Law enforcement agents on Wednesday seized some $40 million in cash and other assets of former senior official at the National Energy Solutions Limited (NESol), Lawrence Pommels, who was convicted of multiple corruption charges.
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.
Pommels was also slapped with a forfeiture order by Justice Yvonne Brown on June 20, under Section 5 (3)(a) of the Proceeds of Crime Act, 2007.
On Wednesday the Financial Investigations Division (FID) secured from Pommels: Jamaican dollar cash totalling $36.29 and US$4,800; just over $3 million in cash held in a savings account with a local commercial bank; just under $1 million in cash held in a local credit union from the sale of a 2014 Mercedes Benz CLA 250 following the recovery of all applicable fees and a loan repayment; and three motor vehicles – a 2009 Honda Accord, a 2014 Audi Q7, and a 2016 BMW X6.
A release from the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service said Pommels’ conviction was the culmination of years of dedicated investigations by the FID in collaboration with the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s (JCF) Constabulary Financial Unit (CFU), the Counter-Terrorism and Organised Crime Investigation Branch (C-TOC), and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).
“These 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 ministry’s release said.
The FID’s Principal Director of Investigations, Keith Darien, said: “the FID and the Constabulary 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’s coffers.”
He called the forfeiture a major achievement, noting that it demonstrates the FID’s commitment to hold financial crime perpetrators accountable, and mitigating the possible damage they inflict on the public sector and the wider economy.
“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,” said Darien.
In 2018, the FID initiated surveillance and financial assessments of Pommels’ activities based on intelligence that was received about the operations at NESol.
The findings from the assessments and surveillance were said to have justified search operations at his residence in Old Harbour, St Catherine. This resulted in the seizure of over $20 million in cash that was hidden in a crib. Further search operations at NESol’s office led to the confiscation of company books, records and accounts.
It was later discovered that “verbal contracts” worth over $60 million were issued to associates of Pommels, as well as a connected company, without following proper procurement processes. The breaches were said to have highlighted gross mismanagement and potential corruption within the agency.
Subsequent investigations by the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC) of Parliament exposed additional issues, including improper appointments and unauthorised outsourcing of projects without written contracts.
The overall investigations culminated in the arrest and charging of Pommels and his alleged associates with multiple criminal offences, including breaches of the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA).
