Real VIPs

While ex-convicts found guilty of drug-related crimes and lottery scammers were being granted gun licences, Jamaica’s gun authority – the Firearm Licensing Authority (FLA) – reserved the real ‘VIP’ treatment for politicians, its former board members and senior government employees.

The revelation of that preferential treatment for the holders of certain offices is among damning findings contained in an Integrity Commission special report of investigation into allegations concerning acts of impropriety, irregularity and corruption in the issuance of Firearm User Licences to Persons of ‘Questionable Character’.

The 245-page report was tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, March 8, and covered the period 2012 to 2018. It notes that the “FLA Board mandated that all ‘past ministers, former board members, members of parliament or any positions of authority held in the government’ must be facilitated and given ‘VIP’ treatment”.

According to the report, the term ‘VIP treatment’ was not defined and no additional details were provided about the manner in which the politicians and senior State employees were to receive ‘VIP treatment’.

But, a former FLA employee, who spoke to The Sunday Gleaner on condition of anonymity, lifted the veil on the VIP treatment received by former Cabinet ministers, MPs, former FLA board members and senior government employees.

“They would be taken out of the queue and processed at a faster rate. VIP treatment was given when they were completing the renewal process, which is once per year on their birthday when their licence expires,” the former employee said in response to questions from The Sunday Gleaner.

The former employee added that the “VIP treatment would include the expedited services where a staff member would be placed with them and walk them through the process or them being placed in a boardroom and a staff member (assigned) to assist them in their renewal process”.

This, the employee said, included the clearing of their firearms, printing of the renewal form, making their payments and printing the licence fee certificate.

NO NEW APPLICATION

“I did not witness or come across a new application for any such person that would require any VIP treatment. Not saying that they would not be given VIP treatment as it relates to submitting a new application,” the former FLA employee added.

The erstwhile FLA worker also advised that each gun permit holder has to visit the gun authority’s offices for renewals.

When asked who advised the FLA staff to roll out the red carpet, confetti and champagne for former politicians, MPs, former FLA board members and senior government employees, the ex-FLA worker said: “I don’t know but they would normally contact the CEO when they are coming in and he would instruct the director of applications to have someone assist them.”

Meanwhile, a gun permit holder, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, took aim at the VIP treatment the FLA gives to select persons.

“It is quite disturbing that persons, who are deemed as having pride of place in the society, have their applications expedited and the red carpet is rolled out for their applications, where the wait time we all are subjected to isn’t the same wait time these persons, who have private security and close protection officers and less exposed to the dangers and realities of Jamaican living, get. An unjust system is what breeds corruption, and this needs to be eliminated,” said the licensed firearm holder, who stated that he waited just over two years to have his first gun permit approved.

David Grey, director of investigation at the Integrity Commission, agreed, as he concluded in the special report that the “facilitation of an expedited process for applications submitted by members of parliament and/or other public officials or private citizens is highly irregular and is a corruption-enabling conduit”.

The report added: “The DI’s conclusion is premised on the fact that this mandated ‘VIP treatment’ lends itself to the perception of corruption and bias and offends the principle of equity which should be applied to public services.”

However, CEO of the FLA, Shane Dalling, disagrees.

After admitting to presiding over a policy of VIP treatment to the holders of certain offices, the FLA boss defended the controversial course of action. According to Dalling, former FLA board members are no longer afforded VIP treatment.

“We provide VIP treatment to members of the parliament (and) members of the judiciary. It is the same treatment offered to the police commissioner and the head of the army. I don’t think paying deference to those offices should be regarded as corruption enabling,” said Dalling.

EXPEDITED SERVICE

He explained that those persons are expedited to approval pending the background and security checks.

“There are several high offices in the country. We consider ministers of government, members of the parliament, as well as the judiciary as not just high offices but the highest offices in this country. And to treat them or to give privileges to those offices, for me, I do not agree that it is a corruption-enabling mechanism.”

Dalling escalated the matter even further by advancing that the VIP treatment for holders of what he described as the highest offices in the country should be replicated across the public service.

“That should be a protocol, not just for the FLA but for other government bodies. That’s the truth,” he said.

When quizzed about the fairness of VIP treatment for select public officials, Dalling said the policy is just and insisted that such high offices demanded it.

“The background checks we are carrying out are really for security clearance for the most part on these individuals. These persons would have passed that very test to sit in the office that they hold. It would be unfair, almost inimical to the process to be checking out somebody … no one can have a criminal record and sit as a member of the judiciary.”

According to Dalling, applicants now wait six months from application to decision to approve or deny the requested gun permit. But, for politicians, members of the judiciary and other holders of select offices who receive the VIP treatment from the gun authority, their wait time is a month.

While confirming he has heard of the reduced waiting period for gun permit applications, Major John Nelson (retired), president of the approximately 900-member-strong Jamaica Rifle Association, also questioned the appropriateness of the VIP policy.

“I don’t think there should be any difference in the application process. It should not matter if you are an MP, the CEO of a company or a person wishing to protect his family. That is my personal opinion and not that of the board of the Jamaica Rifle Association. I think everybody should be treated the same way,” he said.

Efforts to get a comment from Dennis Wright, former chairman of the FLA Board, were unsuccessful. Several calls placed to his mobile phone went unanswered.

tyrone.reid@gleanerjm.com

HIGHLIGHTS FROM INTEGRITY COMMISSION REPORT

• Members of Parliament and other Government Officials

At this juncture, the DI (Director of Investigations) reiterates the statements made by Mr Dennis Meadows (former deputy chairman of the FLA) in which he indicated that members of parliament have requested the expedition of firearm user licence applications. It is the DI’s further observation that the 2016 FLA Board mandated the provision of ‘VIP treatment’ to members of parliament and other government officials.

• Upon a review of the Minutes of the FLA Board Meeting dated September 2, 2016, the DI notes, inter alia, the following:

Mr Dennis Wright expressed that the new mandate from the Board is that:

– Members of parliament must be facilitated

– Courtesy – Acknowledging customers

– All past ministers, former board members, members of parliament or any position of authority held in the government must be given VIP treatment