'Nothing to hide': Gov't insists Dennis Chung's FID appointment above board

 

In light of the recent call from the private sector for Jamaicans to know why the law enforcement requirement for the Financial Investigations Division's top job was dropped, the government says it has "nothing to hide". 

 

Chartered accountant Dennis Chung was appointed on June 2 under a two-year $13.9 million annual contract. 

 

His appointment has faced strong resistance from the parliamentary opposition and civil society groups. 

 

On Sunday, The Gleaner reported that the Office of the Services Commission that hires certain public servants, denied its Access to Information (ATI) requests for records explaining the removal of the minimum requirement for 12 years' law enforcement experience, including five at a senior level. 

 

But Information Minister Senator Dr. Dana Morris Dixon says the government has been open and transparent. 

 

"There is nothing to hide in relation to that selection process. There was a process that was engaged with and a candidate was selected. There were two rounds that were done. In the first round, a candidate was selected, but that candidate opted not to accept the position. The panel that had been doing the interviews, the panel decided that they had to go back out in order to get a new candidate because the candidate from the original round did not accept the offer," she explained while Tuesday morning at a Ministry of Energy press conference.

 

The original post advertised in November 2024 included the law enforcement experience requirement.

 

Retired Deputy Police Commissioner Fitz Bailey, who had been selected in the first round, declined the offer on January 21, 2025. 

 

Two days later, the OSC re-advertised the post, but this time without the law enforcement requirement. 

 

Dr. Morris Dixon said the advert was amended to widen the pool.

 

"[When] you put out an ad and you do your interviews and you select someone and then that person says, no, I don't think I'm going to take up this opportunity, many entities go on to another round. And sometimes they may change the ad, trying to get a broader pool of persons to be interested. And that is actually what happened there. And so the ad was changed to get more people. Now that didn't seem controversial to the team because the criteria in relation to law enforcement experience was not one that was there from the very beginning. And if you look at those who have headed the FID, they have not had law enforcement experience except for one," she reasoned.

 

The minister said a press release on the matter will be sent out later on Tuesday.