Above: Governor General Sir Patrick Allen and Contractor General Dirk Harrison (JIS Photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Jamaica has sworn in Dirk Harrison as the country’s fifth Contractor General.

Harrison succeeds Greg Christie, whose tenure concluded Dec. 1, 2012. Craig Beresford has been serving as Acting Contractor General during that time.

He previously served as Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions.

“Jamaicans expect that through the faithful discharge of the mandate of this office, our country can rely on the public sector’s accountability, integrity and efficiency in the management of our national resources,” he said.

The Contractor General’s office, which provides oversight for government contracts, was in the news of late after it referred Jamaica’s Cabinet for criminal prosecution, citing a failure to respond to information requests.

The Contractor General’s office was created as an independent commission in 1983.