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Arthur Hall, Senior Staff Reporter

Contractor General of Jamaica Greg Christie is urging the authorities to target persons in the upper echelons of society as part of renewed efforts to crack down on corruption.

In his annual report for 2009, Christie expressed concern that the authorities have not displayed the will to tackle corruption, which is undermining development in Jamaica.

According to Christie, he has become very concerned about "what appears to be our failure, to date, as a nation to come to grips with the realisation that corruption in Jamaica may have already condemned a large percentage of our fellow men and women to a dismal winter of relative poverty".

Christie argued that not enough is being done to aggressively, proactively and decisively combat corruption.

"Much has been said but very little has been done," charged Christie.

He used the annual report to repeat his call for the establishment of an independent national anti-corruption agency and a special corruption court.

"The proposed new single anti-corruption state agency would possess the requisite investigatory and prosecutorial resources and independent powers to deal with all corruption offences in a novel, focused, professional, aggressive and significantly more efficient and cost-effective approach," Christie said.

Repeated suggestion

That was a repeat of a suggestion he has already made to Prime Minister Bruce Golding and Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller.

In relation to the Corruption Court, Christie argued that if that was not established, the trial of corruption offences should be given special and/or preferential treatment in the present court system.

" ... The time has come for the Parliament of Jamaica to urgently examine its current anti-corruption institutional and legislative framework ... ," argued Christie.

The contractor general is also proposing tougher criminal sanctions, including mandatory prison time and financial penalties for persons convicted of corruption- related offences.

He noted that, while several members of the police force have been arrested on corruption charges in recent months, persons in the upper echelons of the society have avoided prosecution.

"These would include ... politicians, public officials and business persons who are suspected of involvement in criminal conduct of a commercial and non-violent nature," said Christie.

"Certainly, no one could credibly defend the position that police officers are the primary or only category of persons who are involved in ... (corruption).

"But, curiously, the main focus of the fight against corruption in Jamaica, so far, seems to be directed at members of the police force," added Christie.

He warned that if action is not taken to deal decisively with corruption now, efforts to address Jamaica's socio-economic problems are doomed to fail.

According to Christie: "We must now act strategically and decisively, and with dispatch, so that a clear and unmistakable signal is sent to the corrupt among us who, by their voracious and seeming unimpeded criminal conduct, are presently obstructing an entire nation from attaining its full socio-economic potential."

arthur.hall@gleanerjm.com