No update from police on probe of shooting of Integrity Commission director
Published:Tuesday | July 9, 2024 | 8:05 PM
Chairman of the Integrity Commission (IC) Retired Justice Seymour Panton says the director of the IC who was shot and robbed in a New Kingston car park in September 2023 is yet to receive an update from the police on its investigation.
The IC chairman said the anti-corruption body has also not received an update from the police on its probe into the incident.
In the IC's 2023 annual report which was tabled in Parliament Tuesday afternoon, Panton noted that a serious criminal act was committed in the vicinity of the Commission.
“That crime remains unsolved. I imagine that investigations are taking place,” said Panton who noted that “the police ought to be very concerned that this happened in the New Kingston business district where there are no zinc fences, no bushes, and very few side roads, yet the perpetrator was able to disappear without trace in the clear morning light”.
Following the shooting last September, Deputy Commission of Police Fitz Bailey said he had assigned a senior investigator from the Criminal Investigation Branch to probe the incident.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness who condemned the incident described the act of violence as shocking and appalling.
“The Government has full confidence in the law enforcement agencies' ability to swiftly investigate this matter and bring those responsible to justice. We urge the public to cooperate with the authorities in their efforts to ensure a thorough and transparent investigation,” the prime minister said at the time.
Ryan Evans, a director at IC, was shot in the car park near the agency's offices on September 21, 2023, after men on a motorcycle accosted him and stole his briefcase.
Evans is the director of corruption prevention, stakeholder engagement, and anti-corruption strategy at the IC.
- Edmond Campbell
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