L-R: Director General of the Major Organised Crime & Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA), Colonel Desmond Edwards and Director of Integrity Commission (IC), Greg Christie, shaking hands at the Memorandum of Understanding signing between both entities, which was held at the MOCA Headquarters on March 18, 2022.
The Major Organized Crime & Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) and the Integrity Commission (IC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding today to solidify the investigative and collaborative partnership between the two entities.
The MoU is geared towards strengthening the national response to instances of corruption and financial crimes in government ministries, agencies and companies. The MoU was signed by MOCA’s Director General, Colonel Desmond Edwards and the IC’s Executive Director, Mr. Greg Christie, during an event at MOCA’s Oxford Road office in Kingston.
L-R: Director of Legal and Prosecutorial Services at MOCA, Nigel Parke, the Legal Counsel for the IC, Miss. Gillian Pottinger, Director General of MOCA, Colonel Desmond Edwards, Director of Corruption Prosecution at IC, Keisha Prince – Kameka, Executive Director of IC, Greg Christie, Director of Corruption Prevention, Stakeholder Engagement and Anti-Corruption Strategy at IC, Ryan Evans and the Director of Investigations at IC, Kevan Stephenson, at the Memorandum of Understanding signing which was held at the MOCA Headquarters on March 18, 2022.
According to Col Edwards, the MOU “establishes a common understanding of the roles and responsibilities of MOCA and the IC with regard to Information sharing, casework assistance, referrals of cases, joint operations and investigations. It also increases our capacity building by strengthening our collaborative relationship.”
Mr Christie, speaking on behalf of the IC, said that the MOU was a welcome development in the Commission’s ongoing strategic efforts to effectively discharge its anti-corruption mandates under the law.
“Unbridled corruption is a preeminent threat to our country. It constitutes a clear and present danger to good governance, national security and sustainable economic growth,” he said. “If allowed to expand or to roam unimpeded, it will not only obstruct Jamaica and Jamaicans from attaining their full socio-economic potential, but it will infiltrate major state institutions, ultimately undermining and weakening their effectiveness, and threatening the very existence and legitimacy of the state itself.”
“It takes strong and independent institutions, with an unshakable commitment to serve only the public interest, to confront and overcome the scourge of corruption and abuse of office, and to ensure accountability on the part of those who administer the affairs of the state. And, it is for this reason that the Commission is proud today to partner with MOCA, in signing this momentous MOU,” Mr. Christie concluded.
Today’s signing is just the latest example of MOCA and the Integrity Commission strengthening their respective relationships with other Jamaica law enforcement agencies.
It follows on from last November’s MOU between MOCA and the Financial Investigation Division (FID), as well as last December’s MOU between the IC and the FID, both of which established similar partnerships to target corruption, financial crimes, including lottery scamming and fraud, and organized crime. Today’s MOU between the IC and MOCA will focus on corruption and illicit gains and unexplained wealth by public officials.
“These MOUs”, says Col Edwards, “allow for greater collaboration and sharing of information where it might be necessary in the course of an investigation. The provision for joint and parallel investigations will allow both entities to utilize the expertise and capabilities of each agency, which can only lead to stronger tactics against crime.”