More Help from the UK to Fight Corruption

The British Government has committed a further £17 million to assist in the fight against corruption and fraud in Jamaica and the eastern Caribbean, over the next five years.

Making the disclosure, High Commissioner of the United Kingdom to Jamaica, His Excellency David Fitton, said the money is being provided by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and will be used to support the work of key anti-corruption agencies in Jamaica.

These include the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) and the Financial Investigations Division.

“The UK is committed to continuing to support anti-corruption in Jamaica over the years to come. Corruption does not respect national boundaries, so it’s in our interest to work closely with Jamaica and other countries in combating it. What helps in one country, helps in another,” High Commissioner Fitton said.

He was speaking at the opening ceremony of the inaugural Fraud and Anti-Corruption Conference 2015, at the Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston, on March 9.

The British Government, over the years, has worked closely with the Jamaican Government and civil society in combating fraud and corruption. This has included capacity building and public financial management; strengthening the legislative and regulatory environment; and strengthening law enforcement to investigate and prosecute cases as well as seize the criminally obtained assets, which result from the crime.

In the meantime, Ambassador of the United States to Jamaica, His Excellency Luis Moreno, said to address institutional and structural corruption globally, all countries and citizens must work together.

“The United States is committed to this fight at home and around the world,” he emphasised.

Ambassador Moreno said the US remains a strong partner to Jamaica in its efforts to combat corruption and fraud in all forms.

“We want to see a secure and well-governed Jamaica, which will lead to broad-based prosperity, health and equal citizenship for all. Unfortunately, corruption undermines all these goals,” he remarked.

The three-day conference is being hosted by the Office of the Contractor General, under the theme – ‘Confronting Corruption: Empowering a Generation, Transforming a Nation’.

It is hoped that the event will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to not only review existing monitoring and law enforcement mechanisms, but also broaden the scope of the fight against all forms of corruption.