Witch-hunt

Former Commissioner of Customs Danville Walker is defending himself against a report by the Integrity Commission that has accused him of acting outside of his remit when he allowed 15 traders to export scrap metal during a ban by the Government more than a decade ago.

The investigation was commenced by the now defunct Office of the Contractor General, but its successor agency, the Integrity Commission, last week recommended that the findings be turned over to the director of corruption prosecution.

In a report tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, Kevon Stephenson, director of investigation at the Integrity Commission, stated that the director of corruption prosecution should consider provisions in the law to determine whether any exporter or public officer contravened the statute, following the Cabinet-approved ban on scrap metal exportation in August 2011.

He claimed that none of the 15 scrap metal exporters named in an October 2011 letter written by Walker were legitimately exempt from the ban put in place by the then Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce or by the Government. He accused Walker of verbally giving the order.

SCEPTICAL ABOUT LATEST RECOMMENDATIONS

Yesterday, however, Walker said he was particularly sceptical about the latest recommendations and implicit politics behind it.

“In 2011, the now defunct Contractor General office took hours to refer me to the DPP (director of public prosecutions) and release to the press that I should be charged for essentially with being late to respond to their questions regarding the matter of containers with scrap metal that were exported. During that time I was a candidate for the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) in the Manchester Central constituency in 2011,” Walker said in a statement shared with The Sunday Gleaner, adding that at the time he was found guilty, fined $5,000, and that the issue impacted his political campaign in a hard-fought general election.

“So after 10 years of ‘investigating’, your accusation is that I gave a verbal order to customs officers to allow the export of containers that the permanent secretary of the ministry who issued the Ministerial Order believed were exempt from the same order and, in so doing, I acted outside of my authority as commissioner of customs?” he quipped.

“After 10 years I guess you expect me to find any written document or fully recall all that took place with this matter,” he continued. “Well, I guess after all this time you had to come up with something but I think it is patently unfair to me and that the ego that drove you in 2011 is still very much alive and well.”

Walker added, “I have no more elections to face so relax, I am now in the private sector and remain proud of my service to Jamaica as a JLP candidate in the 2011 parliamentary election, as commissioner of customs, CEO of the Office of National Reconstruction, director of elections, electoral commissioner, the Jamaica Defence Force and the nearly 30 government boards that I have served on over three different administrations. I acted in good faith then and remain grateful to have been able to serve.”

editorial@gleanerjm.com

[See full statement online at jamaica-gleaner.com]

FULL STATEMENT

THE EDITOR, Madam:

In 2011, the now defunct Contractor General office took hours to refer me to the DPP and release to the press that I should be charged for essentially with being late to respond to their questions regarding the matter of containers with scrap metal that were exported. During that time I was a candidate for the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) in the Manchester Central constituency in 2011.

The now defunct office of the Contractor General’s referral, for which I was charged and found guilty of and fined $5,000.00 for basically being late, was used as fodder in that hard- fought general election which I lost by a slim margin where over 20,000 votes were cast between my opponent and myself. I found the timing and actions of the now defunct Contractor General office curious at the time.

Ten plus years have gone by and I read in your paper on Friday, March 11, 2022 that the director of investigations for the Integrity Commission has accused me of verbally authorising the export of scrap metal without the requisite licences. The investigator also reported that the permanent secretary had indicated that the Jamaica Railway Corporation was exempt by the authority granted under the same Ministerial Order. Clearly, the investigator does not believe there were any exemptions to the Ministerial Order banning scrap metal exports.

So after 10 years “of investigating”, your accusation is that I gave a verbal order to customs officers to allow the export of containers that the permanent secretary of the Ministry who issued the Ministerial Order, believed were exempt from the same order and, in so doing, I acted outside of my authority as commissioner of customs? After 10 years I guess you expect me to find any written document or fully recall all that took place with this matter.

Well, I guess after all this time you had to come up with something but I think it is patently unfair to me and that the ego that drove you in 2011 is still very much alive and well.

I have no more elections to face so relax, I am now in the private sector and remain proud of my service to Jamaica as a JLP candidate in the 2011 parliamentary election, as commissioner of customs, CEO of The Office of National Reconstruction, director of elections, electoral commissioner, the Jamaica Defence Force and the nearly 30 government boards that I have served on over three different administrations. I acted in good faith then and remain grateful to have been able to serve.

I am,

Danville Walker, OJ, JP