By Lincoln G. Peters
Temple of Justice, April 30, 2026 — Former Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA) Director General, Mr. Stanley S. Ford, faced difficulty justifying FIA’s inclusion in the National Joint Security (NJS) prior to 2023, a period preceding the controversial receipt of US$6.4 million.
During the trial on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, Mr. Ford was questioned: “Mr. Witness, you said to the court and the jury that both the FIA and FIU have been members of the NJS. Please tell the court and jury how you can show or prove that the FIU or FIA has been a member of the NJS?”
In response, Mr. Ford asserted that under official recommendations, the FIU—now the FIA—had, even outside the NJS, established the Financial Crime Work Group. This group coordinates anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism efforts among agencies and stakeholders.
He further explained that the National Security Council (NSC) had, on several occasions, corresponded with the FIA/FIU regarding NJS activities and had, at times, requested direct FIA participation.
Mr. Ford cited a contentious NSC letter from July 2023, but insisted that as early as 2022, the NSC had written to the FIA about joint security activities. “Some of these matters are classified, but there is a letter addressed to the FIU Executive Director requesting FIU’s involvement in joint security activities prior to the FIA’s formation. If produced in evidence, this letter would demonstrate FIU was part of the NJS before July 2023.”
Although the letter was not presented in court, Mr. Ford maintained that it would clarify which NJS activities the FIU was asked to join.
He explained, “So, in July 2023, when the NSC wrote a designation letter to the FIA, it was not an admittance into the NJS organization. Rather, it granted the FIA a secure communication code that had previously been limited. The designation allowed the FIA to communicate over secure channels with other security agencies.”
Mr. Ford referenced the letter’s final paragraph highlighted during the Finance Minister’s cross-examination, which stated, “By this designation, you are now a member of the NJS apparatus.” He argued that the term ‘apparatus’ refers to tools for specific assignments, not formal membership in an organization or community.
“When the letter says you are now a member of the NJS apparatus, it means you can obtain the tools necessary for secure communication, such as using the assigned code over the radio network, instead of relying on phone calls,” he concluded.
