Felice to tighten noose on financial crimes

The new head of the Financial Investigation Division (FID) Assistant Commissioner of Police Justin Felice has warned that he will be seeking to increase the prosecution of persons who seek to benefit from corruption, money laundering and other such crimes.

Discussing his vision for the FID in his first day on the job, Felice said as part of the new thrust he would be working "very closely" with Jamaican financial institutions to ensure that suspicious transactions are reported in a timely and appropriate manner as is required by the relevant legislation.

"We are going to be deterring and prosecuting people who would seek to benefit from those sorts of crimes," warned Felice.

"I will go after that vision with all my efforts and I am hoping that I can bring to the table just a little more expertise, a little bit more knowledge, to try and get things working better than how they are now," added the former head of the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).

Felice's comments came shortly after the finance ministry confirmed his appointment in a statement released yesterday.

The statement from Cheryl Smith, communications and public relations director at the ministry, said Felice would be responsible for leading the FID's investigation of alleged breaches of the Money Laundering Act, the Financial Institutions Act and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act.

The former head of the ACB said he will also be looking to fully implement the Proceeds of Crime Act and the Financial Investigations Act.

Felice is taking over the FID with four weeks remaining on his contract with the JCF.