- Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer
Michael McMahon, senior trial counsel and assistant United States attorney in the Department of Justice.
Omar Anderson, Gleaner Writer
A UNITED States Government lawyer has recommended the creation of a special, single entity in Jamaica to fight all types of corruption.
Michael McMahon, senior trial counsel and assistant United States attorney in the Depart-ment of Justice, said such an entity would deliver more results in bringing to book persons involved in corrupt activities.
Mr. McMahon was speaking yesterday at a Gleaner Editors' Forum at the company's North Street offices, central Kingston. The attorney from the eastern district of the Justice Department in Louisiana said creation of the special agency should not put a strain on the state's resources.
INDEPENDENT AGENCY
"My ideal would be to create an independent agency with a dozen or so good, young, aggressive prosecutors, backed up by a cadre of investigators, devoted specifically to fighting corruption," he said.
He added that the entity would not report to the police, but would work alongside them.
"They (prosecutors and investigators) would go out and investigate cases, take information from the media and the public and develop cases," said Mr. McMahon, adding that entrepreneurs would have to play a greater role in eradicating corruption.
Mr. McMahon also made a special mention of the problem of extortion, pointing out that there may also be the need to create an extortion strike force.
"You can't do everything all at once. Focus on that (extortion) and people will see results," he said. "You have little victories and little victories become bigger victories."
LEGAL RAMIFICATIONS
Contacted yesterday, Attorney-General A.J. Nicholson said the idea would have legal ramifications, despite its resemblance to the National (Independent) Investigative Authority (NIA) whose creation Prime Minister P.J. Patterson announced earlier this year to mainly fight complex crimes and police indiscretions.
"We can't have investigators and prosecutors working in the same office in Jamaica," he said. "That can happen in the U.S. but not here."
Mr. Nicholson did, however, admit that both professionals not working in the same office did not prohibit them from working together.
The Attorney-General was also unable to give details of the exact structure of the proposed investigative body.
"It's still a work in progress," Mr. Nicholson told The Gleaner.
