ROBERT Montague yesterday sought to rubbish claims that, as minister of national security in 2017, he overruled a decision by the Firearm Licensing Authority (FLA) in accepting the gun licence appeal of an individual believed to be of questionable character from his St Mary Western constituency, saying due process was followed.

Montague, now minister of transport and mining, said the media report was “incredulous”, noting that decisions made as security minister were made in the interest of the ministry and the country.

A Television Jamaica (TVJ) report on Thursday said that a gun licence ended up in the hands of a man police believed was involved in lottery scamming and a gang member. TVJ said the FLA denied the initial request from the man for the licence, but Montague overruled the decision.

Yesterday, Montague denied the report at a press conference called at his Maxfield Avenue office in St Andrew, where he stated the circumstances under which the man’s licence was reinstated.

“Quite frankly, I strongly reject any suggestion of impropriety and wish to make it clear that all decisions made by me while occupying the post of minister of national security were in the interest of that portfolio and the safety and security of all Jamaicans,” the minister said.

According to Montague, when he took over the Ministry of National Security portfolio in March 2016, more than 350 firearm licence appeal cases had not been reviewed. He said he consulted an attorney and hired a team to assist in the review of appeal cases languishing in the ministry.

“Clauses 37 and 37A of the Firearms Act outline the process of appeals. It explicitly gives the minister the final determination to permits for firearms. As minister, I took the additional policy decision to improve the governance of this process. I empanelled a committee of six persons, very senior within the national security framework, to sit as a part of an appeals panel. I did not do it alone,” said Montague.

He said all decisions given after the appeal was heard had to be unanimous and that there were no deviations from that principle.

“During my tenure, 209 cases were reviewed out of the 350, and 29 licences were recommended for granting by the panel. The case in question involves the person discussed in the [ TVJ] story and the case was no different. The review panel unanimously recommended the reinstatement of the licence. Important to note, the licence had been previously issued by the previous Administration. They subsequently revoked it and the gentleman appealed. It is the appeal that was referred to me as minister,” he said.

Montague disclosed that the man in question had been previously charged under the lottery scamming legislation, but said the charges were thrown out by the courts because no evidence was ever provided.

“The police officer who had charged the person in question was alleged to be corrupt and was separated from the police force. The man who appealed subsequently became a national security asset. The information provided by him regarding the FLA unearth scandalous issues which were associated with the entity. Proof of these issues were provided by him and actions were taken, including FLA personnel being fired and/or arrested along with licences of Jamaicans being revoked,” he told journalists.

He added that the matter had been ventilated with the contractor general in the past, based on an assertion from the same ex-police officer in question.

“I must admit that I find the reporting of this story incredulous. …The reporting on this matter is irresponsible and has sent a troubling signal to other national security assets. The person in question has since voluntarily relocated outside of Jamaica because of personal security concerns and as such his gun licence was revoked,” the minister said, adding that the report represents gross journalistic irresponsibility.

The FLA had revoked the man’s licence on the basis of two unsigned letters levelling allegations against him. The minister, in responding to a Jamaica Observer question, said that the man’s lawyer raised the point during the appeal that a person accused of a crime by law should face his accusers, but since the letters were unsigned his appeal was granted.

“In addition to that, there was suspicion about one of the persons who wrote one of the letters and they brought to the meeting reports to the police of threats being made to the gentleman. There are receipts from the police. Once you knocked away the allegations and the person is already passed by the process as fit and proper in the appeal process, we were left with no choice,” Montague said.

He dismissed, too, the notion of bias during the appeal process, indicating that others from his constituency also had appeals.