Harrison dismisses Montague’s claims
Former contractor general says he didn’t compile, prepare or write special report
Published:Thursday | June 15, 2023 | 1:43 AM
DIRK HARRISON, the former contractor general, has categorically refuted claims by St Mary Western Member of Parliament (MP), Robert Montague, that he is the author of the special report of investigation into allegations of impropriety, irregularity and corruption in the issuance of firearms to persons of questionable character.
Dismissing a claim from Montague in Parliament on Tuesday that he penned the report that was tabled in Gordon House in March 2022, Harrison said he had nothing to do with the compilation, preparation, or writing of the report.
On Tuesday, Montague criticised the Integrity Commission for the second time in two weeks over an addendum sent to Parliament clearing former national security minister Peter Bunting from improperly granting firearm licences to persons of questionable character.
The findings of the original special report slammed Montague for overruling the Firearm Licensing Authority (FLA) in six instances and approving gun permits to persons with criminal traces whose applications had either been denied or their licences revoked.
Montague has insisted that the commission was biased as it addressed the concerns raised by Bunting but had not seen it fit to review his objections to the original special report of the commission.
In a terse statement on its Twitter account Tuesday night, the Integrity Commission silenced the loud protestations of government backbencher Montague by declaring that it would not conduct any further review of the March 2022 report.
The anti-corruption body said: “Anyone who has an issue in relation to the report should go to the Judicial Review Court.”
INCOMPLETE PROBE
Harrison, in a media release yesterday, said he left the Integrity Commission in August 2019. Prior to that time, Harrison said he had commenced an investigation into the issuance of firearm licences but noted that the probe was incomplete up to the time of the merger of the legacy agencies in February 2018.
“After February 2018, no further part was played by me in this investigation, and I reiterate that I did not compile or write this ‘original’ report,” he said.
Montague, who was speaking on the motion of adjournment on Tuesday, said that the original probe was started and authored by Harrison.
He said the report covered 2012 to 2018, with two ministers of national security spanning the period.
Montague said that Harrison wrote a letter and an email to Peter Bunting during the period of the probe.
‘Conflict of interest’
The St Mary Western MP raised concerns about a “conflict of interest” during the probe.
He said Harrison did not disclose “this material fact” in the report, and the commission, in its review, did not include it in its addendum.
But Harrison dismissed assertions about a conflict of interest when he wrote to Bunting.
The government backbencher also accused Harrison of writing another letter in 2010 recommending a gentleman to the FLA who had a criminal conviction.
“This said gentleman is one of the eight persons under review in the special report,” Montague said.
He said that Harrison was then the deputy director of public prosecutions when he wrote the letter on the letterhead of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
However, Harrison said that he had written a recommendation for a person he knew very well who wanted to renew his firearm licence, which had been revoked.
The young man, according to Harrison, had pleaded guilty to negligence after losing his firearm when someone broke into his car at a jazz festival in Montego Bay.
After three years, he sought to reapply for a renewal of his licence and asked Harrison to pen a recommendation. Harrison indicated that he wrote the recommendation and would do it again for someone who deserved a second chance.
Responding to the claim that he wrote a recommendation on the letterhead of the ODPP, Harrison said he was a lawyer operating out of the ODPP.
“Just like a pastor or a police officer or a school principal would do, they would be writing, not with their home address, but write based on where their office is,” Harrison pointed out.