TWO senior managers, one of whom was a director, were yesterday sacked by the Firearm Licensing Authority (FLA) as part of what a source close to the agency said is a major management shake-up.

According to our source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, a third senior staff member is set to be sacked, and was only spared being presented with his letter yesterday afternoon because he is on sick leave.

“The two managers were summoned to the office of the managing director and CEO yesterday evening and their contracts were terminated with immediate effect,” the source said, adding that the management shake-up and restructuring are taking place “following the Lincloln Allen report into systematic weaknesses that were uncovered at the FLA”.

Controversy has dogged the FLA over the past several weeks as two of its previous boards, under different political administrations, have been accused of granting gun licences to individuals of questionable character.

The most recent board resigned amid the allegations, saying that they were giving the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) a free hand to investigate the claims.

Yesterday, a source at the FLA said MOCA investigators went to the authority’s head office in Kingston during the day and collected several files relating to gun licences granted to individuals of questionable character by the board that served just before the recently resigned directors.

“The MOCA detectives came today (yesterday) based on information published in The Gleaner on Sunday,” the source said.

Meanwhile, the source said that it was likely there will be more terminations at the FLA, as it was announced at a meeting last week called by CEO Shane Dalling that changes were coming, people would be transferred and the polygraphing of all staff is to be introduced “within the next few weeks”.

Last night, one private sector executive, who opted not to be named, argued that while the management shake-up was “obviously necessary, the work of the FLA cannot come to a halt as the authority does not only deal with private firearm holders but companies as well”.