Officer, PICA on collision course over career sabotage claims

An immigration officer has accused several senior officials at the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) of victimisation and has levelled allegations of corruption against some officers at the state agency.

Kenton Senior, who has been temporarily employed at PICA since 2011, said that his frustration has become unbearable and all avenues for redress have come up short.

He alleged that his troubles began at PICA after he defied a senior official’s orders to falsify the minutes of a meeting to reflect proceedings that did not happen while erasing the actual events.

The immigration officer said that incident followed on the heels of his public refusal to support a fundraiser staged by a superior.

Since that time, he said his work life has been thrown into a tailspin, with his seniors refusing to appoint him to a permanent position.

He has also claimed that he is the only immigration officer who remains in a temporary post despite his years of service and training of new employees.

“All my evaluations done by my immediate supervisors spoke volumes of me being an outstanding officer, but I have been facing some challenges from certain persons in the organisation in management position who have an influence over my growth,” Senior said.

PICA Chief Executive Officer Andrew Wynter declined comment on Senior’s allegations.

He said a disciplinary hearing concerning Senior is to begin shortly and that public comment may prejudice the outcome.

Three charges have been laid against Senior, The Gleaner has learnt, stemming from accusations made against him while on duty at the Norman Manley International Airport in September 2013, January 2015, and April 2015, respectively.

The investigations were reportedly headed by Wynter, who, until 2017, was the senior director of investigations and surveillance at PICA.

Senior has, however, denied wrongdoing and has maintained that he is being victimised for defying orders.

“Persons there have a vendetta against me. It has been affecting me, but I kept it, hoping that it would go away over time but it just keeps getting worse,” the immigration officer said.

“Every time the human resource calls for my file to be sent to them for assessment or when they are promoting or appointing officers no file can be found for me, ever. Once my file reaches the hands of certain people, it mysteriously disappears. Nobody questions it or asks why, because they are all friends,” he added.

He said that he was told upfront by a senior official that every effort would be made to ensure that he is never promoted.

Senior said he has never scored below 90 per cent on an evaluation or during any assessment but remains in the wilderness out of spite.

A document obtained by The Gleaner, which carried the signature of PICA’s Director of Human Resources Joan Guy Walker, said Senior has over the years demonstrated knowledge of immigration functions related to his direct responsibilities.

“He is organised, able to work independently, and is able to complete his tasks in a timely manner. Although he has an excellent rapport with his teammates and actively participates in their social activities, he sometimes appears reclusive,” the document said.

“Mr Senior harbours feelings of mistrust and anxiety due to unresolved professional and personal issues. These feelings are oftentimes made public through inappropriate media and open conversation with team members.”

Senior told The Gleaner that he has written to Guy Walker, Wynter, Prime Minister Andrew Holness, Minister of National Security Dr Horace Chang, and Permanent Secretary Courtney Williams, but to date, nothing has been done.

He said the permanent secretary wrote back, indicating that the matter would be probed.

In the letter sent to Wynter, which has been seen by The Gleaner, the PICA employee requested an urgent meeting and his “immediate intervention regarding some outstanding matters pending for years”.

“These issues are all clear acts of sabotage and can be solved internally, but sadly nobody was willing to take a stand against these individuals,” he said.

In his letter to the prime minister, Senior indicated that he has had to retain the service of attorney-at-law Christopher Samuda to resolve the matter.

Senior’s Jamaica Civil Service Association union representative Joy Tucker has declined to comment.

kimone.francis@gleanerjm.com