MOCA has the authority to investigate and prosecute a wider range of crimes

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Members of the Senate have approved the Major Organized Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (Amendment of First Schedule) Ordinance, which will authorize the agency to investigate and prosecute a wider range of serious matters.

The bill was drafted during the recent session of the Senate by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith.

She noted that the Major Organized Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) is an invaluable and effective tool in the fight against organized crime in Jamaica and that the order is aimed at strengthening the agency’s investigative scope and thereby further strengthening Jamaica’s security architecture to strengthen.

She explained that the order aims to amend the First Schedule of the MOCA Law to expand the range of offenses for which the authority can take action against persons associated with or otherwise involved in organized crime.

The legislation from which offenses are derived includes the Larceny Act 1942; Forgery Act 1942; Criminal Justice and Administration Act 2014; Road Traffic Act 2018; Firearms Prohibition Restriction and Regulation Act of 2022; Betting Gaming and Lotteries Act 1966; Fisheries Act 2018; Theft Prevention Act; Common law offenses include abuse of office, conspiracy, fraud on public revenue and unforeseen crimes.

Senator Johnson Smith said that MOCA is the first agency of its kind in Jamaica and “the value that MOCA has added to law enforcement over the last decade speaks for itself.”

“From January 2020 to date, MOCA has conducted approximately 98 targeted operations, arresting a total of 85 people, of which 84 have been formally charged,” she said.

The minister said the government will continue to review laws and strengthen the legal framework to ensure they are best suited to the needs of security forces in the fight against crime and violence.

– JIS