running dry, resulting in a building shutdown, the chillers for the air-conditioning system at the Ministry of Finance malfunctioning, again leading to a building shutdown, water pouring into the electrical systems at the Ministry of Finance, again leading to a building shutdown, general chaos and confusion and evacuation of the Ministry of Finance, during which other unauthorised individuals could have engaged in malicious acts and damage and destruction of important documents and records at the Ministry.”
The Ministry of Finance said it is now taking further precautions to protect its infrastructure, and by extension, its important documents.
“Thankfully, because of the robust CCTV and security systems in place at the Ministry, the individual was apprehended, and the damage contained,” it said.