AN immigration officer who was booted from his job at Sangster International Airport 17 months ago, allegedly for backdating the landing stamp in two deportees’ passports, has lost his bid for reinstatement.

The Appeal Court denied the application on Thursday.

Chad Chambers had worked as an immigration officer for seven months when he was cited for dishonesty.

The Appeal Court, comprising justices Clarence Walker, Seymour Panton and Howard Cooke, in handing down judgement said he was not permanently employed and could not claim a right to the procedure for dismissing permanent employees in the public service.

Chambers had worked in the police department as a temporary data clerk in 1996, before he applied for the job of immigration officer. He was appointed in December 2001, and posted at Sangster.

In July 2002, reports of alleged corruption against Chambers reached the national security ministry charging that Chambers had backdated the landing stamp in the passports of two deportees and collected a fee.

An investigation was launched into the allegations and in December the following year, he was called to a meeting with his supervisor and directed to submit a report with respect to his duties on July 7, 2002.

The report was submitted eight days later, and was followed by an inquiry by tribunal.

His attorney Arthur Kitchen told the court that his client admitted at the inquiry to having processed both incoming passengers together but, in his defence, said he forgot to stamp the passports.

Chambers was dismissed on the recommendation of the tribunal, which found that he:

. disobeyed instructions and did not stay at a seminar which he was instructed to attend

. resumed duties for which he was not detailed

. failed to follow standard procedure when he processed the two deportees together; and

. exhibited a high degree of carelessness by not stamping both passengers’ passports.

One year later, on July 3, 2003, Chambers was dismissed.

He applied to the Supreme Court for a judicial review before Justice Marva McIntosh who dismissed the application.

Chambers appealed the ruling on grounds that the disciplinary procedure contemplated by the Public Service Regulation 1961 was not followed prior to his determination as an immigration officer. He also claimed that he was not given a fair hearing, was never shown factual evidence of the charges by the tribunal, and was not given the opportunity to get legal representation.

His attorney Arthur Kitchen was not pleased with the dismissal.

“I felt unhappy with the court’s decision, as the dismissal letter served on him, in my view, could be construed as casting aspersions on my client’s character,” Kitchen said.

– whytetk@jamaicaobserver.com