Lawrence Pommels, the former National Energy Solutions (NESol) official sent to prison for corruption-related crimes, has been ordered by the court to forfeit over J$40 million and several high-end vehicles following his conviction.

In a release on Wednesday, the Financial Investigations Division (FID) said, under the Proceeds of Crime Act, it secured a forfeiture order for the assets from Supreme Court Justice Yvonne Brown on June 20, 2024.

Specifically, Pommels forfeited cash totalling J$36.29 million and US$4,800; just over J$3 million cash held in a savings account with a local commercial bank; just under J$1 million in cash held in a local credit union from the sale of a 2014 Mercedes Benz; a Mercedes Benz CLA 250 – following the recovery of all applicable fees and a loan repayment; a 2009 Honda Accord; a 2014 Audi Q7 and a 2016 BMW X6, the FID said.

On May 20, 2024, Pommels was sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment in the St Catherine Parish Court after pleading guilty to two counts of corruption and six counts of possession of criminal property.

His conviction was the culmination of years of dedicated investigations by the FID in collaboration with the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Constabulary Financial Unit (CFU), Counter Terrorism and Organised Crime Investigation Branch (CTOC), and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).

According to the FID, the investigations revealed significant violations of government procurement guidelines and severe mismanagement of public funds at NESol, drawing considerable public attention and emphasising the urgent need for transparency and accountability in public sector management.

“The goal of a corrupt public servant is to enrich himself of taxpayers’ money to the detriment of the country. The FID and the Constabluary Financial Unit worked hard in this case to investigate and forfeit the ill-gotten gains of Lawrence Pommels and today, proudly, returned cash of $40 million and other valuable assets to the government coffers,” Keith Darien, the FID’s principal director of investigations, said.

“This major achievement demonstrates FID’s commitment to hold financial crime perpetrators accountable and mitigate the possible damage they inflict on the public sector and the wider economy,” he continued. “The message we wish to communicate is that crime does not pay. The FID and its law enforcement partners will rigorously enforce the Proceeds of Crime Act in ensuring that law breakers do not benefit from their illicit gains.”