US report says dishonest J'can high-level officers are not p

[evanovitch]

'Convict corrupt Gov't officials' - US report says dishonest J'can high-level officers are not prosecuted
published: Saturday | March 3, 2007

Edmond Campbell, News Coordinator

The United States Government has sharply criticised Jamaican authorities for their inability to prosecute high-ranking government officials who are involved in corruption.

In its International Narcotics Control Strategy Report 2007, released Thursday on the U.S. State Department website, Jamaica was criticised for its failure to effectively tackle the problem of corruption.

Narcotics/political link

The report noted that National Security Minister, Dr. Peter Phillips, in a statement last year, warned of the dangers of the narcotics/political link within Jamaica and pledged the Government's full support to combat corruption.

However, despite this commitment, the report said: "There were no prosecutions of high-level officials for corruption in the last 12 months".

"To prevent Jamaica from becoming a full-fledged 'kleptocracy', the Government of Jamaica must investigate, prosecute and convict corrupt officials at all levels of government service," the report stated.

While lauding the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) on achieving a 16 per cent reduction in crime last year, the report contended that the Government however, seemed unable to move with equal efficiency against official corruption.

The report also revealed that a US-Government-funded polygraph or lie detector test carried out on members of the JCF, immigration and customs officers "starkly illuminated the pervasive nature of corruption, which continues to undermine efforts against drug-related and other crimes, plays a major role in the safe passage of drugs and drug proceeds through Jamaica and remains a major barrier to improve counter narcotics efforts".

Major transit point

Jamaica, according to the Narcotics Strategy Control Report, is a major transit point for cocaine destined for the United States and is the Caribbean's largest producer and exporter of marijuana.

Highlighting the Jamaican government's success at denting the narcotics trade, the report noted that, during 2006, the Government seized narcotics bound for the US, arrested key traffickers and dismantled their organisations.

Turning to the legislative framework, the report pointed to the Government's efforts to pass the Proceeds of Crime Act, a bill that was approved by the Senate last week.

With the passage of this legislation, the US Government said it would intensify the capacity building of the Financial Investigation Division (FID), the agency with special investigative capability to probe money laundering and recover assets from the proceeds of crime.

Meanwhile, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security, Gilbert Scott, said he was studying the report and would issue a response at a later date

[johnnycakes]

Re: US report says dishonest J'can high-level officers are not p

too bad they choose to address the effects and not the causes.

Why not address the question of why there is so much drug use in the United States?

Why is marijuana classified as a narcotic instead of a pleasant and innocuous high with little adverse affect except perhaps weight gain and a few accidents due to the few people smoking dope who can't handle it and should know better?

Trafficking in drugs is a money crime. people do it to make money.
When they live in a society where having money is a necessity and where the average worker has to struggle to make ends meet or to have a job at all, the temptation for easy money is just too great.

When the making and possessing of a lot of money is the end game in any given society, people (some people ) will do anything to get that money that puts them at the top of the societal heap.

The love of and the need for money is often the root of much evil and drug smuggling is one of those things it causes.

I wonder why it is that Cuba has little or no drug use OR smuggling problem?.
Then again, I seem to remember that they executed General Ochoa back ten or so years ago for smuggling cocaine.
That, oh yes and anyone with an inordinate amount of money in Cuba would stick out like a sore thumb.
And I suppose that life is far less difficult for the poor in Cuba where everyone's social security is guaranteed by the socialist economy.
No despair= no drug use.

[Dr.Dudd]

Re: US report says dishonest J'can high-level officers are not p

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: evanovitch</div><div class="ubbcode-body">'Convict corrupt Gov't officials' - US report says dishonest J'can high-level officers are not prosecuted
published: Saturday | March 3, 2007

Edmond Campbell, News Coordinator

The United States Government has sharply criticised Jamaican authorities for their inability to prosecute high-ranking government officials who are involved in corruption.

In its International Narcotics Control Strategy Report 2007, released Thursday on the U.S. State Department website, Jamaica was criticised for its failure to effectively tackle the problem of corruption.

Narcotics/political link

The report noted that National Security Minister, Dr. Peter Phillips, in a statement last year, warned of the dangers of the narcotics/political link within Jamaica and pledged the Government's full support to combat corruption.

However, despite this commitment, the report said: "There were no prosecutions of high-level officials for corruption in the last 12 months".

"To prevent Jamaica from becoming a full-fledged 'kleptocracy', the Government of Jamaica must investigate, prosecute and convict corrupt officials at all levels of government service," the report stated.

While lauding the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) on achieving a 16 per cent reduction in crime last year, the report contended that the Government however, seemed unable to move with equal efficiency against official corruption.

The report also revealed that a US-Government-funded polygraph or lie detector test carried out on members of the JCF, immigration and customs officers "starkly illuminated the pervasive nature of corruption, which continues to undermine efforts against drug-related and other crimes, plays a major role in the safe passage of drugs and drug proceeds through Jamaica and remains a major barrier to improve counter narcotics efforts".

Major transit point

Jamaica, according to the Narcotics Strategy Control Report, is a major transit point for cocaine destined for the United States and is the Caribbean's largest producer and exporter of marijuana.

Highlighting the Jamaican government's success at denting the narcotics trade, the report noted that, during 2006, the Government seized narcotics bound for the US, arrested key traffickers and dismantled their organisations.

Turning to the legislative framework, the report pointed to the Government's efforts to pass the Proceeds of Crime Act, a bill that was approved by the Senate last week.

With the passage of this legislation, the US Government said it would intensify the capacity building of the Financial Investigation Division (FID), the agency with special investigative capability to probe money laundering and recover assets from the proceeds of crime.

Meanwhile, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security, Gilbert Scott, said he was studying the report and would issue a response at a later date
</div></div>
That is all about Jamaica's closeness to Chavez. Corruption in JaMAICA JUST AS IN OTHER GOVERNMENTS ARE NOT NEW IT WAS THERE WHEN THEIR FAVOURUITE PARTY WAS IN PPOER AS A MATTER OF FACT THE US was involved in the internationalization of the SHOWER POSSE. That was the enforcement arm of their party,and th edisrribution arm of the US coke trade. hopw they did not make any move against them then?
because it was their corrupt administration. It is all about alignment. with the right alignment you get away will anything.