Former Contractor General Dirk Harrison has sought to counter allegations of conflict of interest and bias levelled against him by former National Security Minister Robert Montague about the Integrity Commission's Firearm Licensing Authority Investigation report.
Mr. Harrison has described Mr. Montague's comments as conflated and erroneous.
Mr. Montague told the Parliament that he had evidence of bias against him in correspondence in 2013 between Mr. Harrison and former National Security Minister Peter Bunting in relation to a firearm licence application which, he said, was not included in the Integrity Commission's special investigation report tabled in the House in 2022.
He also said the letter was sent to Mr. Bunting's personal email.
Mr. Montague claimed also that Mr. Harrison, who was the lead investigator and Contractor General, wrote another letter in 2010 recommending a man who had a criminal conviction to the Firearm Licensing Authority.
That man, he said, is one of the eight individuals under review in the special report.
In a statement Wednesday, Mr. Harrison said he played no role in the writing or issuance of the special report.
He denied recommending anyone to the FLA, knowing that the person is of questionable character or has a criminal conviction.
Mr. Harrison confirmed that he wrote three recommendations on behalf of applicants to the FLA, including an employee of the then Office of the Contractor General. He said he asked for the application to be withdrawn after the employee left the entity.
Mr. Harrison said he also saw it prudent to withdraw the application as the security concerns that were raised by the former employee were associated with working at the OCG.
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