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Phillips ... opposition point man on extradition issue. - File
WikiLeaks reveals lack of funds halted unit to weed out corrupt state officials
IT APPEARS that only a shortage of cash prevented the Government from establishing a top-secret unit staffed by foreigners to target corrupt police and state officials. Based on the nature of the programme, there was no announcement by the Bruce Golding administration about the 2008 plan to establish the covert unit which would have been allowed to tap the phones of Jamaicans, pry into their business deals and generally keep close tabs on any public official suspected of being corrupt.
But confidential cables from the United States Embassy in Kingston suggest that the unit died before it could be established.
According to the diplomatic cables, the lack of funding forced the Government to shelve plans for a July 2008 launch of the covert unit within the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and there is no indication that new life has been blown into it.
The cables claim that the unit would have been staffed by overseas security experts, with one member of the local police force acting as its head.
Dubbed 'Operation Arena', the undercover unit was being mandated to root out senior police officers involved in corruption and to go after government officials also involved in corrupt activities.
The unit, which would have been linked to the high-powered Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of the JCF, was to have its offices located at the Jamaica Defence Force's headquarters at Up Park Camp in St Andrew for safety reasons.
A 2008 diplomatic cable, now accessible by The Gleaner through the whistle-blowing organisation, WikiLeaks, said Operation Arena would have been an initiative of the governments of Jamaica, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.
"It is the hope of the new Jamaican leadership that through Operation Arena, a thorough housecleaning at the top will occur and the JCF will be a more professional, more accountable force that will better serve both Jamaican and US governments' interests in stemming crime and corruption," one cable said.
"In addition, given the undeniable linkages between crime and politics in Jamaica, it is anticipated that the investigations against high-ranking police officers could provide evidence that could be used for broader prosecutions of public officials for corruption," the cable, sent by US officials in Kingston to Washington, outlined.
In April 2008, the diplomatic cable reported that the ACB had already identified and would hire an effective Jamaican, a former high-ranking member of the JDF Military Intelligence Unit (MIU) and a former special adviser to Dr Peter Phillips when he was minister of national security under the People's National Party government.
It was proposed that the senior retired soldier would be appointed the unit's chief executive officer, allowing the ACB head, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Justin Felice, to concentrate on planning operations.
In 2008, embassy officials reported: "On his own, (ACP) Felice has nearly completed investigations into two senior level officers, a superintendent and senior superintendent, for criminal misconduct, obstruction of justice and bribery."
The diplomatic cable said the ACB had also identified an officer from the British security agency MI5 and received a provisional commitment from MI5 to release him for duty in Jamaica to participate in Operation Arena.
The MI5 unit in the UK is primarily involved with top-level spy operations.
Three additional British officers had been slated to join the unit in late 2008, on condition that funding was available.
Another four officers were needed for the unit and a request was made for the US government to provide one analyst and one investigator for the operation.
The cable gave details about the role of the covert body which would have authority over several JDF and JCF units:
"The unit will have tasking and priority setting authority over both undercover and overt assets of the Jamaican security establishment to advance its investigation.
The assets listed in the cable were: "The Financial Investigations Branch, the Jamaica Defence Force Military Intelligence Unit, the Jamaica Constabulary Force Narcotics Division, the Jamaica Customs Service Contraband Enforcement Team and the Jamaica Immigration Service.
"Through these assets, the unit will have access to bank records, company records, wiretap information, surveillance photos and reports.
"The US members of the unit will be able to use the information gleaned to launch and advance cases with a US nexus, such as money laundering, drug trafficking and human and weapons smuggling."
The UK government had committed US$1 million to the project to finance the start-up expenses for the ACB undercover unit.
According to the cable, with the covert unit on the verge of becoming operational to "investigate the most senior officers within the JCF", the ACB had strategically "gone after as many easy cases as he can to show that the branch is active".
The view was expressed that until senior officers were brought to justice by the undercover unit, public confidence in the police force would not improve.
But the unit had start-up hiccups with US officials in Kingston, raising concerns about funding challenges, despite the British government donating US$1 million to the ACB.
With the global recession forcing budget cuts in the US, the allocation to the embassy in Kingston was drastically reduced, leaving it without sufficient funds to bankroll Operation Arena.
The cable noted that corruption in the JCF was endemic.
It also noted that the Government of Jamaica and the private sector, which finance two-thirds of the salary and other benefits for Felice, did not have the capacity to recruit the additional eight international investigators/analysts needed for the programme.
"Without them, the single British officer who heads the branch, Felice, will not succeed," the cable stated.
In 2010, almost 60 members of the police force were arrested for corruption-related offences while more than 20 have been charged with corruption this year.
