The police raided the upscale residence of SSL employee Jean-Ann Panton on Friday, January 20, 2023. Panton is at the center of the multi-million-dollar SSL fraud.
This begs the question of what did the police hope to find at Panton’s place of aboard two weeks after the scandal broke. I think the raid was a facade. Because if Panton was smart enough to breach SSL clients’ accounts and withdraw millions before anybody noticed, she would know not to keep anything relating to the scandal at home. After all, they gave her more than enough time to get rid of the evidence.
It appears SSL was untouchable. Or the suits have secrets for higher-ups in our society. Because it took the Minister of Finance approximately two weeks to address the situation. And like the Bobsy-twins, Prime Minister Andrew Holness’ hyperbolic speech came a day later.
It’s a disgrace that it took mounting pressure from the Jamaican people to get our leaders, including our Prime Minister, to respond to a serious situation. That is a poor demonstration of good leadership.
Highlights of Prime Minister Andrew Holness’ response to the SSL fraud scandal
..”there is a dimension of a heightened public sense of betrayal, which I share, that a National Icon who has brought so much pride to all of us is also a victim of the alleged fraud.”
PM Andrew Holness
“The Government will ensure that the laws and systems in place work for the benefit of the general public good, accountability for those responsible, and justice for those negatively affected,” he emphasized.
“The affected investors and the public can be assured that the investigative and prosecutorial agencies have the necessary competencies and resources and have already started to act decisively to gather information and evidence,” he added.
“The public can rest assured that the Government will be proactive in ensuring that there is accountability and probity in the exercise of public functions and that our policy and administrative response is effective in continually strengthening the financial sector and protecting the investing public,” he said.
“I have stressed the importance of transparency and accountability to the various Government agencies, as this is the only way to secure public confidence,” he said.