Firearm Licensing Authority (FLA) Chairman Dennis Wright yesterday said he has asked the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) to open an investigation into innuendos being made against his deputy chairman, Dennis Meadows, regarding operations at the FLA.

Wright also said he has asked MOCA to investigate any approval of firearm licences which may be considered suspicious prior to 2016.

At the same time, Meadows has written to Wright informing the chairman that he has recused himself from the board while the investigation is being carried out.

“I am always a proponent of integrity and transparency in public life,” Meadows stated in a news release explaining his decision. “Therefore, I am prepared to lead by example. In this regard, I will recuse (not resign) myself from the board pending any investigation. Further, I urge MOCA to conduct any investigation in an effort to protect my good name and character and make its findings public.”

The latest developments in the swirling controversy come after news emerged last week that the FLA board, which was formed after the Government changed with the February 2016 General Election, had granted firearm licences to individuals of questionable character and whose applications had been denied by the previous board.

On Friday the FLA said it had raised questions about a licensed firearm holder during a meeting with the Police High Command in early February 2017.

“It is to be noted that this person had a case in court which was tried and discharged. A request was made for further information which was provided by the police on June 29, 2017, following which the licence was revoked on July 13, 2017,” the FLA stated in a news release following a meeting with National Security Minister Robert Montague Friday afternoon.

Yesterday, Wright said the board made the decision to request the MOCA probe based on certain accusations in the public arena.

According to Wright, Meadows told the board that he is the target of a smear campaign and is confident that at the end of the investigation his integrity will remain intact.

In his news release, Meadows, who contested the 2016 General Election on a Jamaica Labour Party ticket in Trelawny Northern and lost, said the “innuendos and political mischief” being targeted at him were possibly because he is “the better-known political operative” on the FLA board.

“This is causing great discomfort to my immediate family,” Meadows said. “I can speak unequivocally to the impenetrable integrity of myself and fellow members of the board. Since our appointment, we have instituted a raft of measures aimed at reducing negative perception of corruption within the authority.”

Among those measures, he said, was the vetting of present and potential staff by the Central Investigation Bureau, National Intelligence Bureau and MOCA. “In addition, we have added MOCA to the menu of agencies for vetting of applicants for firearm licence. This was never done prior to the new board’s appointment,” Meadows said.

“In addition, given the concentration of lotto scammers in the west, the board met with the Police High Command in western Jamaica, aimed at creating a framework of cooperation in ensuring that we avoid undesirables and unworthy applicants for firearm licence,” he added.

Meadows proposed that the Government “gives due consideration to the thought of removing the FLA from direct political control in the near future, as it is often the target of political mischief, aimed at scoring narrow political points, and consequently impugning the good name and character of its directors”.

“Also, it adversely impacts the stakeholders such as firearm dealers, range operators, and trainers who earn a living through the firearm trade. This may be achieved through the setting up of a Commission of Parliament and its members appointed by the governor general,” Meadows added.