Ross Sheil, Staff Reporter

Espinola

With a general election expected in the next few months, Jamaica and the Caribbean must do more to tackle the corrupt links between politics and criminality, says outgoing United Nations (UN) resident representative Juan Carlos Espinola.

The Paraguay-born diplomat was speaking at the opening of the two-day Crime and Politics Symposium held yesterday at the University of the West Indies, Mona, which also saw the announcement of the new Institute of Criminal Justice on the campus, both of which the UN Development Programme is sponsoring. The institute, which will be ledby leading crime researcher Professor Anthony Harriot, is to begin work in the new academic year.

Mr. Espinola, who this week ends his tour of duty in Jamaica to take up a post at UNICEF headquarters in New York, cited the recent World Bank/UN report on crime in the region in saying that criminal gangs had developed widespread political influence throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.

"... Concrete actions need to be taken now, as a failure to do so could threaten the rule of democratic governance and the rule of law in the medium- and long-term range," he said. "In such instances, parties act in accordance with the interests of individuals and are under immense pressure from legal and illegal power groups, including troubles with party financing."

Such corruption inevitable

Minister of National Security Dr. Peter Phillips and his Opposition counterpart Derrick Smith were both in the audience. Dr. Phillips told The Gleaner afterwards that such corruption was inevitable as long as organised crime persists. He cited the Proceeds of Crime Act, which will come into effect at the end of the month, as a factor that will diminish the reach of organised crime.

"I have persistently made the point that wherever you have enormous proceeds accumulated from criminal activity, you will have an effort made to secure political influence," he said. "That is a lesson of history. An accumulation of wealth anywhere seeks influence."

However, gunmen continue to ensure party loyalty and voter turnout in many poorer communities, while there is still no consensus to make campaign financing more transparent amid concerns that politicians still receive funding from criminals.

ross.sheil@gleanerjm.com