Governor-General His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen has appointed Mr. Dirk Harrison as Contractor General, to be effective March 1, 2013. Mr. Harrison currently serves as Deputy Director of Public Prosecution and will fill the vacancy created when the tenure of former Contractor General, Mr. Greg Christie ended on December 1, 2012.
Under Section 10 of the Contractor General’s Act, The Governor-General after consultations with the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition may appoint someone whom he believes is fit and qualified to serve as Contractor General. The Governor-General engaged a process which resulted in the selection of a short list of three candidates, both local and International.
Two sets of interviews were conducted with the applicants, the first of which was done by members of the Public Services Commission (PSC) under its Chairman, the Hon. Justice Wolfe. In both interviews and a behavior competency diagnostic evaluation, Mr. Harrison emerged the top contender for the position.
This was ratified by the His Excellency the Governor-General after consultation with the Prime Minister, the Most Honourable Portia Simpson Miller and the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Andrew Holness.
A graduate of the Norman Manley Law School, Mr. Harrison has more than twelve years’ experience as a prosecutor on a wide range of criminal matters in Jamaica’s Courts, including the Court of Appeal. In his current post, he serves as Head of the Anti-Corruption Unit, as well as of the Coroners Unit and the Environmental Law Unit. He has represented Jamaica at several international conferences against corruption. Mr. Harrison’s expertise has been recognized internationally. He participated in the United Nations’ review of Jamaica’s anti-corruption laws and practices and is a member of a UN-selected team for evaluation and review of countries’ implementation of the UN Convention Against Corruption.
The Governor-General thanks Mr. Craig Beresford for acting as Contractor General since 1 December 2012.
Established as an independent Commission in 1983, the Office of the Contractor General is responsible for the monitoring and investigation of government contracts, licences and permits, to ensure that they are awarded impartially and on merit.
Office of His Excellency the Governor-General