JAMAICA: FOREIGN MINISTER ACEEDS TO U.S. DEMAND TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L KINGSTON 000753 SIPDIS INL/LP FOR KBROWN, SANTO DOMINGO FOR LEGATT TREASURY FOR ENEPHEW E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/25/2018 TAGS: SNAR EFIN JM SUBJECT: JAMAICA: FOREIGN MINISTER ACEEDS TO U.S. DEMAND TO POLYGRAPH THE DIRECTOR OF THE FINANCIAL INVESTIGATIVE DIVISION REF: KINGSTON 402 KINGSTON 676 Classified By: DCM James T. Heg for reasons 1.4 (b) & (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: In a meeting with Ambassador Johnson on August 21, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade acceded to the joint U.S./UK/CAN request to conduct an additional layer of internationally sanctioned vetting, to include a polygraph, of the current Director of the Financial Investigative Division (FID). The logjam over the vetting request was broken when Ambassador Johnson suggested that the Director could be vetted by the Canadian-trained and certified Jamaican poligraphers. Although the fact that the request for a polygraph was a joint U.S./UK/CAN demand, the Jamaican Prime Minister viewed the request as a bilateral irritant between Jamaican and U.S. relations. Having brokered the deal, we have now asked the Canadians to come out of our shadow and take the lead to push the GOJ to schedule the polygraph test. Until the Director and Deputy are successfully vetted, the U.S., UK and Canada have all withdrawn funding and have scaled back their cooperation with the FID. End Summary Background on Vetting request ¶2. (C) The NAS Director initiated the request for polygraph vetting in a meeting with the FID Director, Sharon Crooks on May 5 Crooks seemed amenable to the test. (Ref A) However when pressed to actually schedule the exam, Crooks and her sponsors within the Jamaican Government (Minister of National Security and Minister of Finance) circled the wagons and refused raising "national sovereignty." (Ref B). Because of the ABC's (U.S./UK/CAN) need to know that the FID Director and Deputy can be trusted, and because of legitimate concerns about Crooks associations (Ref A, B),Ambassador Johnson, the UK and Canadian High Commissioners met with Prime Minister Golding. (Ref B) Letters were also sent by all ABC Chiefs of Mission to the Finance Minister. Meeting with Deputy Prime Minister/Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade ¶3. (C) On August 21, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Dr. Kenneth Baugh, met with Ambassador Johnson to discuss Ethanol/Bio-fuels (Septel) and the FID. The evening before, Ambassador Johnson had spoken with Richard Bernal, former Jamaican Ambassador to the U.S., who warned that Prime Minister Golding considered this matter to be a bilateral irritant that was negatively impacting Jamaica's relationship with the United States. Although our letters to the Finance Minister explained that we were requesting the additional layer of vetting to include a polygraph that meets an international standard, and the British letter even specifically mentioned the Jamaican polygraph team, Crooks had the mistaken impression that 1) it had to be USG poligraphers, and/or 2) Crooks had to submit to a U.S., UK and Canadian polygraph. (per the UK Deputy High Commissioner). ¶4. (C) The UK Deputy High Commissioner, Martin Fidler, also shared with the NAS Director that the very week we went to see Dep. PM Baugh, the Minister of National Security, Trevor MacMillan, continued his protest over the ABC request for a polygraph of Crooks (Ref. B) and threatened to demand that Fidler and the staff of SOCA (the UK's Serious and Organized Crime Agency present in Jamaica) submit to polygraph tests before MacMillan would discuss anything with them. Fidler stated that he retorted to MacMillan -- "we already are polygraphed by our government so what is your problem." ¶5. (C) Because there seemed to be so much confusion and escalation of tension about this matter, in her meeting with Deputy PM Baugh, the Ambassador requested that FID be first on the Agenda to clear the air. She opened her discussion with Baugh by affirming that: this was a joint U.S., UK and Canadian request, the previous Director and Deputy Director of the FID submitted to a British polygraph without problem, so there was precedent, and that the request was a non-negotiable for our governments, no funding would be available until a polygraph was given. She then explained that the ABC group would be perfectly content if the polygraph was conducted by the Canadian-trained and certified Jamaican poligraphers. Baugh visibly relaxed and quickly agreed to the polygraph examination. ¶6. (C) After the meeting with Baugh, the NAS Director contacted the RCMP Liaison Officer at the Canadian High Commission and the Deputy High Commissioner at the UK High Commission to convey Baugh's assent to the request. Because the USG had become the lighting rod with the Jamaican Government over the administration of the polygraph test for Crooks and her Deputy, we requested that the Canadian Government step out of our shadow and take the lead to schedule the exam. The Deputy High Commissioner for the UK has agreed to apply pressure to Canada to see that they follow through. ¶7. (C) Comment: The best outcome would be for Crooks to submit to the polygraph, pass, and for fulsome U.S., UK, and Canadian cooperation to begin again. There is a great deal of concern being expressed not only by U.S., UK and Canadian law enforcement about Crooks, the Commissioner of Police, and two Jamaican Assistant Commissioners of Police are also worried. If Crooks fails, the Minister of Finance and Minister of National Security, who have personally vouched for Crooks, will be more than just a little embarrassed. End Comment JOHNSON