Gov't defends appointment of Dennis Chung to FID

 

The government has defended the appointment of Dennis Chung to the Financial Investigations Division (FID). 

 

The parliamentary opposition has indicated that it is considering a legal challenge to the appointment of Mr. Chung as the new Chief Technical Director of the FID. 

 

People's National Party leader Mark Golding argued that Mr. Chung is unfit for the post and his appointment should be immediately rescinded. 

 

But speaking Thursday at a post-Cabinet press briefing, Information Minister Dr. Dana Morris Dixon said Mr. Chung went through the usual recruitment process. 

 

"Every single senior appointment in government goes through a process. The position is advertised, individuals apply, there is a panel that's put together that shortlists candidates and then there is an interview process that takes place. The members of the committee score each of the persons and then they make a selection. So there is a process that would have been followed, and from all the information I've been given, that process was followed. Some people are celebrating the appointment, some are not. But the reality is that, as government we have put in place particular systems, especially in the hiring of senior government officials, and those processes were followed," she maintained. 

 

When asked about public comments attributed to Mr. Chung defending Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness whose financial affairs have been referred to the FID for further investigation, the Information Minister said she was not aware of the comments.

 

 

Apart from the public comments made my Mr. Chung, the parliamentary opposition has taken issue with his FID appointment on the basis of his qualification. 

 

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Opposition Spokesman on National Security Peter Bunting said Mr. Chung does not have the legal training and law enforcement background to head the agency. He argued that the previous technical directors had the requisite training for the job.

 

"In terms of financial crime investigation and analysis, they should have direct experience in conducting or supervising investigations into a. money laundering and related predicate offences, b. terrorist financing, c. asset tracing and forfeiture, and d. knowledge of typologies, red flags and financial flows relevant to organised crime, cyber-enabled crime and corruption," he outlined. 

 

Against this background, Senator Bunting insisted that Mr. Chung is "an unsuitable candidate for this post". 

 

But he also noted that the January 2025 advertisement for the job "looks like a generic management or administrative post rather than for someone who is a chief technical director in a financial investigative unit".