Corrupt officials

• US Embassy rips into shady execs it claims were assisting illegal alien smuggling rings
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In an October 2009 fraud report, the United States Embassy in Kingston charged that some local state officials were aiding and abetting alien smuggling rings operating in Jamaica.

The allegation was made in a sensitive diplomatic cable the American Embassy transmitted to its headquarters in Washington regarding visa fraud.

Local law-enforcement agencies also took a hit in the diplomatic communiqué as the Americans chided them for being weak.

"Document forgers, corrupt government officials and poor law enforcement assist alien smuggling rings operating in the country," stated the cable, a copy of which was obtained by WikiLeaks and accessed by The Gleaner.

The Americans admitted that there was some effort on the part of the State, but the diplomatic missive inferred that the Jamaican Government was not doing enough to prevent the fraudulent acquisition of civil documents it issues.

The Americans feel the Jamaican system is still easy to beat.

"The incidence of suspected fraud in many government agencies is high. The Jamaican Government (GOJ) has issued a secure passport, but issuance procedures are poor and a new identity, complete with GOJ-issued passport, continues to be easy to obtain, once the individual provides a birth certificate and a photographic identification," the cable added.

praise for rgd

While ripping through what they perceived to be corrupt government officials and poor law-enforcement practices, the Americans reserved praises for the cooperation it has received from one state agency - the island's Registrar General's Department (RGD).

In a section of the cable captioned 'Cooperation with host government authorities', the US Embassy stated that its Fraud Prevention Unit "continues to have a positive working relationship with the Jamaican Registrar General's Department" in the verification of civil documents.

"All cases involving altered RGD documents continue to be referredto the RGD's fraud department, regardless of whether the fraud would result in potential visa ineligibilities.

"This new system allows the RGD to attempt to pinpoint the sources of these fraudulent documents, thereby resulting in the arrests of the responsible individuals," the cable said.

'As a matter of policy, the US government does not comment on the contents of these alleged cables that purport to include classified information.

The US Embassy condemns, in the strongest terms, the deliberate and unauthorised disclosure of information represented as classified materials by individuals and organisations which puts lives at risks and jeopardises our national interests.'

United States Embassy to Gleaner