Pubdate: Sun, 23 Sep 2001 Source: Jamaica Observer (Jamaica) Copyright: 2001 The Jamaica Observer Ltd, Contact: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1127 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/corrupt.htm (Corruption) CLUNIE SENT ON LEAVE To Answer Charges Before Police Services Commission DEPUTY Commissioner of Police Owen Clunie has been sent on leave and is to answer charges before the Police Services Commission for compromising investigations into alleged drug-running by senior cops. Neither Clunie nor Police Commissioner Francis Forbes could be reached for comment yesterday, but sources said the deputy commissioner was sent home on Thursday and could remain on leave for up to 140 days. The charges came out of observations made in a ruling by Director of Public Prosecutions Kent Pantry in August, after nearly a year of investigations into allegations of senior cops' involvement in the Colombian drug trade, as well as claims that a civilian-led intelligence unit had illegally wiretapped the phones of Clunie and some Cabinet ministers. Pantry ruled at the time that three people -- the head of the civilian-led intelligence unit, Roderick McGregor, and two employees of Cable and Wireless Jamaica -- be charged in relation to illegal wiretaps, but said he did not have sufficient information to charge senior policemen in relation to drug activity. However, Pantry observed in his ruling that Clunie had carried out actions that, in effect, compromised the investigations into alleged police involvement in the Colombian drug trade. Clunie himself had been a suspect in the investigations. According to Pantry, on August 29, Clunie spoke to Robert Smith, the director of the witness protection programme, and received information concerning a key informant in the investigations. He said Clunie, the next day, went to Portland with Smith in search of the informant. Although it was well known that investigations were being conducted by an assistant commissioner of police, Pantry said, Clunie and Deputy Superintendent Terrence Sanko went to Portland where Sanko interviewed and obtained statements from police personnel allegedly involved in the same investigations. Pantry said such action would have the effect of interfering with the investigations, since those police officers would now have been alerted to information already available. Pantry did not order Clunie charged for any offence, but the Police Services Commission, acting on the observations in the ruling, carried out its own investigations and has decided to charge Clunie with tampering with the investigations. Senior police sources said the deputy commissioner, who heads the Bureau of Special Investigations which probes police misconduct, was expected to be interdicted until the matter was completed. "Keeping him on active duty will only serve to further emasculate the morale of the police which is already experiencing a bad rating," a senior cop said. Should he be found guilty of the charges, Clunie could be asked to retire in the public interest or given a dishonourable discharge. It was not clear at press time, when the hearings into the charges would begin. Meanwhile, local investigators are still awaiting the outcome of the trial of alleged Bahamian drug kingpin, Samuel Knowles, who is on trial in the United States on drug trafficking charges. The director of public prosecutions has said that when the Knowles case is completed, the American, Bahamian and Canadian investigators may share evidence which could lead to charges against local police personnel. Knowles was arrested in Miami after lengthy investigations in which American, Canadian, Bahamian and Jamaican investigators participated. Sources close to those investigations told the Sunday Observer that the investigators were likely to request the extradition of senior Jamaican cops and other "high ranking officials". - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake