Opposition calls for an update on FBI Involvement in SSL Investigation
/ Our Today
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The Opposition, the People’s National Party, is questioning whether the FBI is involved in the investigation at Stock and Securities Ltd (SSL).
The call for clarity comes following a statement by the Head of the Counter Terrorism and Organised Crime Division (CTOC), SSP Anthony McLaughlin, who stated on Friday (February 17), that local law enforcement did not need the assistance of the FBI at this time.
This is in stark contrast to the prior public statement by the Minister of finance, who pointed out that the FBI’s assistance was commissioned in the investigation of the SSL debacle.
Opposition Spokesman on Finance, Julian Robinson, expressed concerns about the conflicting statements and called for clarification. “The head of CTOC has directly contradicted what the Minister of Finance said previously about the FBI being involved in the investigation. The country needs to know what the true position is,” Robinson said.
Robinson also called for transparency in the ongoing SSL investigation and the role of the Financial Services Commission (FSC). He called for the release of all examination reports done by the FSC in relation to SSL, minutes of FSC Board meetings, reports from FSC management to the Board, and a special audit of the FSC by the Auditor General’s Department.
He also called for confirmation that international forensic expertise had been engaged in relation to the massive fraud at SSL and for disclosure of their terms of reference. Finally, Robinson called on the Ministry of Finance to conduct an audit of all government agencies and public bodies to ensure adherence to MOF and internal guidelines regarding the investment of public funds in financial institutions.
On January 23, Finance Minister Nigel Clarke delivered a press conference announcing that aid from the FBI was being sought for the ongoing SSL fraud case.
READ: SSL D-Day | Timeline of a fraud scandal; no word on payback of Bolt’s millions
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