Experience in law enforcement was removed from FID head job requirements, review shows

Twelve years’ experience in law enforcement, five of them at a senior level, was listed as one of the requirements for the post of Chief Technical Director of the Financial Investigations Division (FID) when it was first advertised late last year, a review of the public notice has revealed.

The FID falls under the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service and is tasked with combating financial crimes and the recovery of assets derived from criminal conduct using the Proceeds of Crime Act.

The advertisement was published by The Gleaner on November 24 last year and directed candidates to submit their applications to the Office of the Services Commission (OSC).

The requirement that the FID boss has a strong law enforcement background was in keeping with a practice that spans over two decades, dating back to the tenure of Mike Surridge, a former cop in the United Kingdom.

Other past FID chief technical directors include former senior cops Calvin Small, Justin Felice, and Selvin Hay.

Robin Sykes, another former director, is one of Jamaica’s leading authorities on money laundering.

But when none of the short-listed candidates were selected to become the new FID boss, it triggered a second recruitment process with a new advertisement.

The 12 years’ law enforcement experience was removed from the requirements listed in the second advertisement, which was published by The Gleaner in January this year.

Instead, it indicated, under the heading Minimum Required Qualification and Experience, that candidates should have “12 years related experience at the managerial level, five of which should be at a senior management level”.

The contrast between the two advertisements comes amid the controversial appointment of accountant Dennis Chung to head the FID effective June 2.

The Gleaner submitted questions to the OSC on Thursday enquiring why the requirement for the law enforcement experience was removed from the second advertisement and who gave the instructions.

The OSC acknowledged receipt of the questions, but said it will be “processed as an Access to Information (ATI) request. Your request will be processed in accordance with the provisions of the Access to Information Act,” the OSC said in an emailed response on Friday.

Under the ATI Act, public entities have an initial 30-day window to respond to a request.

That can be extended by an additional 30 days.

A statement issued by Finance Minister Fayval Williams on Friday did not address the change in the requirements, but insisted that the selection process was “transparent”.

Williams bristled at claims that the Government inserted itself into the FID selection process by overturning the recommendation of Chung.

“The proposal for the Government to insert itself into a meritorious process which included advertisements and interviews and was conducted by the OSC, is both reckless and dangerous. This is a path which Jamaica should avoid.”

“The position was advertised. Candidates were shortlisted and interviewed. Mr Dennis Chung came out successful. We stand firmly behind his selection on the basis that due process was observed,” the statement said.

But the parliamentary Opposition believes there is only one “logical” reason for the removal of the law enforcement requirement.

“The only logical reason to remove the single minimum technical requirement would be to tailor the ad to accommodate a specific candidate,” Senator Peter Bunting, opposition spokesman on citizen, charged.

Further, Bunting contends that the November 2024 advertisement “was already too generic”.

The opposition wants the appointment rescinded, claiming that public comments made by Chung about two investigations being undertaken by the FID make him biased and conflicted and unsuitable for the post.

The comments the opposition have taken issue with are related to the alleged multibillion-dollar fraud at the collapsed investment firm Stock & Securities Limited and the findings of an investigative report by Integrity Commission about aspects of Prime Minister Andrew Holness’ finances.

In a September 18 news article published by Nationwide Radio, Chung questioned the “relevance” of some findings in the report, including the movement of millions of dollars among companies linked to Holness and how a company with limited income provided a $20-million loan to another linked entity.

Chung has not commented publicly since his appointment was announced by the Finance Ministry on Wednesday.

Information Minister Senator Dana Morris Dixon told journalists on Thursday that she could not comment on the claim that Chung is biased and conflicted because “I have not seen those assertions”.

Morris Dixon noted, too, that the appointment followed established procedures and made it clear that she has “confidence” in the team that conducts interviews and selects individuals.

“It is a process. No one just wakes up and a minister says, ‘Here is a job for you’. It cannot work like that,” she said during a special post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House.

The finance minister insisted that Chung possesses “ample relevant education, experience and skills for this position”.

- Livern Barrett

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