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PM Golding To Give Sworn Testimony To Office of Contractor General
Prime Minister Bruce Golding is among several Jamaican government officials that will be asked to give sworn testimony regarding the Government’s proposed sale of its 45 per cent stake in bauxite company JAMALCO to the Chinese firm Zhuhai Hongfan by the Office of the Contractor General (OCG).
A press release from the OCG said that current and former permanent secretaries in the Ministry of Energy and Mining Hilary Alexander and Marcia Forbes will be issued with formal Statutory Requisitions requiring them to provide sworn testimony.
The release also said that other senior public officials and private individuals would be issued with formal Requisitions as the OCG proceeds with its Special Statutory Investigation in the matter. These individuals include Minister of Energy and Mining James Robertson Howard Mitchell, Chairman of the Jamaica Bauxite Institute.
The OCG’s Requisitions will require each Respondent to provide sworn testimony to the OCG regarding, among other things, their knowledge of the circumstances of the proposed deal and to do so on the pain of criminal prosecution under Section 8 of the Perjury Act and Section 29 (a) of the Contractor General Act
In April PM Golding said the Government would be selling its 45 per cent stake in Jamalco.
The prime minister said the Government had entered into an agreement with Chinese firm, Zhuhai HongFan, for the sale.
The Chinese company, which has an alumina supply contract with the Aluminium Company of China has secured financing commitments from the China Development Bank.
However, Contractor General Greg Christie wrote to the government to express his grave concerns about the sale and the issues of a conflict of interest and the lack of transparency and competition which the representations had raised.
The Government has been incurring huge losses at Jamalco because of a forward sales agreement, which guarantees the sale of alumina at a fixed price despite the worldwide decline alumina price.
The Government has so far paid US$176 million to meet its obligations to Jamalco.
This is in addition to assuming the US$369 million debt for monies borrowed through Clarendon Alumina Production to help finance past budgets.
Prime Minister Bruce Golding is among several Jamaican government officials that will be asked to give sworn testimony regarding the Government’s proposed sale of its 45 per cent stake in bauxite company JAMALCO to the Chinese firm Zhuhai Hongfan by the Office of the Contractor General (OCG).
A press release from the OCG said that current and former permanent secretaries in the Ministry of Energy and Mining Hilary Alexander and Marcia Forbes will be issued with formal Statutory Requisitions requiring them to provide sworn testimony.
The release also said that other senior public officials and private individuals would be issued with formal Requisitions as the OCG proceeds with its Special Statutory Investigation in the matter. These individuals include Minister of Energy and Mining James Robertson Howard Mitchell, Chairman of the Jamaica Bauxite Institute.
The OCG’s Requisitions will require each Respondent to provide sworn testimony to the OCG regarding, among other things, their knowledge of the circumstances of the proposed deal and to do so on the pain of criminal prosecution under Section 8 of the Perjury Act and Section 29 (a) of the Contractor General Act
In April PM Golding said the Government would be selling its 45 per cent stake in Jamalco.
The prime minister said the Government had entered into an agreement with Chinese firm, Zhuhai HongFan, for the sale.
The Chinese company, which has an alumina supply contract with the Aluminium Company of China has secured financing commitments from the China Development Bank.
However, Contractor General Greg Christie wrote to the government to express his grave concerns about the sale and the issues of a conflict of interest and the lack of transparency and competition which the representations had raised.
The Government has been incurring huge losses at Jamalco because of a forward sales agreement, which guarantees the sale of alumina at a fixed price despite the worldwide decline alumina price.
The Government has so far paid US$176 million to meet its obligations to Jamalco.
This is in addition to assuming the US$369 million debt for monies borrowed through Clarendon Alumina Production to help finance past budgets.
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