(C) UPDATE TO REQUEST FOR INL SUPPORT OF JCF

S E C R E T KINGSTON 000477 SIPDIS STATE FOR INL/LP BROWN BOZZOLO E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/27/2018 TAGS: SNAR PREL JM SUBJECT: (C) UPDATE TO REQUEST FOR INL SUPPORT OF JCF ANTI-CORRUPTION DIVISION REF: A. KINGSTON 351 ¶B. TELCON INL/LP BROWN ¶C. BOZZOLO ¶D. NAS KINGSTON ¶E. KINGSTON 33 ¶F. KINGSTON 124 ¶G. KINGSTON 417 Classified By: Charge James T. Heg for reasons 1.4 (b) & (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: Subsequent to reception of Ref. A, INL/LP requested additional detail on the nature and cost of the proposed long-term detail of two U.S. officers to the Jamaica Constabulary Force's Anti Corruption Division. In addition, based on advice of INL/LP, Post has also recalibrated the cost of the program to take in all anticipated potential costs, such as salaries, provision of vehicles, school enrollment fees for any minor children, and the purchase of needed household furniture, if furnished accommodations can not be found. As a consequence, the total cost of the program has increased from the initial request of U.S. 900,000 to U.S. 1,900,000. End Summary. ¶2. (S) The NAS Director has been working in close concert with the Law Enforcement Core Group in the Embassy to identify U.S. officers with the requisite expertise in anti-corruption and money laundering investigations to compliment the UK and Canadian officers who will form Operation Arena's covert team. Ref. A Based on these deliberations, ICE agents appear to have the most appropriate skill sets. In addition, if Arena discovers a U.S. nexus in any of its cases, it would be ICE that would take the lead on any U.S. based investigation. For these reasons, over the last few months the NAS Director and ICE attace have worked on the preliminary identification of one agent and one analyst who would likely fill the three-year TDY. The ICE attache has obtained a preliminary commitment from his agency to release these agents to Post for Operation Arena. However, because the agent and analyst will be secunded to the Jamaica Constabulary Force soely for Operation Arena, and will not perform ICE work in Jamaica, ICE has understandably requested NAS funding support for the TDY. In addition to assisting the GOJ stamp out corruption at the highest levels within the Jamaica Constabulary Force, the added win-win for USG law enforcement writ large is that through our support of Arena we will have direct access to all information gleaned by the covert team, which would bolster evidence collection for U.S.-based investigations begun as a result of Arena's activities. ¶3. (S) As explained in Ref. A, the foreign officers (UK, U.S., CAN) will form a covert unit within the larger Jamaica Constabulary Force's Anti-Corruption Division. Operation of the covert unit will begin in July 2008. The covert unit will focus its investigations on corruption by the Senior Officer Corps of the Jamaica Constabulary Force. The covert unit's will work behind a firewall whereby information and taskings are passed to the Anti-Corruption Division's other units only by the Division Chief, a British Police Officer. On-the-ground collection of information for the covert unit's investigations will be performed by undercover units of the Division working in concert with the Jamaica Defence Force's Military Intelligence Unit. The foreign law enforcement officers in the covert unit will not perform undercover work in Jamaica, nor will they be directly involved in any operations. Once arrests are made, however, they will be able to direct interrigations. For safety reasons, it has been decided to house the covert unit's offices on the Jamaica Defence Force's Headquarters located at its Up Park Camp Base. In March 2008, the UK transferred the equivalent of U.S. $1,000,000.00 to the Anti-Corruption Division to cover the unit's start up costs including construction of the unit's office space, purchase of IT and other equipment. (Note: while the Airport Interdiction Task Force is being reorganized, the Commissioner of Police has determined, based on a recommendation from NAS, that the Task Force's building will be used temporarily to house the covert unit, and then will be used by the Division's undercover units. The Task Force will take back the building once it is a viable entity) Ref B ¶4. (C) Based on advice received from INL/LP after the draft proposal in Ref. A was reviewed, Post has revised the program budget as follows. Costs are based on a GS-13 scale to include LEAP and standard ICE overseas allowance. Annual Cost for one officer Salaries and Benefits 125,241 Travel incl. PCS 47,550 Medical Clearance 3,600 Education Allowance (1 child) 12,850 Rent 42,000 Electricity 16,000 Water 1,000 ICASS 71,000 Law Enforcement Equipment 3,000 Vehicle operation 10,000 Operational travel 6,000 Misc 209 Sub - Total 338,450 First Year Start up costs Household Furniture 50,000 Vehicle 22,000 School (first year fee) 14,500 Sub - Total 86,550 ¶4. (C) For two officers therefore the total program costs are: Yr 1 - 850,000 Yr 2 - 676,900 Yr 3 - 676,900 ¶5. (SBU) As explained in Ref A., over the last two budget cycles NAS - Kingston's program budget has gone from $1,400,000 in 2004 to a mere $500,000 in both 2006 and 2007. As a recent INL Management Assessment Visit highlighted the fact that ICASS costs for NAS Kingston have increased 450% from FY2001 to FY2008. In FY2001, ICASS represented 17% of NAS Kingston's budget. In FY2008 due to increases attributable to Post's move to a New Embassy Compound, it now represents 44%. During that same time frame, non-ICASS costs have also increased about 50%. NAS Kingston anticipates that the FY2008 allotted amount of $350,000 for PD&S will not meet current expenses (discussed in septel),and we will therefore have to pull $50,000 from our already meager program budget total for 2008. Therefore, the available FY2008 funding for programs will likely have to decrease from an anticipated $642,000 to $600,000 to cover NAS Kingston's current PD&S expenses. In FY2009, ICASS and non-ICASS administrative costs, including the PCS of a new NAS Director, are also projected to exceed the current budgeted amount of $350,000, and additional funding will also have to come from FY2009 program funds to meet the anticipated shortfall (discussed in septel). ¶6. (SBU) If $600,000 is used as a base for NAS Kingston's FY2008 program total, only $350,000 of that amount will be available for law enforcement programs leaving $250,000 for interdiction. Note that pipeline funds are nearly depleted due to a February 2008 request from the Prime Minister to Ambassador Johnson to meet Jamaica's urgent security needs. (Ref. C, D). Fulfillment of this commitment to the GOJ, used up nearly all of NAS-Kingston's available FY2005, 06 and 07 pipeline funding. ¶7. (C) In addition to Operation Arena, NAS-Kingston anticipates that the GOJ will request U.S. funding assistance for the joint-regional counter drug exercise scheduled for August, Operation Riptide, which we anticipate will use up much of the remaining pipeline funding for interdiction. On the Law Enforcement side, NAS Kingston is already in discussion with the Minister of National Security and the Commissioner of Police about their funding priorities for the GOJ's broader reform of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, which will be launched likely in July with the public release of the nine-month Ministry of National Security driven Police Strategic Review. ¶8. (C) Without INL support for additional funding, NAS Kingston will not be able to meet its desired commitment to Arena's critical work to stamp out corruption, nor will the USG be able to play any meaningful role in the broader wholesale reform of the Jamaica Constabulary Force that is currently planned for calendar years 2008-2010. If INL agrees to fund the remainder, Post would commit the following amounts to Arena. Yr 1 - 100,000 (which represents nearly 1/3 of all FY2008 law enforcement funds) Yr 2 - 30,000 Yr 3 - 130,000 JOHNSON