In 2009, a total of 64 persons - police and civilians - were arrested and charged for corruption-related offences
Phillips ... opposition point man on extradition issue. - File
WikiLeaks reveals lack of funds halted unit to weed out corrupt state officials
IT APPEARS that only a shortage of cash prevented the Government from establishing a top-secret unit staffed by foreigners to target corrupt police and state officials. Based on the nature of the programme, there was no announcement by the Bruce Golding administration about the 2008 plan to establish the covert unit which would have been allowed to tap the phones of Jamaicans, pry into their business deals and generally keep close tabs on any public official suspected of being corrupt.
But confidential cables from the United States Embassy in Kingston suggest that the unit died before it could be established.
According to the diplomatic cables, the lack of funding forced the Government to shelve plans for a July 2008 launch of the covert unit within the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and there is no indication that new life has been blown into it.
The cables claim that the unit would have been staffed by overseas security experts, with one member of the local police force acting as its head.
Dubbed 'Operation Arena', the undercover unit was being mandated to root out senior police officers involved in corruption and to go after government officials also involved in corrupt activities.
The unit, which would have been linked to the high-powered Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of the JCF, was to have its offices located at the Jamaica Defence Force's headquarters at Up Park Camp in St Andrew for safety reasons.
A 2008 diplomatic cable, now accessible by The Gleaner through the whistle-blowing organisation, WikiLeaks, said Operation Arena would have been an initiative of the governments of Jamaica, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.
"It is the hope of the new Jamaican leadership that through Operation Arena, a thorough housecleaning at the top will occur and the JCF will be a more professional, more accountable force that will better serve both Jamaican and US governments' interests in stemming crime and corruption," one cable said.
"In addition, given the undeniable linkages between crime and politics in Jamaica, it is anticipated that the investigations against high-ranking police officers could provide evidence that could be used for broader prosecutions of public officials for corruption," the cable, sent by US officials in Kingston to Washington, outlined.
In April 2008, the diplomatic cable reported that the ACB had already identified and would hire an effective Jamaican, a former high-ranking member of the JDF Military Intelligence Unit (MIU) and a former special adviser to Dr Peter Phillips when he was minister of national security under the People's National Party government.
It was proposed that the senior retired soldier would be appointed the unit's chief executive officer, allowing the ACB head, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Justin Felice, to concentrate on planning operations.
In 2008, embassy officials reported: "On his own, (ACP) Felice has nearly completed investigations into two senior level officers, a superintendent and senior superintendent, for criminal misconduct, obstruction of justice and bribery."
The diplomatic cable said the ACB had also identified an officer from the British security agency MI5 and received a provisional commitment from MI5 to release him for duty in Jamaica to participate in Operation Arena.
The MI5 unit in the UK is primarily involved with top-level spy operations.
Three additional British officers had been slated to join the unit in late 2008, on condition that funding was available.
Another four officers were needed for the unit and a request was made for the US government to provide one analyst and one investigator for the operation.
The cable gave details about the role of the covert body which would have authority over several JDF and JCF units:
"The unit will have tasking and priority setting authority over both undercover and overt assets of the Jamaican security establishment to advance its investigation.
The assets listed in the cable were: "The Financial Investigations Branch, the Jamaica Defence Force Military Intelligence Unit, the Jamaica Constabulary Force Narcotics Division, the Jamaica Customs Service Contraband Enforcement Team and the Jamaica Immigration Service.
"Through these assets, the unit will have access to bank records, company records, wiretap information, surveillance photos and reports.
"The US members of the unit will be able to use the information gleaned to launch and advance cases with a US nexus, such as money laundering, drug trafficking and human and weapons smuggling."
The UK government had committed US$1 million to the project to finance the start-up expenses for the ACB undercover unit.
According to the cable, with the covert unit on the verge of becoming operational to "investigate the most senior officers within the JCF", the ACB had strategically "gone after as many easy cases as he can to show that the branch is active".
The view was expressed that until senior officers were brought to justice by the undercover unit, public confidence in the police force would not improve.
But the unit had start-up hiccups with US officials in Kingston, raising concerns about funding challenges, despite the British government donating US$1 million to the ACB.
With the global recession forcing budget cuts in the US, the allocation to the embassy in Kingston was drastically reduced, leaving it without sufficient funds to bankroll Operation Arena.
The cable noted that corruption in the JCF was endemic.
It also noted that the Government of Jamaica and the private sector, which finance two-thirds of the salary and other benefits for Felice, did not have the capacity to recruit the additional eight international investigators/analysts needed for the programme.
"Without them, the single British officer who heads the branch, Felice, will not succeed," the cable stated.
In 2010, almost 60 members of the police force were arrested for corruption-related offences while more than 20 have been charged with corruption this year.
In 2009, a total of 64 persons - police and civilians - were arrested and charged for corruption-related offences
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