Chairman defends operations of St. Catherine Municipal Corporation amid MOCA probe

By Prince Moore    

 

Amid Thursday's raid on the offices of the St. Catherine Municipal Corporation, Mayor of Spanish Town Norman Scott is asserting that the council has been operating lawfully.

 

The raid was conducted by the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA).

 

MOCA said the targeted raid is part of an investigation into organised crime and major fraud.

 

A number of documents were seized from the offices of the Municipal Corporation.

 

Targeted raids were also conducted in Kingston and Westmorerland.

 

But Mayor Scott told Radio Jamaica News that he is not aware of any organised crime at the Municipal Corporation. 

 

"It is an investigation and let the police do their job, let [them] do their investigation; wherever the chips fall, it may lie. I just want to say that from the council's perspective, we have been doing everything above board. I woke up this morning in my house and there was no officers from any agency of law enforcement [that] came to my house," he said. 

 

Director of Communications at MOCA, Major Basil Jarrett, said Thursday's series of targeted raids followed a years-long investigation.

 

The joint operations involved the Financial Investigations Division, Jamaica Defence Force and Jamaica Constabulary Force.

 

Major Jarrett said the team has been planning the operation for weeks in advance.

 

He added that MOCA has carried out its due diligence to ensure the result of the investigation is fruitful. 

 

"You see, with investigations of this nature, you usually find that there are long and protracted events. There's volumes of evidential material to be secured. It can be a very painstaking process. And so, you know, sometimes the public gets a bit impatient when they don't see investigations bearing fruit. But, you know, we have a saying at MOCA [that] strong investigations make strong cases. And so we try to do the work in are very deliberate and meticulous manner, so that, you know, we can be sure of what we're doing."

 

Major Jarrett was speaking Thursday on Radio Jamaica's Beyond the Headlines.