The Jamaica Agriculture Commodities Regulatory Authority (JACRA), a department of the Pearnel Charles Jr-led Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, is in dispute with its internal auditor over a report submitted recently to the board. The centre of the dispute in the report, internal sources said, was the value of cash reserves held on the property and slated for transfer to central government coffers.

The Jamaica Observer has learnt that the regulatory body, headed by Chairman Wentworth Charles, is refusing to accept the report and has instituted disiplinary measures. The officer, internal sources say, has since been demoted and sent on “training”.

The board, the source said, has since been manoeuvring to remove the responsible officer from her job and to overthrow the report. A senior member of management, who declined to be named, told the Business Observer, “It’s a matter we are trying to resolve internally. There are challenges, but I wish not to say. I will be working with members of the team, seeking to use my level of expertise to resolve these matters.”

Reliable sources told the Business Observer that the situation reached crisis levels this year when the internal auditor was locked out of her office and only regained access when she hired attorney-at-law Hugh Wildman to represent her in discussions with her employer at JACRA.

Otherwise, a letter sent to the Office of the Prime Minister, which was seen by the Business Observer, indicated that several long-standing staff members had decided to resign within the last year, due to conflicts with the board and C-suite executives at JACRA.

It was indicated that, among those who have left were the chief accountant, the human resources manager, and the legal officer who had all held their positions for a decade or more.

Peter Thompson, director general of JACRA, who has held the post for just over a year, told the Business Observer that he was not aware of anyone attempting to separate the internal auditor from her job or any other employee connected with the accounting or audit process.

He asserted, “I have no such information. We have some challenges and we are trying to address it internally. We have challenges with the internal auditor. The board has challenges with her report and we are trying to resolve the matter by sending her on training.

“Based on government policy, there is a process for separation and [we must] exhaust all possibilities, [do] all interventions. The process we are starting is capacity-building.”

Meanwhile, Hugh Wildman, the attorney representing the affected internal auditor said, “She has just come to us to work on something and we can’t speak on it right now.”

Thompson, expounding on the disputed audit said, “The board has challenges with the auditors report. It is not technically sound and she has problems with delivery. It gives an impression she is not managing her portfolio well. We are embarking on an investigation and looking at areas in which she needs strengthening.”

The CEO said that he did not know of any other staff who had been separated from his or her post. Subsequent to this discussion, the human resource (HR) manager was dismissed. The Business Observer reached out to Thompson to find out why. The message was read, but up to press time he did not respond.

The Business Observer was told that, in recent times, Steve Robinson, acting director general and head of corporate services, had been asked to stay home while someone else had been placed in his role.

Thompson informed the Business Observer that last year’s financials for JACRA were “not yet ready. There is a plan to deliver 2021-2022 by December”.

Late on Monday, the Business Observer saw the final e-mail sent out by the HR officer who was dismissed earlier in the day. She said goodbye to all, and in a letter of many pages encouraged staff to operate with “integrity and not to give in to corruption”.

She stated, “I am bold like a lion in Christ and I will never support evil. God says shun every appearance of evil! I am leaving in peace and the steps of a righteous man are ordered by God. MOCA [Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency] did not take me out [of] here in handcuffs or with a bag over my head. The board did!”

JACRA, which commenced operations on January 1, 2018, is an amalgamation of the Cocoa Industry Board, Coffee Industry Board, the regulatory functions of the Coconut Industry Board, and the Export Division of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries.

The organisation is responsible for the regulation, promotion, standardisation and development of the agricultural commodities industry – which includes cocoa, coffee, coconut, and the spices (nutmeg, pimento, ginger, and turmeric).

Thompson was transferred from the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) to JACRA in the final quarter of 2021. His first year as CEO was just concluded.