Orville Taylor | Money like dirt

Policemen in western Jamaica ended up with a serious case of hernia from lifting the large number of bills. With no aspersions being cast regarding the numeracy of the officers; they took more than two days to count it. Pardon my nervousness, but more than US$3.8 million and CA$30,000 equivalent to J$600 million plus 24lb of cocaine, valued at J$88 million, were confiscated.

From my poor mathematics, this could pay the top cop for more than 30 years at present salary. Commendations that there seems to be discrepancy in the amount collected or accounted for. It is a massive amount of money, capable of doing a large amount of good and unimaginable evil. Even when I played Monopoly with play money, a billion was such a big word, that I spelled it ‘bilion’ after being told to stay the ‘L’ away from illegal activities. That it was found in the company of cocaine is a tell-tale sign of its origins, although we might need a popular entertainer to gargle or melt it, to determine if it is potent ‘fish scale’.

Two persons arrested, one of whom the American authorities have made an extradition request for since 2005. One is reportedly a well-known businessman. Our cops and the Ministry of Justice have an immediate question to answer for our electors who pay them. What was the status of the request? Was it improperly made or did it fail to meet the criteria, and thus, could not have been entertained? Did the Americans withdraw or gave up on it? Or did our people simply did the opposite and the Reverend decided that he would not try to offer transporter services any more?

In a country with a high perception of governmental corruption but thankfully, no arrests like the head of Government of the British Virgin Islands, the war against illegal money and clean currency mixing has to be on in earnest. For the past 30 years, the Jamaican economy has not grown in double digits.

Yet, there has been a spate of construction projects, car importers and myriad economic activity.

FINANCED BY ILL-GOTTEN GAINS

What percentage of the projects are financed by ill-gotten gains is yet unknown. However, there is no question that the firearms imported are mostly from the United States. Some persons with large amounts of money are buying the hundreds of guns that feature in the killing of more than 1,200 of our young men by other young men annually.

Just imagine if those funds were used to build schools. There is no such thing as a victimless crime even of it is just about ‘dirty’ money being channelled into legitimate enterprise.

In a previous column, the impact of dirty money in distorting the value of commodities was outlined. In real terms, dirty money makes basic goods less affordable for the poor. Therefore, rather than improving the lives of the average member of the working classes, it makes it worse for those who are not within the immediate circle of the criminal rich.

Our law enforcement and revenue protection agents have existing tools for the detection of the path of crooked funds. It is a simple formula, if you have money spending, then it must be from a source you can declare or you forfeit it.

It has been my constant position that no money that passes through the economy must be beyond scrutiny. Our Proceeds of Crime Act is a great piece of legislation.

CLEANSING FROM TOP

But, like the last week conversation regarding the early childhood institutions, the cleansing must be from the top of the stream. A few weeks ago, a 15-year charade regarding a Dutch company and its contributions to the election campaign of a political party ended. While no Jamaican laws was broken, the benefactor did break its national statutes. However, the point is that it reveals a critical gap in the fight against crime and corruption, two symbiotic bedfellows.

Be not mistaken, countries are run by those who finance those who are in political power. Though clichéd, ‘he who pays the piper calls the tune’. It is not sufficient for the political parties to disclose who the contributors to their funds are. The highest standard of scrutiny must be used in sifting and filtering the weevils from the cornmeal before turning it into the blue drawers. Any government that does not wish to hold itself to this high standard really has no moral authority to pass gas, much less legislation regarding dirty money.

Once it clears that hurdle, then it draws the line in terms of its fines and fees. How can an unemployed person buy a car; or noisy eponymous onomatopoeic Yeng Yeng motorbikes? Unless he declares his source of funding, both he and the merchant must feel the exhaust. A convicted criminal already has made a prima facie case that his money is tainted. So, unless he can show that the payment for the levied fine is not from his criminal exploits, then he does the time.

My position regarding legal fees are well known. While counsel certainly is bound to not squeal on her client, she ought to make sure that her payment is not blood money either.

The solution is sociological and systemic. Let’s see where the bottom tip of this Montego Bay iceberg ends.

- Dr Orville Taylor is head of the Department of Sociology at The University of the West Indies, a radio talk-show host, and author of ‘Broken Promises, Hearts and Pockets’. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and tayloronblackline@hotmail.com.