Dennis Meadows resigns from state boards
Published:Sunday | March 13, 2022 | 12:13 AM
Former deputy chairman of the Firearm Licensing Authority (FLA) Dennis Meadows has resigned from all state boards as the fallout from the Integrity Commission’s (IC) investigation into the issuance of questionable gun licences intensifies.
In a damning 245-page report released last week, the Commission said Meadows was referred to the director corruption prosecution for a determination on whether he should be charged for misconduct in a public office, breach of public trust and a breach of the Corruption Prevention Act over the role he played in the granting of a licence to his brother-in-law Clint Rennie.
Director of Investigations Kevon Stephenson said Meadows was part of an FLA board in 2016 that approved a firearm user application for Rennie, who was convicted in the United States (US) of attempted possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and engaged in a conflict of interest.
Meadows resigned from the FLA board in 2017, just over one year into his tenure.
In a statement yesterday, Meadows hit back at the IC, claiming that the report “reflects a gross misrepresentation of the facts and wittingly seeks to impugn my character and good name”.
He admitted that there were no written records to prove he declared his relationship, as the practice of the FLA’s licensing committee was not to record minutes because of security concerns.
“If the director of investigations exercised a little more diligence in his duties, confirmation of my recusal and declaration of my relations could have been gleaned from my former board members…My checks with my former board members revealed that they were never asked this critical question during their interviews,” Meadows said.
NOT A RESTRICTED PERSON
He also argued that notwithstanding the adverse traces, his brother-in-law was not deemed a restricted person under the FLA Act.
Rennie was denied a gun permit in August 2015 for failing to disclose his US conviction.
Almost a year later and with a change of board following the 2016 general election, Rennie’s application was approved by a team including Meadows.
Meadows has also taken the FLA CEO Shane Dalling to task.
Last month Dalling revealed the situation involving Meadows in repeating concerns of five years earlier about the approval of licences to persons with a criminal history.
“Why a deliberate attempt was made by Mr Dalling to link my name to an alleged 200-plus files with criminal traces. Note, the report (IC) found 72 during the period 2012 to 2016,” Meadows said, pointing to his 16-month presence on the board.
“It’s noteworthy that Mr Dalling still holds the position of CEO despite his recklessness and possible breach of the Data Protection and Secrecy Acts and exposing the FLA to costly legal liabilities.”
Meadows said given the latest controversies, he was resigning, with immediate effect, from the boards of the Western Regional Health Authority, River Rafting Authority and the Falmouth Hospital Management Committee.