A financial fraud scandal has unfolded at the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU), leading to the arrest of a long-serving administrative staff member on multiple charges connected to misappropriation of student payments. The case marks the second high-profile fraud investigation to hit the Jamaican higher education institution in recent years, and has prompted fresh conversations about financial accountability in public educational bodies.
Kevan Anthony Panton, an accounting and customer service officer employed by CMU, was taken into custody this week following a joint investigation led by Jamaica’s Financial Investigations Division (FID), with support from the Special Investigation Branch of the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Constabulary Financial Unit. In an official statement released Thursday, shortly after the FID publicized the arrest, CMU Principal Professor Andrew Spencer emphasized that the alleged irregularities were first flagged by the university’s own internal monitoring systems.
Spencer emphasized that CMU followed all established institutional protocols from the moment discrepancies were detected, and has maintained full cooperation with law enforcement throughout the probe. “This outcome confirms that our governance and oversight structures are working as intended, designed to spot inconsistencies and escalate issues through the proper regulatory channels,” Spencer said. He added that core university operations, including teaching, training and research programs, have not been disrupted by the investigation, and the institution remains focused on its public mandate.
FID officials confirmed that CMU’s leadership first reached out to the division to launch a formal probe, after a series of inconsistent financial records emerged. Following Panton’s arrest, the suspect underwent an interview with investigators in the presence of his legal representation, before being arraigned on 70 total criminal charges: 14 counts each of embezzlement, transaction of criminal property, possession of criminal property, facilitation of criminal property transactions, falsification of accounts, and conspiracy to defraud. Panton was granted bail in the amount of J$700,000 and is scheduled to make his first court appearance at the Kingston and St Andrew Criminal Court in Half-Way Tree on July 6.
The roots of the investigation stretch back to November 2024, when an initial discrepancy was uncovered during a period of scheduled university system maintenance. While reconciling daily cashier close-out reports against official bank deposits, auditors found that J$970,000 in recorded funds had not been deposited to the university’s accounts. Though Panton eventually returned the missing sum, the sequence of events deviated sharply from standard cash handling policies, leaving investigators with lingering concerns.
New red flags emerged in January 2026, during the university’s main examination period, when dozens of students presented manual payment receipts for fees that did not appear anywhere in CMU’s centralized financial records. That discovery prompted a full formal audit of CMU’s manual receipting, banking and accounts receivable processes. The audit found that sequential numbering had been broken across multiple manual receipt books, and several complete books could not be located for review.
In total, auditors were unable to account for just over J$1.7 million in student payments recorded on manual receipts. Of that missing sum, J$552,500 has since been returned to the university, leaving an outstanding deficit of more than J$1.1 million. Both Panton and a second CMU employee were suspended immediately after the audit findings were finalized in January 2026, and a formal criminal report was submitted to the FID shortly after.
Keith Darien, FID’s Principal Director of Financial Crimes Investigations, said the case reinforces how critical robust internal controls and timely reporting are to catching and addressing financial malfeasance in public institutions. “Every institution that collects funds on its own behalf must maintain clear accountability at every step of the cash handling, receipting and reconciliation process,” Darien said. “The FID will continue partnering with law enforcement and institutional stakeholders to root out suspected financial crime, and ensure that all cases with supporting evidence are brought before the courts.”
This arrest comes as CMU already faces another massive fraud prosecution: former CMU head Professor Fritz Pinnock is one of five people on trial accused of defrauding the university and Jamaica’s Ministry of Education of more than J$25 million. The co-accused in that ongoing case include former Minister of Education Ruel Reid, Reid’s wife Sharen, their daughter Sharelle, and Jamaica Labour Party councillor Kim Brown Lawrence.