A former immigration officer who helped run the federal government’s overseas detention center business has become a director of security company Paladin, who obtained a $423 million contract from the government to operate the detention center on Manas Island in a private bidding process. .
Paladin said that the former Assistant Secretary of the Immigration Department’s Detention Department, Dermot Casey, joined the company’s board of directors in May this year.
This appointment coincides with the fact that Paladin is seeking to extend its contract to provide refugee services on Manas Island.
The company submitted documents showing that he and former Defense Department official David Saul were appointed as directors of the company last month.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior said they had noticed this opportunity, but said Casey left the department in 2013.
In September 2017, Paladin received a contract to provide security, IT, on-site management and transportation services to the refugee settlement on Manas Island.
The contract was extended and will expire at the end of this month.
Interior Minister Darden said that he would continue to extend the contract, although the issuance of the contract is still under investigation.
It is reported that KPMG’s advice to the government before the contract issuance is that Paladin will bring a high degree of financial risk.
However, in February, the Ministry of Interior officials said in the hearing of the Senate that KPMG did not think that the contract had any concerns for Paladin.
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