CMU Officer Kevan Panton Charged In Student Payment Funds Probe

KINGSTON, Jamaica — A Caribbean Maritime University employee who serves as an accounting and customer service officer was arrested and charged on Wednesday after investigators examined suspected problems linked to student payments.

Kevan Anthony Panton has been charged with 14 counts each of embezzlement, engaging in transactions involving criminal property, possession of criminal property, facilitating transactions involving criminal property, falsification of accounts, and conspiracy to defraud.

The Financial Investigations Division said in a statement that CMU’s leadership submitted a report which triggered a wide-ranging probe and later resulted in Panton’s arrest.

The FID said the matter traces back to November 2024, when concerns surfaced while the university was experiencing system downtime. During a reconciliation of cashier close-out reports against bank deposits, officials found that $970,000 had not been lodged.

Investigators later concluded that Panton subsequently deposited the money, but said the details around that transaction did not match the university’s approved cash-handling procedures.

The division said further issues were detected during the January 2026 examination period, when students produced manual receipts for payments that did not appear in CMU’s records. That discovery led to a formal review of the school’s manual receipting, banking and receivables posting systems.

According to investigators, the numbering order for receipt books had been broken, and several receipt books were missing. Their review of manual receipts found $1,702,000 unaccounted for.

The FID said $552,500 of that sum has since been returned or deposited, leaving $1,149,500 still outstanding.

Panton and another CMU employee were suspended in January 2026. A formal complaint was then lodged with the FID.

Panton was offered bail in the amount of $700,000. He is to appear in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on July 6, 2026.

Keith Darien, principal director of financial crimes investigations at the FID, said the case underlines the importance of firm internal checks and early reporting when suspected financial breaches arise.

“This case highlights why institutions must maintain robust systems for cash handling, receipting, reconciliation and oversight. Where funds are collected on behalf of an institution, there must be clear accountability at every stage,” he said.

Darien added, “The FID will continue to work closely with our law enforcement and institutional partners to investigate suspected financial crimes and ensure that matters supported by evidence are placed before the court.”